Be Still and Know - Day 17

[If you're just now joining in, you may want to read my introduction first.]

Today was the day of our big family Thanksgiving feast with my mom, three sisters, their faimilies, and a couple of family friends. My sisters and mom and I were busy in the kitchen all morning, of course, and my mom quipped that I probably wasn't going to find a chance to meditate in the craziness of today. But I knew I would. I was looking forward to meditating outside on the farm. So, once I put my final dish into the oven to bake, I stole away for a bit.

When I left the house for the back deck, all of the chairs were wet from a nice rain that had come this morning, so I just decided to walk around a bit. There are some beautiful spots on this land - places my dad would sometimes take us, where he liked to spend time. Places that made him fall in love with this farm years ago when he proudly bought it.

I had only walked a minute past the old blue tractor, when the rain returned - going from a drippy sprinkle to a steady fall. So I ducked in under the carport. I found an old folding chair next to the 4-wheeler, the riding lawn-mower, and the old '65 Mustang my dad had driven in college and I had driven in high school. What memories came flooding back to me. I felt in that moment that Dad was with us today.

So there it was that I meditated today.  Sitting in a spot my dad had often sat, under the carport my dad built, looking out across the woods my dad had cleared, to the pond we all love - as the rain fell and leaves floated to the ground. It was simply blissful. I couldn't help but keep my eyes open while I meditated. I had my iPod with peaceful music, which blended with the natural sounds of my surroundings. And I felt a deep sense of wonder and happiness.

God's blessings never cease to amaze me. In the simplicity of those moments today, in a place I consider home, God's love was so abundant and overwheming. I don't usually take time to go and sit outside and commune with God in nature when I'm home at the farm, like I did today. And so I am so grateful for this new commitment to meditation that allowed me to experience what I did.

It was a delightful day of enjoying the farm, eating some amazing food, making family memories, and being in awe of it all.