Mother Nature

So, I know that I've been gushing a whole lot lately.  But I can't help it.  There are just so many amazing and beautiful things around here.  And it still feels like it's too good to be true, that we actually get to live here.  Even after 3 months, I still catch my breath when I glance out the window.  And I have to stop to stare.

And sometimes, I toss aside everything that I am supposed to be doing and take B outside to wander around.  We find the most interesting things.

And I find myself feeling so grateful that we're here.  That we're done with the relocation and the mother of all road trips.  That we're mostly all unpacked.  That this beautiful place is my home.  And that I truly feel at home here.  I feel it more deeply now than I've felt in anywhere/anytime in my entire life.  I carry within me such a deep sense of contentment as I wander this property.  Part of it is that so many fascinating things surround me, and so much beauty.  I know that the euphoria of novelty could possibly wear off one day.  Part of it is that my family is complete and we are happy here, learning and growing together.  We've been given the chance to make amazing new memories in a new part of the country.  And part of it is that most of my days are filled with peace and not all that much chaos.  So I have the luxury of spending some of my time admiring what mother nature has to offer.  Which fills me with joy and wonder.

Part of it, I'm sure, is that I'm a tree hugger at heart and the chance to live in the midst of woods like this fills me with delight.  It amazes me how different they look at different times of day and in different weather. 

I am also grateful to know that this mound next to the driveway, which the neighbor said was a bear den, is, in fact, not a bear den.  Unless the bears around here can shrink enough to fit through a fox-sized door.  I have no doubt that we'll have an encounter or two with bears during our stay here, but I don't mind waiting for a while on that one.

 But these cautious, wild creatures are welcome here anytime. 

One morning last week, I found myself walking alone with R down to the bus stop.  J had been up half the night puking and B mercifully slept in that morning.  So, with R's warm little hand clasped in mine, we walked down the lane and waited for the bus to come.  And while we waited, we heard some rustling in the woods.  Before long, we saw a doe picking her way cautiously through the brush about 20 feet from where we stood.  R caught her breath when she saw it, and smiled up at me, her eyes filled with wonder.  The doe crossed the street and stood there, looking back as if waiting for something.  Before long, a little fawn followed along the path the doe had taken and joined her mother across the street just before the bus showed up.

I choose to see the hand of God in such things.  It was without a doubt a beautiful experience.  One that R and I can share and treasure for long years to come.  But it also speaks to me of a loving Father in Heaven.  Someone who is aware of R's desperate desire to see a "baby deer" and who allowed that desire to be fulfilled in a special way, during a tender mother/daughter moment.

I choose to see God's hand all around me, in this place.  I choose to see His hand and the influence it has had during the long course of my life.  I choose to believe that He guided the path that brought us here.  

And so I feel at home, so deeply content, and at peace.  I will cherish what Mother Nature can offer me here.  And I will open myself to the next set of life lessons that my Heavenly Father sees fit to send me.  And I will bask in His tender mercies all along the way.