August Evening Alone

I was going to go into town tonight to meet up with Anita & Ollie.
To wheel along the boardwalk and watch the sun set over the lake on this gloriously warm sunny Okanagan evening.
Pick up an ice cream cone with a coupon that I've been carrying around in my wallet for over a year!

So I got up and watered my thirsty patio  plants first... they are so spectacular right now.  Flowers joyfully blooming, sending their bright colours into the atmosphere like a thousand cheerful little "hello's" and the tomato plants are eagerly pushing out clumps of tiny tomatoes that are daily ripening in the hot August sun.

I warmed up lentil soup and added in some leftover beets and potatoes which I then brought out to the patio and ate while gazing out over the beautiful valley where the city lay bathed in the summer light.
And then I realized my back was hurting and the city suddenly looked far away.
Too far away to visit tonight, so I'm still here.

Laying on the bench while the warm evening air gives me a big, long, gentle hug.
The  blue sky is sending down kisses and I am content to be here looking out over the flowers and hills and the sliver of lake just visible from where I lay.

Birds fly overhead, heading out for a night on the neighbouring orchard or over to the local bird jamboree.
Diving, gliding, soaring and then fluttering as they pause in mid-flight trying to ascertain where the most insects are to be had.
A little herd of quail just scuttled by, making their sweet sounds and nudging their younger teens along.  I'm amazed at how many of them keep coming.  They must have heard about the jamboree as well.
I think the crickets told them.

And me?

I feel happy and yes, also often joyful.
My wings have been clipped, but I am content to be here right now in this peaceful haven I call home.
No one to look after tonight except me.
Ladybug is here too, a sweet peaceful presence lounging nearby.

Circumstantially the sun and warmth really do effect my mood to some degree, but I feel joyful in the fullness of my life in this season even on the overcast days.
It feels so right to have mom living with me and I do get lots of breaks allowing me to go shopping to go for coffee with friends.

Mom is incredibly content and easy to be with.
She seems to have settled into this new rhythm that is now her life despite some confusion regarding where she will sleep on any particular night.
We talk about how happy we are together and how much we love each other.
This morning when she was getting up she said how she had dreamed about her mother and how she had called out "mommy, mommy..." as she was so happy to see her.  That line between here and forever is blurring for her.
The angels are very near.  Probably a big part of the reason for the incredible peace I feel most of the time.

Plus the reality of God's nearness and the truth I have repeated so often from His Word has formed new pathways in my brain... I AM being transformed by the renewing of my mind.  I will fear no evil, for HE IS with me.  Always.  HIs Angels surround me and He has a plan.

He's got this.  Every part of it.
Today my bible reading contained this piece of life-giving truth from Psalm 37 in the Voice Translation (which I only like some of the time...):

"Believe in the Eternal, and do what is good—
    live in the land He provides; roam, and rest in God’s faithfulness.

Take great joy in the Eternal!
    His gifts are coming, and they are all your heart desires!

 Commit your path to the Eternal; let Him direct you.
    Put your confidence in Him, and He will follow through with you.
 He will spread out righteousness for you
    as a sunrise spreads radiance over the land;
    He will deliver justice for you into the light of the high sun.

 Be still. Be patient. Expect the Eternal to arrive and set things right.
    Don’t get upset when you see the worldly ones rising up the ladder.
    Don’t be bothered by those who are anchored in wicked ways.

So turn from anger. Don’t rage,
    and don’t worry—these ways frame the doorway to evil.
 Besides, those who act from evil motives will be cut off from the land;
    but those who wait, hoping in the Eternal, will enjoy its riches."

So when I make sure to nourish my heart with truth I can navigate the uncomfortable parts of life that crop up.  His Word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path.

Also, thanks to modern technology, I can be in contact with my kids on a fairly regular basis.  Sometimes a week goes by and I don't hear from them so I send out a little hello via cyberspace until I hear back I due time and my heart feels content again.
Or if the news is troubled or troubling I can go to Jesus with it.
The ongoing conversation we have.

Nicole is here right now preparing for a wedding and Daniel is on the road right now coming to join her.  He has just finished his second week at a hospital getting oriented and making MONEY!
I love that they often stay with me when they come to town.
I can get re-acquainted and reoriented to where they are at and to see their lovely smiles.

God's goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my. life.