Near the end of a beautiful day, I was working out in the living room. While I was down on the floor doing Pilates, a bright light caught my eye. I ran to the window and saw a beautiful rainbow, over our neighbors’ houses. I got my husband and it was a gorgeous sight — a double rainbow. But THEN it got even more intense, nearly NEON. Other neighbors came out and we were all taking photos.
It was certainly a romantic moment, holding my husband in my arms and looking at this glorious sight.
We had just returned from the Jersey Shore (Ocean Grove) for a day of shopping, walking on the boardwalk, and having a great vegan meal at Dale and Dollops. The weather was perfect. During our shopping escapade, one of the shops was playing “Moon River” by Andy Williams. Life is too short not to stop and have a little slow dance. We don’t care who is looking, we just embrace the moment!
The day just couldn’t be more perfect, as it was — and then THIS, the most incredible rainbow I’ve ever seen. And I have seen double rainbows before, but not like this. I did not use filters on the photos. I’m not a fan of filters. Nature’s beauty doesn’t need filters.
A beautiful flower we saw in Ocean Grove
My husband, my life, my pot of gold
You see, yesterday was special. We celebrated Cat Daddy Day. It’s our version of Father’s Day, which I started back in 2017, the first Father’s Day my husband had without his father. I didn’t want him to be sad on that day, so I flipped it and said, “Today is Cat Daddy Day.” I’d take my husband out to eat wherever he wanted, buy him gifts (from the kitties), and make it super special — because he is the best cat daddy! (Around the same time he started doing Cat Mommy Day for me because at that point, my mom didn’t really want to go out and celebrate Mother’s Day anymore, so we’d just visit her and go to a vegan restaurant near her house afterwards and celebrate me as a cat mom).
This year we celebrated Cat Daddy Day two days earlier because I have two stories to cover today and Sunday, I’m the master of ceremonies at a children’s music recital.
It all worked out perfectly. And what did the rainbow mean? Perhaps my father-in-law looking down on us? Or my mother, who passed away on June 10, 2023. (This entire week we saw signs from her, nearly every day — from seeing a bunch of squirrels playing together, as she was known as The Crazy Squirrel Lady, to hearing a unique Elvis tribute song, to the Engelbert Humperdinck show, to THIS.
Always look for the magic. It’s right there in your own backyard. Or front yard!
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Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta is an award-winning journalist, author, and speaker. She can be reached at: maryannechristiano@gmail.com.
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