Life That God Has Blessed Us With

Today my family is enjoying the long awaited sunshine by spending time outside in the Lake Side Park here in Winona.  The temperature is around 70 degrees F. and the children are enjoying the slides and rides so much.  I look out at the lake and I see couples kayaking along, with others in the middle of the lake punting over the calm water.  I am reminded of the paintings from Norman Rockwell and the scenes that he sketched from around the turn of the last century in American life.  The people here in Winona are for the most part laid back and don’t seem to be in a hurry, that is compared to other places that I have lived.  There are many fishermen either fly casting or using the traditional method of fishing, either in boats or on the shoreline of the local lakes, trout streams or the Mississippi river nearby.   Life seems to slow down even more in the summer in this unique area of the world.  People take everything with a grain of salt and do not get bothered by too many things.  Life here is wonderful and I cannot find fault with this life style that I enjoy so very much.

As I sit on the porch now, my nephews who are 5 and 3 bring wild daisies to my 8-year-old daughter, (Abby).  They just picked them from the meadow and want her to put them in her hair.  We all look up and see at that moment, a grey fox trotting by into the woods heading to her kits.  A couple of days ago as we were looking out into the meadow, the children and I saw a new born fawn staring back at us from about 30 yards away.  The mother deer was close by, but not too close that she would draw danger to her new baby.  Each day seems to bring with it a new adventure with the forest animals coming to visit our meadow. 

Living here where life is slow compared to much of the world is wonderful in so many ways.  Going to Shakespeare plays in the summer, listening to concerts in the park and on campus, or going to car shows, they all bring so much enjoyment for the whole family.  God has been good to my family and I want to praise him for his loving kindness, and his compassion for all that he has blessed us with.