Tis a gift to be simple. . .

There is nothing quite so refreshing to the soul as time spent alone in quiet observation of the simple things in life. Children have this capacity quite naturally but I think all too often the practice gets lost as the years go by. As adults, we sometimes tend to lose control of how our time is spent and only when we begin to reach the end of our time here do we realize how misplaced our priorities have been. These words come to mind: "Life is what's happening while we're busy doing other things." I think it is a real blessing if we have learned this, early on.

Every late afternoon - early evening, it was Bob's and my custom to make the rounds, as we called it. We visited every single growing thing on our property, commenting on the growth process (or lack thereof), shared our feelings of awe for the beauty of nature that surrounded us and talked about life, in general. I don't think I can recall our ever making those rounds without one or both of us being moved to near tears due to the significance and splendor of it all. We would often wonder, aloud, how it could be possible for anyone to believe these marvelous intricacies evolved by any other means than through God's handiwork.

I think those walks were instrumental in laying the groundwork for the faith that sustained both of us during Bob's illness and the faith that sustains me now. By God's grace, I still make the rounds but the conversations are in the silence of my heart.

Amen.