So, I came home from church tonight without a "first." Hannah Grace and Joel were all about helping me but it was their bedtime. We got them to bed and I still needed a "first." Since it rained here most of the day, the children did not feed the dog. I went out and fed the dog and noticed our swing. Then, a thought hit me. I've never sat out here at night in my swing. Tonight, I swung on my swing at night for my "first." I decided 15 minutes would be a good length of time to do this. I set my alarm for 15 minutes on my phone.
This was actually pretty cool. For some reason, I kept hearing the words, "Rocking with the rhythm of the rain." Our dog yard is about 5-6 steps from the swing so the dog sat at the fence and watched me for most of the time. I sure she was wondering why I was doing this and if I would bring more food. Sorry girl, just swinging tonight.
Me ready for some swinging
Me on the swing at night
My back yard at night. My black dog is sitting at the fence. It's kind of dark.
A pretty place at night; not my back yard
Not my back yard either
I actually found it quite nice swinging at night. I listened to the tree frogs sing (croak, talk, make noise,). I never really noticed that they will do their little noise thing for a while and then they get quiet. I wonder what makes them sing (or whatever it is they are doing) and why they get quiet. I saw my first firefly of the year. He/she was about 20 feet high in a magnolia tree. Why were there not more fireflies hanging out with him/her? Is our firefly a thug, a bully, a loner or just someone who needs a friend? I think there was one car that drove by the house while I was sitting out there. I did notice that the frogs cranked back up when the car drove by.
I realized I was starting to relax. Sundays are pretty full days for me. I tend to watch a little TV at night to relax and wind down. This was actually much more relaxing than some TV show that I really don't care much about. Sometimes our minds need a break from the big stuff of life like missing airplanes, the grief of those families, the national debt, murders, crime, war, cost of insurance, declining morals, and those kinds of things. I think maybe there is a need for listening to frogs and watching fireflies that is sometimes neglected. As I sat there, I was tempted several times to pick up my phone and look up something. I resisted the urge. I'm afraid by always being connected to the outside world (talking, watching, FB, listening, texting, gaming, etc.) we can lose touch with our own bodies and minds; not to mention the Lord. It was about 10 minutes in when I realized I had a headache.
The verse came to me from Habakkuk (when is the last time you read a verse from Habakkuk or tried to spell it?) which says, “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.” Being silent and just listening can be a healthy thing from time to time. So, if you find yourself a bit wound up and stressed out, you might try a frog concert and see if you can hear the voice of God.
Quiet for the abundant life,
Barry
3 things I thank God for today
1. Fireflies
2. Bird houses
3. Frogs
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