morning walk

The weather is beautiful here at this point in the year.  October is usually rather pleasant.  50's at night, maybe.  80's during the day.  You can still wear shorts if you don't mind being a little chilly in the morning. (Never mind that my legs haven't seen shorts for the last couple of years... a scary sight!)

My sister-in-law and I decided earlier in the week to meet this morning and go for a walk.  Some girlfriend time.

So I dropped one son off for a Boy Scout camping trip and left another one sleeping because he had notecards to do later for a research paper, and drove on to my SIL's. We stopped to pick up another friend, and since we were in no particular hurry, we had coffee at her house.  Coffee and good conversation.

Finally we jumped back in the car and drove to a nearby location, parked the car and walked.  The first section of the walk followed along a cattle trail.  As is evidenced by the piles of cow "puckey" in the path.
  

Eventually, we came to a road, which led to another walkway of oak trees.  Doesn't it look peaceful?  We were headed down that path when one of my companions looked back and saw someone that she knew walking along the road.

And so we stood and visited.  By the end of the conversation, I felt like I was an old friend.

Relationships and grace.  That was a big part of the conversation and not the first time I've heard that conversation this week. 


At one point in the conversation,  the newest member of our group told about a retreat she had attended in which the presenter gave everyone a spoon at the end.  Have you ever been told, when dishes are being cleared away, "Keep your spoon/fork [for dessert]?"  The spoon symbolizes that "the best is yet to come."


I know that is true of our lives, because ultimately something better does await us in eternity, and I can see that in my spiritual life, on a more day-to-day basis.   When I got home, that very same story was waiting for me in an email - except that it used a fork.  Do you think the Holy Spirit is trying to tell me something?


Maybe I should include a picture of an eating utensil?  Maybe next time...  Today it was butterflies that were abundant.  I was complaining that my camera was having a hard time focusing on the critters, but when I got home I was pleasantly surprised.  My nice auto-focus did a great job of getting butterfly antennae (whatever the plural is).  No more complaints.  I won't wish for an upgraded camera any time soon!

Definitely something to do again.  Especially while the weather is so wonderful!