QUIET MILES & HEARTBEAT MIRACLES

365 Days of Thanksliving – Day 179

Excuse me as I metaphorically try to catch my breath. As I begin to pen this piece, the clock is reading 2022, which is 8:22 PM in civilian time. We just pulled into the driveway less than fifteen minutes ago from our weekly shopping excursion: an hour there, Ulta, Sam's Club, Chipotle, the pet store, and an hour back. Not bad for three and a half hours and 140 miles on the seascape green Sorento.

Sam's was nice and quiet, as was Chipotle. Danielle was in and out of Ulta quickly, so it must’ve been quiet inside there as well. She did get a good chuckle at the cashier, though—a boy wearing thick makeup. The world certainly has all types.

Anywho, it’s nice to be able to enjoy shopping and a good meal (even if it’s a Chipotle, which is Keto-friendly) in relative peace. Tomorrow would’ve been a different story, being Saturday and all. For that small little bit of trivia, I give kudos and thanks to the Lord. There is nothing quite like relative peace and quiet in this life, and enjoying the simpler, beautiful things.

Speaking of that, as we were riding home and listening to a podcast filled with all the up-to-date hubbub in the world of politics and worldly gossip, we drove by this farm site. Along the country road, spanning the entire long edge of the property, was a field of purple-colored wildflowers. To me, that just hit a chord about the beauty of the earth.

Now, I don’t know if the farm owners intentionally planted those beautiful blooms, or if they were seeded by nature’s bounty. Regardless of how they came to be, I was struck by their simple beauty and again had to give a nod to the good Lord.

Well, about twenty minutes later, just as we were rounding the corner with about five miles left to home, a text came through from our daughter. In the background of the video on Danielle's phone, just over the noise of the '70s tunes on the radio, I could hear the faint sounds of our unborn grandchild’s heartbeat on the ultrasound. The miracle of life, ya know? The sound of baby number two's heartbeat and the blood moving through those tiny arteries and veins: whush-aw, whush-aw, whush-aw, whush-aw, whush-aw, whush-aw, whush-aw, whush-aw, whush-aw. If only you could hear it. Wow to God for the miracle of life.

On this 29th of May, I have much to be thankful for: the peace and quiet while enjoying a meal, the beauty of this world, and the miracle of life. To God be the glory forever and ever.

That’s all I got tonight, folks. Just a nice day and a beautiful night full of a few Friday favs. What are three aspects of your day for which you’re giving thanks?