Air Condition

Jeff and I walked this morning, and I don't think I've ever been so hot in my life!  It was only 82 degrees (ha! "only 82" at 6:30 a.m.), but the humidity was 95%.  It felt like a sauna.  I almost never sweat, and I had sweat dripping off my face by the time we got home.  But as soon as we walked through the front door, and the a/c hit us, ahhhh....  Relief!  I don't think I've ever been so grateful for air condition; my sweat-soaked skin was instantly cooled.  Our old air-condition system went up last year, and we put in a new geo-thermal unit which is part of the reason for all of our recent financial woes.  But lordy, lordy, was I blessing that expensive geothermal unit today.  I found God in the cool, dry bliss of our air conditioned home.

"Cool" Sound

I was sitting inside on this sweltering hot day enjoying the breeze from the various fans we have running when I suddenly realized I was listening to something I only hear in the summer - the sound of my capiz shell wind chimes.  It's too delicate to be outdoors so we have it hanging inside.  The problem with that is I only get to hear them when the fans are running, and the fans are only running in the summer!  So it dawned on me as I was enjoying their icy tinkling that I now link the sound of those chimes to summer along with crickets, lawnmowers, thunder...  It's become a gentle sign of the season for me, and I found God in their soothing, somehow cooling sound.  (You can hear them in the clip at the bottom of this post.)

The Frozen Fruit Bar

Today I found God in a comical moment which I know isn't that unusual.  What is unusual is that the comedy was Jeff eating a frozen fruit bar.   I doubt I'll be able to convey the humor - it was one of those "you had to be there" moments.  He wanted an italian ice from Rita's, but we didn't feel like driving out. So I told him I had Edy's frozen strawberry fruit bars in the freezer.  I've been with Jeff for 14 years so I know he doesn't like to eat popsicles because he says they hurt his teeth.  I explained that the strawberry flavor has a slightly different texture and finally talked him into trying it.  He started out just licking it like a lollipop which was bad enough, but then it started getting drippy so he was trying to get the whole thing in his mouth.  And then - horror of horrors! - he actually bit it!  I held my breath waiting for the Owww!!, but instead got hmmm... pretty good.  I was laughing at his elaborate technique, and he was laughing at me watching him so intently (along with my commentary!).  You have to know Jeff, and you really had to be there, but I had tears rolling down my cheeks from laughing so hard.  It was such a fun, lighthearted moment, and a great place to find God today.

Fourth of July

Jeff and I don't really get into fireworks, but we wanted to do something different for our Fourth of July holiday so we decided to change things up and walk on the beach early this morning.  We used to do it all the time, but it's been ages since we've been out there that early.  It was gorgeous.  The sunrise was beautiful, and the breeze was cool and constant.  We saw a few dolphins, but mainly it was the pelicans putting on a show - skimming the water, wheeling up and diving down with a huge splash.  We just stood and drank it in - the colors, the waves, the air like warm silk on our skin.  It was an amazing morning and that is where I found God today.

Talking to Strangers

I had to pick up a prescription at Walmart, and there was a really long line.  Jeff and I settled in to wait and were having a light conversation when the woman in front of us turned around and started talking with us.  We found out she had lived in both Alaska and Hawaii before she moved here, that her husband was in the military, that she was taking care of her mom for the summer, and that her sister had moved to Oregon for the summer.  She was very interesting and before we knew it, it was her turn at the register.  I'm always open to talking to strangers, but I never seem to start conversations with them myself.  I think I'm going to work on that because strangers stop being strangers once you share a few friendly words.  Talking with her turned the drudgery of waiting in line into an interesting break in the day, and that's where I found God today.

Mango Ice

Jeff and I were both going non-stop today so this afternoon we decided to take a break and drive out to the ocean.  It was beautiful, of course, and very calming.  Afterwards, we went to Rita's, and I got the Mango ice.  What a delight!  That icy cold mango flavor on this super hot summer day just felt so good going down.  And the Rita's here in Southern Shores is the best I've ever been to.  Their ices are thick and scoopable (if that's a word!).  Every other Rita's I've been to has ices that are basically slushies.  That Mango Ice was the perfect reward for long day of work, and that's where I found God today.

The Nap

After lunch today, I had a short stretch of time with nothing to do.  So I sat on the couch, and just stared out the window.  I was thinking of things I should do versus things I wanted to do.  The longer I sat still, the heavier my eyelids got.  I could feel a blanket of sleep trying to wrap around me.  I tried to fight it for a few minutes, but then I just gave in.  I stretched out on the couch, closed my eyes, and let sleep take me.  It was fabulous!  I so rarely nap during the day because it disrupts my nighttime sleep, but today I just let myself enjoy giving into that incredibly drowsy feeling.  What a treat!  I slept for less than a half hour, but it was pure bliss.  Not just the nap itself, but that point of letting go.  Today I found God in that blissful release and the welcoming nap that followed.