The Toast

Jeff and I took a drive up to Chesapeake to the Barnes & Noble today.  Afterwards, we decided to get some lunch.  The waitress brought our drinks, and while we were waiting for our food, Jeff said he wanted to make a toast.  We raised our sodas (since neither of us drink alcohol!), and he toasted to "spending the day together".  After all this time, he still finds the little things we do together special.  So do I.  And that's where I found God today.

Ducks 2

I saw the ducks again!  I wrote about them a couple weeks ago, and they were back out wandering the neighborhood again today.  When I left for my walk, I saw them right next door.  They were waddling around just quacking away.  After I circled the block, I saw them again just relaxing at the other end of the road!  I felt like they were hanging around just to make me smile.  God's creatures bring us such simple joys.  I found Him today in that adorable little duck couple.

Rain

I've always loved watching it rain.  It's probably my imagination but it seems like it usually rains overnight - which sounds nice, but I don't get to see it.  Well, it did rain overnight last night, but it was still raining this morning.  Yay!  I opened the curtains and stood watching the rain fall on the pond.  It was beautiful.  I was happy. I found God in the lovely rain this morning.  (The photo is from a few years ago, but I thought it was appropriate for today's blog.)

Relaxed Squirrel

I sat down on the couch, leaned my head back, and closed my eyes.  I just wanted to relax and veg out for a few minutes.  I opened my eyes, looked out on the back deck, and there was a squirrel doing exactly the same thing!  He was so relaxed that the wind was blowing his tail off the railing.  I grabbed my camera and took the series of pictures you see below.  He had his eyes closed at first, but I missed that shot - bummer. The last two are where he finally perked up and scampered off.  It was so comical to watch him take a break from his day just like me - and that's where I found God today.

Angel Wings

I took my walk in the early afternoon today.  It was fairly warm, but there was a nice breeze.  Every now and then it would gust, and it felt wonderful.  During a particularly strong gust, the flower petals from a dogwood tree were blown free and came showering down around me.  The light touch of the petals felt like angel wings fluttering against my skin.  I stopped; I wanted to prolong the moment. But the flower petals were moving on with the wind.  When I close my eyes, I can still feel the touch.  Those few seconds were magical!  And that is where I found God today.

Rose

Today I found God in this beautiful rose that just opened up in our garden today.

"Holy Spirit Breath"

In Father Tom's sermon today, he referred to John 20:22, "And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them 'Receive the Holy Spirit'".  It was an excellent sermon, but what affected me the most was Father Tom himself.  He talked about breathing in the Risen Christ's expelled breath and feeling it flow through him, and then breathing out any sins from within.  He called it a "deep cleansing Holy Spirit breath".  His words were powerful, but it was his conviction and feeling that really came through.  I could feel myself breathing in and out with him, experiencing just what he was expressing.  It affected me deeply - breathing in the Spirit along with Father Tom and my fellow parishioners.  And it was in that breath that I found God today.