the beauty of life

I’m sitting on my back deck, the sun slowly setting on my back. a dove coo’s a contented day’s end while a far -off woodpecker pecks his rhythmic beat, calling all of nature to today’s final dance. the day brought us emerald and topaz, drawing us physically and mentally outside of the past weeks of mostly walled existence. birds sang praises, merrily prancing their lawn jigs..hopping and flitting, heads tilted, as if to say, “do you hear it? don’t you see it? all the earth is awakening and breathing life into dead places!” and my heart is delighted!

if it were not for spring’s promise i think this pandemic would be much more difficult to endure. so, i’m grateful that if we were to walk through this season of careful and slow, that we have the sunshine to warm and the birds to chirp and the flowers to beautify the landscape of our minds.

while not ignoring the current state of our world, i am determined to focus on gratitude, cherishing the beauty of life. full admittance, this task seems nearly impossible at times. but i’ve witnessed many on similar quests. facebook profiles are graced with so many pictures of tree buds and flowers. of families walking together and enjoying backyard campfires. there are thank-yous acknowledging our healthcare workers, and those caring for our elderly. there are breads baking and dinners being prepared… some of us are feeling quite the pioneer’ish spirit! all joking aside, it’s apparent that this mandated slow has brought more awareness to the less obvious areas of life. there’s much to be said for the art of listening long and noteworthy noticing. and while so much that used to fill our lives has suddenly stopped, life has had to keep going, and going we are.. each one of us waking each day with lives to live, families to care for, and a God to thank and love. and there’s so much praiseworthy in that alone.

i don’t know the end results of this pandemic..none of us do. there are no promises of when the virus will end or how the stock market will fair or even when children will go back to school. but i cannot help but think that the lessons we are learning now are to be taken into the next season, whenever it may come. lessons of listening, taking walks just to take time with God, families relishing their time together and making the most of  what we’ve been given.. love that grows when we look with eyes of gratitude, not taking each other for granted.  friends, whenever this ends, let’s determine to maintain some of the slow and continue to cherish the beauty of life.