Pondering Peace

I recently spent a warm and breezy late spring afternoon in my backyard, sitting beside my husband and our dog. As the sun warmed my face, I closed my eyes and angled my head toward the sky to take a quiet, deep breath and soak it in. The birds were chirping, and the wind chimes someone gave to my family after my father passed away in 2015 were softly clinking together to provide a tranquil soundtrack.

While hearing those chimes, I couldn't help but think of my daddy, especially since Father's Day is coming up on June 15. I thought about how he spent the last month of his life in the hospital in a lot of pain before asking to stop all treatment, so he could just go home, see his dog, and be made as comfortable as possible until it was his time to leave this Earth. Almost 10 years later, memories of that time are still very vivid.

But then my thoughts drifted back to the present. I took mental stock of how, at that very moment, I felt healthy and strong; the weather was heavenly; my "grown-and-flown" children were successfully "adulting" and pursuing their dreams; and I was sitting next to my husband, who brings me so much peace. An overwhelming sense of gratitude washed over me for all these blessings. Since I know every day can't be perfect, I wanted to bottle that feeling and remember all the choices I'd made and actions I'd taken that led me to that place of serenity, so I could pull it out during the hard times.

"It's so hard to forget pain, but it's even harder to remember sweetness. We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace." – Chuck Palahniuk

With the kids out of school and the first official day of summer on June 20, I hope you have lots of laid-back days on the horizon to take stock of all your blessings and reflect on the things that make those moments possible. And if you need a quick, lighthearted read while relaxing, check out Woodstock Family Life's 2025 winning short story on pages 20-21.

Have a splendid summer!