When life is hard

 

Some seasons in life are just hard. It seems like one wave after another comes crashing down. The death of a loved one. Aging parents. A loved one's heartbreak. Distance from one's children. Announcements and upheaval. 

Can I just get a break? Please, God.

It all became too much today. 

So Jemma and I sat on the deck, soaking up the sunshine in peaceful contemplation. 

Just for an hour.

And in that hour we saw...

...deer grazing in the woods.

A rafter of wild turkeys.

So many birds.

Goldfinch...

..and mourning doves playing on the deck.

Blue jays and cardinals and sparrows.

We heard the trill of the redwing blackbirds in the marsh. We saw the squirrels and chipmunks scurrying through the yard.

And I was filled with so much gratitude for that moment. For our home. For the beauty that is all around us every day. For spring and green grass and leaves and flowering trees.

I don't know what the future holds. But I know that the Lord of all Creation is good, and He will never leave us or forsake us.