10,000 Reasons for my Heart to Sing

I am excited as this day begins…the millions of things that need to happen before we leave are done (I think). We are packed, the car is loaded, and we have said our goodbyes for awhile. This years sabbatical will be a bit different than our previous journeys in that we are staying in the USA and will only be gone a few weeks. The spirit of the sabbatical remains the same, the venue is the only thing that has changed.

It is beautiful at home as the leaves begin to change color and the weather starts to cool down. It is hard to leave both family and the beauty of fall but we are ready for this time away. We have a few planned stops and know we will head North along the coastline through the Pacific Northwest. We hear it is beautiful and we are excited to see for ourselves. We are comfortable in our car and find that we have packed much differently than we usually do. We have the luxury of home…in our back seat. Audiobooks, music, travel guides, pillows, and snacks…we are set!

As we drive, we have time to chat and catch up on conversations that we have put on hold until a time such as this. We talk about all that is happening and all that is yet to be. We look through our travel books and pick out the places we want to go and the things we may want to see. Then we let go of our agendas and we become spontaneous. I am excited about the little things…the coastline, the unexpected delights of the places we do not yet know, our time together, the coziness of our car, the time to think and the time to be thankful.

I find myself  thinking about a conversation I had with my Physical Therapist earlier this week. It was  the most beautiful conversation about family and the tidbits of experiences throughout our lives that formed us into the adults we had become and  then the joy the recollection of those memories bring. We laughed as we talked about some of things that were most memorable to us and I realized that sometimes the things are most influential in our lives were not really the big things but myriads of small things.

 As we have this time together I realize my life is so very full and rich and in this season of life I am very content and thankful. I take this time to reflect upon God's goodness to me and to acknowledge that are at least ten thousand reasons for my heart to sing. I know there are more to come.

For now, it is off to Sacramento to visit our daughter and her family and then to Napa. While it may not be India or Nepal we are excited just the same to see what lies ahead.