THE VISIT

It's nice to find a change of pace.
So, I decided to go South for a little while to warm my bones.
I arrived in the midst of gushing rain and temperatures that made my bones ache.
Wait a minute!
I was suppose to go to WARM country.

So, after nearly a week down here I am warming up . . . with a little help from long pants and four skimpy layers of clothing.
Who knew!
This is January weather!

Yet, isn't the best part of visiting the time we take to linger with friends and family?
I planned to have lots of empty hours to write but, alas, too many dear friends entered the picture.
Conversation takes energy and time.
Love it.
But where did the time and energy go?
A quick stop with a family member stretched to lingering for hours over endless twists and turns in our conversation that could go on for days.
Nice
A huge sandwich loaded with scrumptious ingredients gave me fuel to continue to my next destination.

I arrived much later than anticipated, dined on salad with grilled salmon and dove into bed.
I awoke so early that I lingered on the deck overlooking a fog-filled lake.
In fact, I couldn't see five feet in front of me.

But OH what I could see in those five feet . . . a chirping squirrel scampered about on an ancient tree limb, a woodpecker pecking at morsels out of the feeder, rustling willow branches, a Cardinal vying for the same food as others.

If I concentrate I might hear the sound of a truck on the highway a block away but why would I want to listen to harsh sputtering of a muffler?

I was desperate to catch up on memory work, study and emails and so was my hostess.
But we first enjoyed real bacon, scrambled fresh eggs and toast from bread I never tried before.
I love it.
Ezekiel 4:9 Bread.  They say one can pick this up in the refrigerated section of any grocery.
It was a nice change from tea, almonds and yogurt I usually have each morning.

Nothing beats having such a comfortable relationship with a hostess that, as a visitor, I can be left alone while the hostess tends to basic chores she must accomplish each day.

All too soon we will chat and walk and linger over tea and enjoy wonderful memories or simply listen to each other.
But for now, I love having the alone time I need to regroup after several days of listening and talking and being with so many people I love.

Visiting is a JOY but I also need time to re-group, renew my Spirit, simply be still ... be silent . . . BE.

In a blink I will be on the road again . . . back to my original spot where I will remain for several days . . . to linger by the water and let the salt sea grab my toes as they hug the sand.

Maybe I'll find some shells as I watch the sun set.
I love the afterglow as light lingers behind clouds creating hews that look like a paint brush streaked across the sky leaving multiple variations of pink and blue light.

Visiting with the sea and the foliage and gardens can be an endless delight.

Before too long I will return to the cold of the North.
I won't think about that now.
I just want to linger a little longer and enjoy these shells and all that goes with them.