Her Happiness

She’s smiling again today at the slightest thing, like a teenager at a birthday party, or even my comments that received no response last week. As we drive through the forest, she seems eager to view distant mountains. Enthusiasm flows from her lips, like honey from a full spoon. She laughs at colorful formations of rocks laid bare by weather, or the bull buffalo standing alone in a field. Words fly off her tongue, full of superlatives, questions and wonder, like a mother viewing her newborn for the first time. I rejoice in her joy, celebrate her happiness, and feel sadness about leaving this place tomorrow.