Here and There

It’s Kidville here at our daughter’s house, where pattering bare feet and cherub voices echo constantly, and spontaneous hugs are abundant. Baby brother has joined the girly clan of four sisters – such a precious little guy - and is the center of their attention, although Grampa and I also get plenty. 

Today I broke away from this animated crew to walk the path around the perimeter of a nearby park.  It was a quiet, peaceful environment, with only a warm breeze and clear blue sky as companions.

Dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, and drenched in sunshine, I circled the track twice.  As I headed back toward the house, a new text message arrived on my phone from a neighbor back home (up north).  She spoke of cold winds urging swarms of dead oak leaves to tumble to the ground and blanket the earth beneath a dramatically cloudy sky. Such a different reality!

It seems no small thing to be connected to both worlds – to belong in abiding ways both here (immersed in the vibrancy of children) and there (settled in our retirement lifestyle).  This evening I am grateful for the sheer vastness of the life experience, and for opportunities to wonder at the magnificence of it all.