Gordon snapped awake as if struck by lightning. His heart was racing and sweat was beaded above his brow. He felt gratitude and relief as he looked over and saw his wife, Charlotte sleeping beside him. What an intense nightmare, he thought to himself shaking his head. He peeled back the curtain to observe the beautiful starting rays of dawn. He was snapped out of his fixation of the sunrise by hearing his 4 year old son, Thomas, come into the room. “Dada.” He said as he walked towards Gordon.
Gordon smiled and picked him up. “C’mon buddy, it’s early and mommy’s still asleep. Let me put you back to bed for just a little longer.”
“Ok.” Thomas replied.
Gordon couldn’t believe it. He was never usually this willing to go back to bed. He brought Thomas down the hall to his bedroom and put him in bed. He kissed him on the forehead and told him he would wake him for breakfast. After putting Thomas back in bed he put on a bathrobe and his slippers and headed to the kitchen. He made his morning coffee and felt drawn to go outside. He stepped out and the sun was a beautiful orange ball as it crested over the horizon. It’s gonna be a beautiful day he said to himself smiling. He was amazed how great and positive he had felt. It was as if everything was perfect and there was no changing his mind on that. Oddly, he couldn’t even recall the nightmare that had startled so much to wake him. He looked down the street and saw a 12 or 13 year old boy riding his bike and delivering newspapers. He couldn’t recall the last time seeing this and it put a smile on his face. The boy rode closer and as he approached Gordon’s driveway yelled “Catch!”
It was a perfect toss and Gordon caught it with ease one handed. Gordon was not only impressed with his catch but with the boy’s throw. Gordon bit onto the newspaper and pulled the bag off put it in his bathrobe pocket and flipped the paper so he could read the headline. His jaw dropped and he also dropped his coffee mug and it broke on his stairs. The headline he read was Tragic Car Crash Takes Family Of Three.
Hearing the coffee mug break, the paper boy turned around and yelled “What? You don’t think there’s news in the after life?”
Basket of Thoughts 