Early (for me) this morning I took the puppies out to the back yard to run around and play.  It was a beautiful morning after the rain last night, cool and fresh with a slight breeze.  I haven’t spend much time in the back yard this summer, the “no see-ums” have been really bad and not conducive to spending much time in my meditation spot so the outside furniture has not even been cleaned off and set up.  I looked around for a place to sit and then I saw it, a low sturdy branch on a maple tree that we planted when we moved into this house in 1981. 

I don’t know why I never noticed that branch before, I guess I didn’t need to.  Anyway, for the first time since I was a little girl, I decided to climb the tree.  I needed something to get me started and behind our shed I found some plastic chairs stacked up.  That will be perfect I thought, and it was.  I took the chair over and got onto the low branch which was about as high as a horse. 

Our back yard has a perfect canopy of trees so there is no clear view, but through the leaves I could see puffs of clouds and the beautiful blue sky.  No camera, so no pictures.  I just leaned back against the trunk of the tree and felt more peaceful than I have felt in a very long time.  I let thought slip away for awhile, then I thanked God for my place in the world.  I think I will visit my tree more often,