As Jennifer backed out of the driveway today just before 7am, I was busy preparing for something that I missed. . . It had been too long since I was able to do this, I felt a sense of anticipation growing in me. Quietly, I changed my clothes and finished my first cup of coffee. Then I headed downstairs to Emma’s room. Silently I crept into her room where Luna was sleeping. By now, Luna heard me coming and was sitting up with her ears at attention wondering what I wanted. As far as she knew, we were just going to out. As I reached for her crate door, she ‘yelped’ in relief. She had been in there all night and was ready to be out.
Then it happened. . . Running up the stairs, Luna saw that I had her leash sitting on the small bench next to the front door. That only meant one thing! Luna is a very perceptive dog. She began to cry a lot louder and almost hop around the foyer trying to get the leash onto her. We were finally going to walk again! It had been so long!
I snapped the leash into place on her harness, adjusted my black hat, and we walked out into the blue morning of Cranberry to enjoy the morning. . .
For the next three and a half miles, we walked our normal route.
She ran around the church twice to get all her nervous energy out. She pulled me as hard as I would let her. After two laps, we made the natural left turn that she longed for and headed down Plains Church Road. . . We turned right onto Hope Road as we always do. . . Then we walked into the community of Forest Edge. We walked a wooded-trail that sits behind one of the development’s first cul-de-sac. I saw that new stones were painted and placed on the pathway as guides. It has been a long time since we were able to walk like this. The snow, ice, and cold made walking unsafe for us.
But it seems that winter is over (Don’t say that too loud. . .).
On the entire walk Luna was so happy to be back to our old routine. She ran around me at times and lingered at the same trees, the same sign posts and mailboxes. Because it was early in the morning, the traffic was very light so she had more room to briskly walk on the road if she wanted—which she did. After a little over an hour of walking we returned home. . . One more lap around the church to ‘cool down’ and then it was breakfast time for us both. I didn’t even have to remind her that she is to ’sit’ in the entry way until I get her leash off. She was tired and I was thirsty.
One of the things that Lent affords us, because of its length in time, is the ability to return to practices that we might have forsaken long ago. We practiced these disciplines before, but perhaps they have been forsaken now. The simplicity of Lent affords us the opportunity to re-engage with God and to press into God’s presence a bit more. We can return to those disciplines that blessed us before.
Adele Ahlberg Calhoun in her book, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices that Transform us, defines this practice in the following way:
“To uncomplicated and untangle my life so I can focus on what really matters.”
That is exactly what was happening as Luna and I walked this morning. Our walk was uncomplicated and untangled and that made it a blessing. When I was cold, I put the hood of my sweatshirt up to keep my ears warm. When my right arm got tired of holding the leash, l used my left. When I thought of something that I wanted to talk to God about, I talked to God about it. As silence crept in, I allowed Luna’s breathing to be all that I heard as we walked (besides listening for traffic). It was a simple and uncomplicated practice and it brought us both a sense of joy and peace.
Step after step we walked together, and step by step I focused on what really mattered in that moment. . . walking. I wonder how God might be asking you to practice this simplicity today?
Blessings
Rev. Derek
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