Sunday, April 10, 2011

The Miracle Day


Yesterday we had bright sunshine from moment one and I sat out on the (window-enclosed) front porch with my coffee and books extra early and let the sunshine sweep away, finally, the harshness of these past two months.

And later I hung laundry outside upon my prayed-for clothesline and raked and raked dead leaves, pine needles and the gravel rocks which our neighbor's snow blower swooped upon the lawn. I carried our vegetable clippings out to the compost pile, swept the patio and barn sidewalk and the song "Happy Days Are Here Again!" kept spinning inside my head.

Then in later afternoon while the frogs in our gleaming winter lake croaked, clicked and creaked, I, with my wheelbarrow, sat beside the flower bed on the sunny side of the house and picked amongst the dead stems and grasses, clearing the way for new growth to catch the sun and grow, grow, grow.

That's when it happened.

That's when I stared up at the living room window and remembered all those months behind the glass, gazing upon fields of snow, longing to sit outside, sun upon my back, weeding the flower beds, below.

That's when I realized, at that very moment, this was a dream-come-true! And I gasped with the wonder of it. How many days do any of us, really, experience the fruition of something so longed for? What percentage of Life reflects that?

Amazing, amazing day, so stuffed with Grace, that she was everywhere--inside, outside, upside-down. She matched my steps and made everything enchanted. Easier, too.

Always, I've been healthy, physically, except for the occasional virus, and have never needed to say, "I must do such-and-such for my health." But now? Now more than ever I know that, for my health--physical, mental and otherwise--I need to move away to a milder climate.

One must know herself. And both Tom and I must--next year at the latest--move to a place where, come winter, we do not hibernate in our small rooms lest Tom slip on the ice, he with his polio'ed leg. To a place where we can get out and walk year-around, lest we turn into the roly-poly old things which we are this morning. We need to move to a land where winter does not drive us inside the house and therefore drive us crazy.

Yesterday healed me. The sun and the 58 degrees, and now I am back to the Debra I recognize, the happy one you've seen in this blog for 6 years. And on the day of Suzy Homemaker's funeral, of all days! (God's ways are so like that, so opposite of what I'd suppose.)

Now I know myself better. Now I know what I--what we--must do. And now there is great peace.




****************



"Know thyself." ... copied

7 comments:

  1. I love days when you actually notice your heart sigh at the perfectness.
    Bye Bye Suzy, say hi to my lost off-sider Saidee the cleaning Laidee - I miss her beautiful home but I don't miss how crazy and obsessive she was

    ReplyDelete
  2. Debra, come move down here with me! Oh the fun we could have! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lisa--Saidee sounds interesting. :)Yes, it was a lovely day to notice everything sweet in life!

    Tracy--if I could, I surely would, like, tomorrow! :) I would love to live in your neighborhood. Truly.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I,too, hate long cold winters, but would we have that euphoric feeling that a glorious spring day brings, if it was like that every day?
    nancyr

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nancy--I don't believe any place would have perfect weather *everyday*. heh. Even in milder climates we would, most likely, have some very cold days in winter and some very hot, humid days probably four months out of the year at the very least. So lovely 58 degree days would only happen sometimes, actually.

    Trust me, I'll always, from now on, be grateful for good weather. Something in me 'snapped' this winter and I'll never again take a lovely day for granted!

    Thanks for your comment (read any good back-to-the-land books lately?).... Debra

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Debra,

    I haven't bee reading any back to the land books lately. I've been reading, and enjoying, the Elm Creek Quilters series, by Jennifer Chiaverini. I have gotten most of them very inexpensively on AbeBooks.com. Thanks for telling me about that site.

    We had one of those lovely spring days yesterday. Today it is cold and very windy. This has been the windiest winter and spring that I can ever remember. I can handle cold and sun, but not cold and wind!

    What states are you considering?

    ReplyDelete
  7. This really was the winter of my discontent! Most winters are, but this one sent me over the edge! I am seeing - and admiting- that age has so much to do with it. It's no wonder northerner's become snow birds when winter comes!
    I think that Virginia and has the weather I'm looking for and the beautiful mountains and sea. I saw a place on line in Abingdon Va. that looked wonderful! be still my heart!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your comments-- I love to read what you are thinking! If you are unable to comment, please contact me at gladone4@protonmail.com. Oh, and please be kind. Thank-you.