“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” John 14:1-4

This morning, deep in the middle of some very demanding work, fresh from wrestling with taxes (rendering unto Caesar), immersed in the testing logistics of setting up a complex event, and pouring every spare minute into my preparations for this weekend’s retreat in Maryland, I also find myself deeply grateful for the serene and renewing environment where I live and work.

DEEP BREATH: We live in a quiet cul-de-sac, full of towering pine trees. The dogwoods and the daffodils are just about done, but now the azaleas and the phlox are busting out in color. This morning – looking over toward my parents’ home and then their neighbor’s, I was struck by the profound but understated beauty.

With so much to do, I was (I am) reminded to pause, to take a few deep breaths, and to remember that this life is a gift to be celebrated and enjoyed.

It is too easy to become caught up in the mess that we have created, and forget the garden that God first placed us in.

There’s an idea from The Unmaking of a Part-Time Christian (that’s my theme for this weekend’s retreat) that is on my heart and mind this morning.

“Pushing to the surface like insistent growth on a hopeful spring morning, my promise to follow Jesus finds its way, often one tentative footfall at a time. But it is progress all the same, and I know where I’m going; finding my way full circle; onward back to the garden.” (p 142)

In love, and because of the hope we can be sure of – DEREK