Hello, friends! Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the season of spring wherever you are. A few months ago, I took a break from posting on Glimsen, but now I’m back with fresh beauty to share with you. Enjoy!

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It’s been over two decades now. But I well remember that little bundle of energy with big blue eyes, a freckley-nose, and twin dimples outlining a toothy grin.

And then she grew up lightning-quick, chose a college in NYC, and now lives in Brooklyn.

Five years ago, when we moved her into her freshman dorm in the City, I tried to balance feelings of sadness for me and of excitement for her. On one of our shopping expeditions, I bought things like a Keurig, storage containers, kitchen towels, a can opener, and a pack of colorful chip clips. In a multi-level Bed Bath & Beyond, my eyes landed on an oven mitt that said, “Joy.” A well-timed reminder, if I’ve ever seen one, to celebrate this next phase of her life.

As we walked the streets of her new home and traced the routes she would take every day, my eyes landed on more beauty than I expected. I confess I didn’t think there’d be much beauty in the city—just concrete and asphalt. But I was pleasantly surprised by tiny patches of green gracing vintage facades, leafy trees canopying the sidewalk in front of buildings, window boxes spilling blooms underneath restaurant windows.

And best of all: a small, carefully landscaped park just across the street from her dorm. After a hard or busy day, she could walk over, find a bench, close her eyes, and breathe in beauty.

It was important to me to know that she could see the beauty of nature every day. I knew she’d be much too busy to enjoy or even notice it, but still, I was glad it was there.

And every time I went to see her, I found more.

That was five years ago now.

Earlier this week, I visited her in Brooklyn for a few days, starting on Mother’s Day. What a joy to be there with her on such a special day. The weather could not have been better: warm and sunny under a light-blue sky. We walked and talked, ate and shopped, laughed and snacked, made plans and shared ideas. All the favorite things.

And this is what we saw.

Historical buildings bookended by lush green trees. And red doors!

An ivy tower.

A tree in bloom with the river and skyline beyond.

The Manhattan Bridge with the park underneath in DUMBO.

A quiet, leafy courtyard through a brick archway.

And best of all, this beauty leading the way to the ferry. Happy Mother’s Day to me.

Thank you for reading Glimsen, where I write about the beauty around us in nature, the arts, and the unexpected. If you like this post, sign up below to get a free gift of beauty and you’ll also receive my blog posts in your inbox. What an easy way to add more beauty to your life. Sign up today!