Don't Miss Simple Gifts

Recently I was in the Midwest for a family reunion.  After wards I spent some time in Madison with a friend.  The weather was hot, so we stayed indoors most of the time.  Then one evening the weather changed--there was a cool breeze and the evening became very pleasant.  My friend has a small balcony, just big enough for the two of us.  We toasted each other's birthdays with a glass of wine and then sat to enjoy the evening.

We saw the ending of a brilliant sunset, complete with pink-tinged clouds.  Then the stars came out, one by one, and the coolness of the breeze was so refreshing.  We sat silently in each other's presence and in God's presence, enjoying these gifts.  These same gifts were offered to everyone and yet we were the only ones that night in that particular apartment complex aware of these gifts.  Most of the people in this complex are busy people, rarely using their balconies and perhaps even unaware that the weather had changed.  I wondered if I lived there if I, too, would become so busy that I would miss these ordinary opportunities to savor God's gifts of creation offered to us every day.

Do you set aside time each day to savor the gifts of creation that are part of your world?

Marie Lucek, OP

Juneau, Alaska