All of heaven in a single room

Stretched out on the couch, feet up. Mina’s Il cielo in una stanza playing on the stereo. The scent of garlic and onions ‘round the corner, mingling with night blooming jasmine from the garden-facing window, bringing waves of hunger and intoxication.

At the coffee table, my daughter rests on her knees, alternating between bites of a pear and coloring in chaotic patterns. She occasionally mouths words of the song in a language neither of us understand. But the words touch the soul all the same.

Echoing through the hallway, I hear my wife’s ladle gently taping on the pan. I picture her moving ingredients from countertop to stove — a glorious tummy leading the way, teeming with life just below the skin.

All unseen, but the emotions no less heard and felt.

Love and joy abound. ‘Tis perfection.

This is living. This is beauty in the ordinary. This is all of heaven in a single room.