Miraculous weekend: Common Miracles post, week 10

“Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts.
Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior’s world.” – Pema Chodron

had the joy of some serious girlfriend time this weekend. My friend Kate came over from Seattle and she and our friend Megan and I spent most of Saturday talking and talking and talking (when we weren't picnicking in the rain, but even then we were still talking). We covered a lot of ground, and it was most enjoyable. We ate--alot--and chatted about family, friendship, life, love, God, death, birth, technology (two new Pinterest convertees on board!), work, kids, parents, marriage. Wow. Is there anything we didn't discuss? Politics, I suppose. (Thank you for that, ladies!) I always reflect later that I wish I'd listened more, followed this or that conversational tangent down this or that different direction, or just that the time could be more elastic, stretching out for longer time together, but seeming short still in "real time" (a la Contact).

I know, I'm the dork looking to see if the picture's been taken, but aren't the other two beautiful?

And then the giggles struck...

And didn't go away...

 

For me, the blessing of our time together was a miracle. So many people, every day, don't get that time. In some way, it's cut short, whether by choice or not. We have all experienced loss to various degrees, sometimes in a very deep and permanent way. Loss makes one more cognizant of how fragile time is, and not to waste it; not on things or people or situations that aren't bringing joy and peace to our lives. Loss really cuts through the nonsense (I have other words for it, but I want to keep the family-friendly feel of the blog, of course).

Saturday was one of those odd summer days in the valley, with thunderstorms rolling through. Husband and I went walking early in beautiful sunshine, before I took off for girl time, but the clouds were already forming along the mountains. It rained, thundered a bit, cleared and then repeated the process all over again. When we saw a break mid-afternoon, we took it, and headed over the hills to picnic along the Walla Walla River. Where, it promptly rained on us! But we found a shelter and enjoyed lunch together (separate post with recipes coming soon), before heading back to town.

Kate snapped these photos on the way back to town. It is always lovely to watch and hear how much she loves this valley; though she hasn't lived here in years, the affection for this place is always present. I love it too, of course, but seeing it through her eyes is always refreshing.

The rainbow below was actually a triple rainbow, layers upon layers of color lying low across the river valley in Oregon. It was magical (you know me and rainbows...). While we were taking pictures, two mules came along to say hello. Big mules with quirky ears, very sweet.

What a lovely weekend.

To learn about the Common Miracles project and visit Chel's blog, go here.