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One Sunday afternoon before we had kids, as my husband, Alan, and I diligently worked on renovating our house, we noticed our two cats sprawled out on the floor. Their eyes were squinted shut with a look of pure ecstasy on their faces. A halo of sunlight surrounded both our feline companions. "It must be nice," Alan chuckled, and I nodded in agreement. We continued working. And it became a joke between the two of us about sunning ourselves with the cats.

Later on, I noticed the cats stretched out across the floor once again, absorbing every ounce of the glorious sunlight streaming through the window. The warmth of the sun beckoned me—and the sunbeams invited me to join them to hear the surreptitious music of life that only a select few dared to listen to. Come! So I did, lying right there next to the cats on the floor, mingling with the sun spot.

I knew, sooner or later, my husband would search out his wayward wife. "What are you doing?" he asked, laughingly, when he found me. It didn't take much convincing for him to join me in my newfound, sun-filled paradise. That afternoon we two laughed and talked and finally drifted off to sleep holding each other under a canopy of brilliant sunlight that eventually faded to twilight.

For years Alan and I shared this secret. We'd take moments out of our busy day to search out the sun spot. Then the children came along, and our sunlit rendezvous became less frequent until it was just a sweet, treasured memory. That is, until one Sunday afternoon, when I was trying to convince my 3-year-old daughter about the benefits of taking a nap.

While chasing her, I noticed something that brought a smile to my face. I caught up with my prodigal child, pulled her close and whispered in her ear about a magical place … the sun spot. The two of us excitedly collected pillows so we could cuddle together on the enchanted, sun-filled landing. My cat stretched and yawned as she gave up her place of honor drenched in luminous light.

The two of us giggled at first, but then became silent as we were engulfed by the sun's radiance. The moment was as warm and as tender as a hug and a kiss. Daddy soon found us and laughed, "What are you two doing?" But he winked at me and joined us. There we three lay, arms entwined, enjoying the splendor of the sun spot.

I knew then I would keep the legacy of the sun spot alive. This sweet, simple joy would be a gift I would give my children … and maybe one day the magic would be shared with their children as well.

Kimberly J. Garrow is the mother of six children (ages 2-12) and the author of A Mother's Journey: Through Laughter and Tears (www.kimgarrow.com). She's a humorist, inspirational writer and speaker who attends MOPS in Archbold, Ohio.

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