3/18/10

Outside My Window

We've been sleeping with the windows open nearly every night. You might think it's a little too early, a little too chilly. We don't. We just throw an extra quilt on the bed, and snuggle up a little closer.

Our duplex is perfectly located. It's less than two miles from campus, and we have woods in our backyard. It is so quiet. So still. That is, except for the wildlife. We have an abundance of wildlife right outside our door. I've seen and heard it all back there. The hearing is what I've been treasuring most lately.

When I lay down to sleep with the windows open, I hear owls hooting, frogs croaking, and crickets chirping.

When I wake up in the morning I hear a plethora of birds singing, cows mooing (the neighbors about 1/2 mile down have a few heads of cattle), squirrels rustling through the trees, and so much more. These sounds are music to my ears, a love song to my heart, and joy my soul. I love it. I love what our Heavenly Father created. I always want to live somewhere I can hear those same sounds.

The thing is, our time here is very likely drawing to a close. I'm becoming increasingly convinced that I only have until the end of May to enjoy those sounds. There's a good chance that wherever we're going will sound much more like a city, and much less like a forest. Maybe I'll decide that city sounds are nice, too, but I doubt it.

I'm going to soak up the beauty of these southern woods for the next two months. They've brought so much joy to me over the last 3.5 years. Losing them will be a great loss, indeed.