“It’s good to be alive and to be going home”

In Anne of Green Gables, after a trip to Charlottetown, Anne and Diana return home to Avonlea along the north shore of Prince Edward Island:

Anne and Diana found the drive home as pleasant as the drive in – pleasanter, indeed, since there was the delightful consciousness of home waiting at the end of it. It was sunset when they passed through White Sands and turned into the shore road. Beyond, the Avonlea hills came out darkly against the saffron sky. Behind them the moon was rising out of the sea that grew all radiant and transfigured in her light. Every little cove along the curving road was a marvel of dancing ripples. The waves broke with a soft swish on the rocks below them, and the tang of the sea was in the strong, fresh air.

“Oh, but it’s good to be alive and to be going home,” breathed Anne.

– From Chapter 29, “An Epoch in Anne’s Life”

A few weeks ago, when I visited the Island with my family, we drove from Charlottetown back to our friends’ cottage one evening after dinner, stopping at the beaches at Dalvay and Stanhope to admire and photograph the spectacular sunset. It was good to be alive.