Astonished, Amazed, and Awed

Late last night there were several statuses on facebook about the meteor shower. So, before going to bed I stepped out on the back deck. And the stars startled me. Blackness blanketed a luxiorious sky where handfuls of diamonds had been thrown. And it took my breath away, like I was seeing stars for the first time.
I've been preoccupied lately with many things. So having my head buried in life stuff, is that why the sky full of stars surprised me? Have there been so many cloudy nights that I forgot about crystal clear nights? I crept off to bed, astonished that this night sky of black velvet and diamonds is what I sleep under every night.
Some friends are adopting two girls from Ethopia. We've talked about the many "firsts" for the girls and how overwhelming it will be. The last time we were talking was at the height of the fall colors. These girls will never have seen leaves, whole trees, turn colors. Can you imagine getting off a plane and seeing these bursts of colors? You'd think that's what they look like all the time. And then the leaves fall off?!? We lived in Tampa, and the trees are never bare there.
Each of us will hear or see something or someone new today. There will be "firsts". I don't want the firsts to pass me by. But I also don't want to forget the astonishing things which have become old and common.
Today I'll try to imagine what it would be like to see for the first time leaves falling, a lake full of sunlight, a mountain sunset, the ocean, my children's faces. To hear church bells, kids laughing, horns honking, or a saxophone for the very first time.
Astonished, Amazed, and Awed - my goal for the day.