Thirty Seconds

Living gratefully today, I give thanks for a pleasant weekend of family, fresh air, celebration, walks in the morning air, safe travels, time with immediate and extended family, dancing the night away, and much more.

Congratulations to our nephew Spencer and his bride Erika! Best wishes as you begin your married life together. Their wedding day was a beautiful celebration: from the church ceremony, to the dinner and speeches, to the dance floor.

The holiday weekend allowed us a full day on Sunday as well, before we had to travel home yesterday. My sister Ruth suggested a local state park for a walk that afternoon. My husband Darcy and my sister Leonice joined us. Though not far from where we grew up, I had never been to Echo Valley State Park near West Union, Iowa. It was a pleasant weather afternoon as we walked the out-and-back trail along Otter Creek. A walk is always good for the body and soul. A walk with loved ones in a place new to me just takes it up a notch.

Leonice and I spotted seven or eight finches on some dead branches in the water for a few brief moments. Ruth and Leonice spotted a turtle on a log before it decided to jump back into the water. What treats! We all shared various conversations, sometimes in pairs, sometimes all four of us. Darcy and I commented to one another that we will need to get back there, and how pretty it would be with fall color.

And we paused along Otter Creek at this bend and enjoyed the sound of flowing water:

Thirty seconds to absorb the natural flow. Thirty seconds to feel part of the wider whole. Thirty seconds of living gratefully that continued to fuel me as we finished our walk and went about the rest of our day.

A generous thirty seconds. Life is full of generous offerings.