Today I woke up thinking about the power of ritual and beauty. One of the significant experiences of my life was being able to have a conversation with one of my mom’s best friends on the day she (the friend) died. She was in bed, drinking water from a very simple glass, when she started talking about how beautiful the glass was. How she loved even the seam on the side and how the light sparkled coming through it. We all knew exactly what she meant and I have often thought about how blessed, and fitting, it was that she ended her life still entranced by the beauty of small details. 

This morning, I decided to have my morning coffee in one of my favorite cups. I bought this for a food shoot decades ago and have always loved it - but rarely use it (yup, for fear of breaking it, or waiting for a perfect moment). So, this morning I combined ritual (warming the cup) with beauty because they both honor the moment.