Snoopy Hang On!

I typically arise from my slumber each morning quite early, aided by my ten month old boy dog Bravo who believes that the promise of daylight means that it is time for a puppy party. In an attempt to burn off his energy and keep my heart healthy, I have been using the dawn hours to run with the dogs.

Today, we hit the road again and, when we arrived back home, I fully expected the kitchen to be empty and that my wife and children would still be fast asleep. But, as usual, I was dead wrong. As I wiped the residue of my labor from my brow and bee-lined for the espresso machine, I saw Gabriella reading a book at the kitchen table. It was a beefy book with a spine that could support a bridge. And she was so entirely engrossed in it that I had to do a big "ahem" to get her attention. "Hi Dad", she said.

I started to load the coffee into the machine and I thought of my daughter's quest to learn. She has such academic thirst, I thought. Perhaps she was reading a history book so that she could grow up to unlock the mystery of time. Or, maybe, she was reading about ecology in which she has such a keen interest. But, what if it was a science book and she was going to cure cancer? These are the thoughts that went through my head as I made my nectar of the Gods.

With a steamy cup of coffee in my hands, I went towards the table and asked with profound interest, "what are you reading, honey?"

"Oh, a compilation of all the Snoopy cartoons ever, want to read with me?"

"Yes I do".

If I could teach all the children on the earth two things, it would be to be kind and to read. It does not matter to whom they might be kind to or what they might be read. I would simply teach them to be kind and to read. From there, most everything else in the world will pretty much be their oyster.

Please have an amazing Friday.

I am not entirely in love with the technical aspects of this photo but I am wacko for the subject so I left the artful brigde image on my sensor and give to you a big piece of my heart.