I woke this morning to the sound of rain falling outside my window, and discovered that both of my dogs had jumped up onto my bed overnight and were snuggled into me to keep warm.
When I lifted my head from my pillow, I saw that both cats were also on the bed, tucked into tiny little "I really want to stay warm" lumps of fur.
My dog Riley, near my feet thumped her tail heavily against the bed.
"Yes, I'm awake," I said. The thumping became serious wagging.
Seamus, our other dog, stretched out his body to maximum extension and grunted, happily, before rolling onto his back and pushing his head into my ribs. One of the cats began to purr.
I stretched, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and scratched Seamus' chin. I was pretty sure he smiled at me.
The day wasn't five minutes old, and I already felt peaceful and loved.
Anne appeared in the doorway, a mug of coffee in one hand. "Good morning," she said.
"It sure is," I replied.
