Afternoon Solitude in the Sun

May I tell you about a few special moments one autumn afternoon?

After a busy day, I yearned for a few moments of peace and rest outside. However, several towering trees, probably hundreds of years old, block out the sunshine in our backyard at that time of day. Behind the fence, the sun was shining brightly in one small patch.

Pulling a cushionless chair from the backyard over to the sunshine, I sat down with a cup of tea.

The sun's intense warmth poured over me and it felt so good to be alive. 

A cool breeze rustled the leaves of the surrounding trees and church bells from faraway peeled in the distance.

So many thoughts swirled around in my head. The past week there had been a death in the family as well as a birth. Isn't that always the way it is?  Overwhelming joy mixed with sorrow had both been felt.

In addition, the day was my oldest child's birthday. He's a grown man now, soon to be married to a lovely young woman, the girl of his dreams. It's wonderful to think of having a new daughter in our lives who fills our son's heart with happiness. When a child is content, a parent feels contented, too.

However, my son lives far away. Sitting in the sunlight, I thought back to the day he was born. The leaves were changing then, too, and my heart had been so filled to the brim with love over having a healthy baby boy that I thought it was going to burst.

 

The bottom line is, even though now we have frequent phone conversations, I miss him terribly.
Resting the back of my head against the chair, I felt tears trickling out of the corners of my eyes. It's so hard to raise a child, love and nurture him, have dreams for his future, follow his every step into adulthood from college to career, and then have to let him go. One must, of course, but who says it's easy?  Perhaps the bride's mother feels the same way. Could my thoughts on this, his birthday, count as a big birthday hug? I hoped so.

It's exciting to think of a wedding, a beautiful bride and her handsome groom, and all the days to follow.

Smiling once again,  as I gathered my tea cup, and pulling the chair back into the yard,  I headed for the house.

DO YOU GIVE YOURSELF MOMENTS OF SOLITUDE?