When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
Psalm 8:3-4 NIV
Hundreds, no thousands of times, over the years, I have sat on my patio and marveled at the beauty before me. It is never boring or routine. I thank God each day for providing my marvelous, lakeside retreat.
Recently, orange salvia supplied nectar for a tiny bee. A boisterous blackbird startled me with his thunderous caws from my oak tree. A bouquet of white Easter lilies rose from remnants I had planted over the years. Sunshine formed spotlights on motionless cypress trees. The lake displayed a mirrored image of the forest.
Years earlier, we selected an almost bare lot for our new home. Only seven small cypress trees rose from the shore. We imagined what it would become after the house was built.
Anticipation of the future, helped us focus on something besides the turmoil we faced and the reason for our move.
Alan’s idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a terminal disease, had progressed, and we knew he was getting worse. We searched for a community because we decided to downsize from our large home. Many of the places had extra medical care if he needed it later. However, I wasn’t ready to be in one of them alone.
We returned to Victoria Gardens after visiting a Parade of Homes many years earlier. This time, we actually looked in earnest. We liked the lot on water and that the lawns were to be taken care of.
When we told the realtor we would take it, she told us to go home and think about it overnight. That had never happened before. The next day, she got our deposit.
As we prepared to move, my mom went into an assisted care facility, and my dad passed away. What a stressful time it was.
Alan and I looked forward to clubhouse activities after we settled in. I joined the VeeGees, a singing group. He didn’t get to enjoy the community because he quickly declined. Four months after we moved in, he passed away.
I wasn’t ready to be a widow and couldn’t even say the word. My world turned up-side down, but the quiet of the lake comforted me.
How thankful I am to have a place to escape the chaos of the world. My lake became a haven where I grieved the loss of my mom, dad, Alan, and my daughter, Susie. God continues to meet me there daily as I pray, meditate on God’s Word, rejoice, and feel wrapped in His love. Sometimes I laugh at the antics of animals, sing hymns, or even cry. But each day I feel blessed.
Loving Father, thank you for always being with me in all seasons. I don’t always like the changes, but I know You are with me in every season of life.
Amen
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