Years ago, when the children were little people, I’d look longingly out on the yard and dream of the day when I’d be able to just sit in the gazebo with a book whenever the fancy struck me.  Or a day when I’d wander through the yard, just for the joy of it, dead heading a flower here or there if I wanted to.  I imagined having no demands on my time, no mouths to feed, no beds to change, no carpools turns, no practices or lessons to rush to.   I imagined a peaceful time, with plenty of quiet and beauty, enjoying the changing seasons.  I held that dream in my mind for many years, wondering if that day would ever really come.

It is here.  My life is peaceful and calm.  The children are grown and gone–this week Adam and family are in St. Louis, Aaron and Abbey are in Boston and Claire and Graham are touring castles along the Rhine in Germany.  They are living their own beautiful busy lives in other places.   And I am here, in the garden, feeling peace.

It’s as I imagined it would be.  Calm, lovely, quiet, relaxing and beautiful.

Only one thing isn’t as I’d imagined.  A restlessness.  A feeling that all is not finished, there is more to do.  The wind is blowing and we are stirring too.  Things will not be calm for long.

But I will enjoy this moment in time, here in our garden.

This will always be a dream, to live simply and quietly.  I will hold on to that place in my mind, no matter what our future brings.  And when my life is simple, I will enjoy every minute!