Journal Entry

I awoke to the sound of rain and wind pounding against the sliding glass door of my bedroom. I knew I had shut the door shortly after going to bed as the wind was rattling the vertical blinds, but I also knew that the window in the living room was open. So I hopped out of bed and walked into the living room to shut the window. Yup, some rain had made it inside. I closed the dining room sliding door and glanced at the thermostat – 60 degrees! I hopped back into bed to warm up. It was only 6:48 am.

At 7:20 I decided to say yes to the “be” question and got out of bed. (See blog on A Book of Hours by Thomas Merton.) A quick trip to the bathroom after slipping on my flannel shirt, then out to the thermostat. Oh, how I hate to turn on the heat in June – but 60 is just a little too cold. Ah, coffee, it smelled so good this morning. The rain continues to pound the living room windows to the north. But there is a clearing in the sky way, way to the north. I can’t see across Polson Bay as the coffee drips, but by the time I bring my cup into the living room to get my daily dose of Merton, I can – a little foggy, but the west shore is visible. Guess it will clear off.

The rain began to let up and was finished by 8:30 but the wind is still blowing, not howling but the trees and bushes are doing their dance thing. Some days like today, I love pine trees the most because it takes a lot of wind to get them moving. They are such sturdy trees. Other days like hot summer ones, I think Aspen are my favorite because their small round leaves will blow in almost any breeze and that makes me feel cooler.

Yesterday afternoon, I cut some lilacs from the bush by the deck. The branches were so hard; I’ll have to get a pair of pruning scissors before cutting any more. Poor kitchen shears just could barely handle it. The buds are beginning to fade on the lilacs but still many pretty ones. I’ll just have a bit of a mess to clean up each day. The white shrub roses are blooming now and the peonies are budded. Well, the white shrub roses were blooming; it looks as if there was a wedding on my front lawn from all the wind and rain.

So what does today hold in store for me? I have prayer quilt ministry this afternoon. That’s interaction with people and I look forward to that. I really should do a load of laundry. I love mornings – the peace of a cup of coffee and the view of the lake, the quiet of the mountains and gentle (most of the time) dance of the trees. Morning offers a renewal, a freshness, a calm energy, and yes, a hope. This will be a good day to live.

May the Peace of the Mountains be with you.