It won’t be long before we will be picking raspberries again. Raspberry plants grow like weeds. Ours have totally taken over the space behind our garage. Which would be good (we love to eat them) except they completely overgrew the area where we had rose bushes. 
Life is like that. New things come into our lives, old things fade away. We make new friends, old friends move away. It’s easy to spend time living in the past, thinking about the “good old days” yet we are called to live in the present. 

Our chipmunk (we think we only have one) is not shy. And he seems to be able to eat his weight in corn on a daily basis. Somtimes, I feel like a chipmunk. 

This is another photo that I find captivating. I have come to realize that what really draws me in is the water. It is so still that it looks like a mirror. Still… peaceful. 
Peace is something that is greatly lacking in out world today. Not just the absence of war, but inner peace.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. (John 14:27)

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. (Matthew 6:28-29)

This photo was taken a little over a year ago, at Twin Creek Park. Even without telling you the date, there are obvious clues in the photo. There are no leaves on the trees (or ground). The grass is turning green. And if you look closely, you can see buds on the tree limbs in the foreground. So it is early spring. 

I wish that I was able to pay that much attention to the details of my life as they happen. I feel like I miss so much. Being mindful – “stop and smell the roses” – is something that has become much more regular for me since the Camino. 

When our grandson is over, bubbles are very popular activity. I’m far from an expert on making bubbles, but I have learned a few things about what conditions are best for making big bubbles. Strong wind is not good, but neither is a lack of breeze. 

In a similar way, it seems hard to see God when things are very difficult in our lives, such as suffering an severe illness or experiencing great loss. But it can also be difficult to see God when there is an absence of obstacles to overcome. It becomes very easy to focus inward instead of upward. 

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice in it and be glad. Psalm 118:24

This photo, taken 1 year ago today, was one of the last I took in Santiago. As I think each of us has experienced, this may have been the end of the trip but it was not the end of our Camino. These past 2 weeks have been a wonderful reminder of things we did and saw. Even more so, I am reminded of how I was changed by the experience. 

Buen Camino!

Santiago de Compostela Cathedral

More memories from our trip a year ago. Marylynn loves purple flowers; they remind her of God’s presence with us. So you can imagine her joy at finding this wall of lavender. 

Hotel Pazo de Sedor