On Saturday evening I sat on the garden swing surveying the back yard. Friends sat next to me. The sun was just setting and its brilliant rays warmed the evening air. As we gently rocked back and forth there were generous compliments about the beauty of our back yard. "It looks like it should be a painting," commented one friend.
I'm so used to this scene. Everything looked familiar and unremarkable to me. So, for a few moments I tried to see it through new eyes: a wheel barrow and hoe leaning against the apple tree; green and red peppers, growing fat and full, nearly ready to be picked; tomatoes ripening; the herb bed filled with thyme, sage, rosemary and more; grapevines trailing over the fence--planted in our neighbor's yard, a sweet gift spilling over into ours. "Take whatever's on your side," they tell us. I realize that Robert Frost was right, "good fences [hanging heavy with grapes, do] make good neighbors"!
My friend is correct, this is a beautiful scene. How did I become so blind to it in my daily walk around the yard, gathering vegetables for dinner or herbs for sauces and soups? Where does our vision go as we hurry through the everyday routines of life? How many other precious sights, quietly extended blessings, beautiful moments have I missed as I've gone about the tasks of each day?
It's true, and not always our fault, that we are in a rush. Life can be so demanding. There are requirements to be fulfilled, many expectations to be met. Lingering is not always possible or permitted. In the process, unfortunately, we can become absorbed in the day's routines, failing to see the beauties so immediately before us.
I am grateful for my friend. Her eyes were open and ready to see the unique scene. Her gentle encouragement opened my eyes, too. I felt such a sense of peace and pleasure as I viewed my small plot, just bursting with the evidence that nature supplies our wants, for both body and soul. I had eagerly partaken of the vegetables, fruits and herbs to feed my body, but had neglected the food that was right there, waiting to feed my soul. So, for a moment, the dishes can wait. The phone can ring. The shopping can be done later. These days won't always be with me. Taking time to enjoy their peace and beauty causes my heart to swell, my gratitude to multiply tenfold.
We think so much of our temporal needs: bills to be paid, work to be done; meals to be prepared; shopping; laundry; classes to attend; errands--all so necessary in the scheme of life. Yet we think so little of the soul that has equally important needs: time to be filled with the beauty God has provided in nature; time for quiet; time for solitude, prayer and thanksgiving. Perhaps we would be blessed to consider giving a greater share of our time to feeding the soul.
TODAY'S GENTLE ENCOURAGEMENT: LOOK FOR A FEW WAYS YOU COULD SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE, LEAVING SOME TIME TO SEE THE BEAUTY AROUND YOU, ALLOWING YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO FEED YOUR SOUL.
No comments:
Post a Comment