January 4, 2026
Morning Reflections
The Day Domino Flew Into My Hand — One Year Later...
One year ago today, I was standing on the pier when a small blur of feathers broke from the sky and flew straight into my open palm. That was Domino — a moment that quietly, permanently, beautifully changed my life. I didn’t know then that love could arrive so small and feel so infinite, but she taught me in an instant.
This rainy Sunday morning, the sky held a soft gray. No sun, no sanderlings skittering along the shore — just big waves, a shimmering sea, and surfers dotting the horizon, laughing in the patience of the swell. The pier still sang beneath my feet, steady and familiar, like an old friend keeping a promise.
Pegleg greeted me first, as he always does — my loyal little sentinel of the dawn. Honey Girl and Clubby were there too, the originals who brightened my life long before I understood how deeply birds could mark a soul. Honey Girl, perched right on me, happily enjoying her peanuts in the rain. Clubby, gentle and brave with one foot, hopping close in her quiet, loving way.
And just when I thought the morning might slip by without a reunion, I glanced underneath the pier, called Domino’s name into the drizzle — and out she stepped. She came for me. Not because the day was grand, but because connection doesn’t need sun to glow. Joy recognizes its people.
As I turned to leave, one more gift met my eyes — a tiny miniature schnauzer in a raincoat and boots, wobbling adorably into every heart around him. Even in gray, delight still finds a way to sparkle.
Then, up on the sand berm, a cross stood softly against the rain — a sacred reminder written by the shore itself: God is always with us. In every season. In every gray sky. In every tiny miracle that flies toward your hand when you need it most.
I walked away with a heart fuller than the horizon — grateful for one year of being chosen, one year of healing, one year of little things becoming everything.
Morning Gratitude Thought:
Gray skies, loud waves, and gentle hearts on the pier. One year ago, love flew into my hand and changed everything. Today, joy found me again in feathers, rain boots, and
quiet sacred signs. God is always with me. I am grateful.
