Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take. – Proverbs 3:5-6

Each and every morning, when I slip out of bed and take Max for his walk while the coffee is – thankfully – brewing in the kitchen, I try to orient myself to engage the new day with the quality of spirit such a bountiful and grace-saturated gift deserves. First, I simply open my eyes, look around and say “thank you.”

I am standing on the front porch of a beautiful home. To my right I can see Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church and to my left, Saint Patrick Street runs through the historic district and into the Town Common. And, on the end of the leash, is probably the best dog in the entire world. Max looks up at me, “I love you dad.”

We walk. Slowly now, not only because it is hot but because Max is getting old. We still manage a a mile and a quarter albeit more of a saunter than a walk. We take Saint James to Saint Andrew, pick up Wilson at the Common, make our way down to Trade and then take Park Avenue back to Saint Andrew, where we go another block north to Baker before walking home via Saint Patrick, Saint David and then Church.

As we walk I pray a little, asking God to bless and guide our children and our grandchildren. Naomi and Craig! Andrew and Alicia! David, Beks and Geoffrey! Mr. T.! Here is the plan:

• Trust in the Lord with all your heart!
• Seek God’s will in all you do…
• Do not depend on your own understanding…
• God will show you which path to take!

I keep my eyes open while I walk. Not just so I don’t trip on our dangerously uneven, booby-trapped sidewalks! But I keep my eyes open for the beauty, the encouragement, the light, the evidences of grace.

So this morning I took a handful of photographs when I noticed things that gave me pause and lifted my spirits. The way the homes on Park Avenue peer through the trees on the Common; the splash of color in a lovely border, how our own home catches the morning light.

I walk back into the kitchen where I pour a cup of coffee, pray again that God will cover this family with light and with grace… and then step into this day in the confidence that can only come when we choose to walk with Jesus.

I pray not just for our children and our grandchildren, but that may this be your story too – DEREK