Easter Morning, Early

It is quiet now.

I am remembering
all the years
of excited flurry,
the children rushing
down the stairs,
faces still doughy from sleep,
yet shining in anticipation.

There were times,
amidst all that noise and chaos,
when, overwhelmed,
I would think-
someday,
I will be an old woman
in a quiet house
looking back on these days
with fondness.

Now, here I am,
sipping my coffee
in the pre-dawn calm.

It is not a bad place to be.
I am not lonely or sad
or any of the things I imagined.

In fact,
I quite enjoy
this time of life.
Its just,
how did I get here
so quickly?

By Maria Brady-Smith
Photo by Mike Smith