My husband had invited me to sit with him on the back porch. No lights were on at the neighbors’, nor in the back rooms of our house, so it was almost pitch dark outside. Although the smell of autumn is not yet in the air, it was cool and comfortable. Sitting on our patio seats, we looked up at the stars in a cloudless sky. Rarely are they so bright, except in mid-winter when it’s too cold to enjoy them. We sat quietly, only occasionally commenting on the stars, finding the constellations, but forgetting their names. Even though the sounds of civilization were present – the occasional car going by, the constant low hum of distant busy roads - I was able to block them out and listen to the sound of crickets all around me, and the trickle of the waterfall in our water garden, and the wind blowing through the trees, and I breathed a silent thanks to the Lord for making the world so wonderful. "Have you seen a shooting star yet?" my husband asked. "No," I mumbled quietly. Then I turned in my swivel chair, to look up over the barn – and a shooting star streaked across the sky! "I saw one!" I pointed, with the excitement of a child. My husband laughed at the happy ‘coincidence’ – although some say there is no coincidence with God.
Someone inside turned on a light, and soon came out to ask a question. Ah, well. Fifteen minutes of peace and quiet in a hectic life. I need to stop more often, and listen to that still, small, whispering voice.
Thank you, my dear, for inviting me to stop and sit a while with you!