Grateful for peaceful moments....

This morning I woke up to moisture! Something I crave but have not experienced in so long I can’t remember the last time. There are clouds, fog and a drop here and there of, well, I can’t call it rain but it was moisture. It was glorious!! But as I was reading my morning devotionals on the porch something suddenly grabbed my attention so I pulled myself out of my inner focus to see what it was. And it was absolutely silent. Like the fog had brought peace along with it. My daughter was reading next to me and she picked up on the same thing at the same time as I did. Neither of us having said a word. It was magical. A totally different sound of silence and peace than what happens in the middle of the night. A different pitch. I had never been aware before that there really is a ‘sound of silence’. Normally, there are many sounds in the morning. Donkeys, roosters, dogs, cars, people, and tons of birds. But not today.

Neither of us wanted to speak or even breathe too loud so as not to disturb the moment. Even a leaf falling from the tree seemed loud in this silence. It was completely refreshing, healing, and balancing.   So I respected the silence and let it serve me. What a wonderful way to start today. I am so grateful!

Grateful for space....

I am 54 and my daughter is 35 and we share a small bedroom in a tiny house that a friend is renting and letting us live rent free.  SO much to be grateful for in that sentence, but my human arrogance and bad attitudes are always longing for a room of my own where I can shut the door and just be by myself when I want to.  A place to study and cultivate my inner peace.  Just some space to myself and for myself.  The apartment I used to live in, when I was working a very good job with great benefits and only 2 miles away from where I was living, was in a very busy part of the city.  We weren’t far from the police and fire station and close to the main route to a hospital nearby so we were always hearing sirens, alarms, dogs barking, etc.  My sliding glass door was about 20 feet from the busy street where all this traffic went by.  Somehow I got used to the all the noise and sirens being just a few feet away, but now I cannot imagine it as I reflect back on this time in my life.  And this was in 2014, just three short years ago.

Today, I live in the desert, one of my least favorite places, outside a small town and with very limited resources.  Adding this to the shared room, and a very challenging house set up, it is easy to be discontent.  But at 6:30 this morning, as I was enjoying the peace and quiet sitting outside on the porch and looking at the view, I was reminded that God knows what is best for me and I will sorely miss the peace of living outside of town in such a quiet area.  We live off of a dirt road and there are no city lights so you can see the stars.  There are wild rabbits, hares, coyotes, snakes and we wake up to donkeys braying and roosters crowing and peacocks making their unique sounds and so many types of birds!!  And I have a porch.  I knew I have always wanted one, but now I’ve been able to enjoy one for two years.  After making coffee and feeding the pets, I sit on this porch every morning -even when it’s 19 degrees and I’m all bundled up – and I read my Bible and devotionals, drinking my coffee, and strengthening myself for the day and reminding myself to focus on what is really important in life.  That definition is not always easy to see.

So today, I thank God for the space that I have been provided and the peace that comes with it.

Grateful for peace....

I am so grateful for the peaceful times I’ve been able to enjoy here with my daughter and my pets.  We get to spend each morning and evening outside walking around the fenced in one-acre property.  It is so cute, both cats and one dog follow us all around the perimeter and then we play catch with the dog while the cats watch.  The animal awareness and interaction is so cute and unexpected and keeps us in the present moment.  This happiness and peace is so healing and I am so blessed to have this time.