Today, this perfect, brilliant, tender October day, I answered the call to the quiet and solitude. How many months have passed since I knew the beckoning and abandoned the lists and let the sweet invitation draw me to the shady stillness.
Because it has been so long, I had to push through the resistance. Summer's grasses had overgrown the path. Across the pond the new dog stood his ground with raucous indignation against the intruder in my own sacred space so long unvisited. Over my head sulked enormous black birds angling for what had become their trees, sending gusts of disapproval downward as they moved on. I felt the light fingers of an unfamiliar fear brush my senses as I made my way toward what had long been my most cherished holy place. I understood that in my absence, the sacredness was left untended and had grown thin.
So gripping my large stick with resolve, informing all barkers, whisperers, twig snappers, and flappers that I was not to be deterred, I pressed on to my piece of earth beside the dark pools and whispering waterfalls at the joining of the forest streams, cleared a fresh piece of earth, spread my dear blue and gold Kenyan cloth, settled myself between the murmuring waters with all the gentle beeches holding their faithful reverent vigil, and knew that I was Home. Home to the stillness where time cannot chatter, where other voices are hushed, where I could renew this shelter of mine in the shadow of the Almighty, in the refuge of His great wings, in the solemn and strong serenity of His tender ways.
Oh it has been too long. What patience, what longsuffering, in this Maker who yearns for our thoughts and our hearts. What treasure He has been holding close to whisper to my now quiet soul. He is ever present, ever faithful in the din and the press, but to come aside is to know that here is my heart's home, my abiding place, and His; here where the tiny brown wren flits soundlessly around me from one twig to another in wordless camaraderie, here I may come without gifts, without words, and simply rest in the oh so kind shadow of the Almighty. And here today I know and am known, and I am refreshed.
PEGGY FITZPATRICK
From my early years, growing up in a home filled with a profound reverence and love for the Lord and the simple joy of living, an expansive place was prepared in my heart for responding to the nearness of God. I was drawn to goodness and light: the light of the Lord manifested in Christ and through Him in the human heart and countenance, and the light of His goodness manifested in the beauty of the earth. Rooted in a deep love for the beauty of the Scriptures and the illumination they bring to the face of our Father and to the human heart, I continue to be filled with awe at the ways heaven touches earth.
Even as a teenager I was often drawn to the quiet places where the heart is refreshed. Simultaneously, however, I loved the energy and vitality of the people around me. In time I arrived at the conviction that if God had to choose between New York City and the Rockies, that He would choose New York, because there is nothing in all creation nearer to His heart than humanity. I believe also, however, that we toil in futility and are less than alive until our hearts are awakened to the vastness of His love that surrounds us and the graces He pours freely into the world. And once we experience that awakening, we see His love in even the smallest details.
With that in mind, this blog is dedicated to those whose hearts also love the Majestic One and know His "upward call".
Even as a teenager I was often drawn to the quiet places where the heart is refreshed. Simultaneously, however, I loved the energy and vitality of the people around me. In time I arrived at the conviction that if God had to choose between New York City and the Rockies, that He would choose New York, because there is nothing in all creation nearer to His heart than humanity. I believe also, however, that we toil in futility and are less than alive until our hearts are awakened to the vastness of His love that surrounds us and the graces He pours freely into the world. And once we experience that awakening, we see His love in even the smallest details.
With that in mind, this blog is dedicated to those whose hearts also love the Majestic One and know His "upward call".
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