Natures Healing Effect

After breakfast this morning before lessons I went for a walk along the quay. I was feeling a little out of sorts and perhaps a little stifled at living in a hotel. I may even have been a little grumpy 😄so there was no doubt that I needed to just get out and let the cool fresh air work its magic.

Getting out when we get a little grumpy is always a sure way to get rid of the cobwebs. I’ve blogged about it before and it still holds true in our family. 

Today I was the one who needed the therapeutic fresh air. Living in a hotel might sound like a dream but it’s heavy going. We are basically living where my husband works so you need to watch little things all the time as you are pretty much under a microscope. The staff watch you, fuss a little too much, they see your living quarters, I’m always making sure that our rooms are neat, tidy and orderly before housekeeping pops by. We are all already sick of hotel food and craving home-cooked meals. When your discussions turn to what the meal plan will be once we move into our home you know that ‘eating out’ has lost its appeal big time! I don’t think we will be rushing to eat out for a ‘treat’ any time soon after we are in our new home.

So as the girls went upstairs to get ready to meet a friend in the city, I pulled on my trainers, grabbed my camera, and set off for some much-needed space. The air has been crisp today which is marvellously refreshing. It has felt truly autumnal all day and I delighted in each berry, turning leaf and bird that I encountered on my walk.

Walking along beside the water I spotted this swan. I stood for quite some time watching it gently glide gracefully along. As I watched it, I found my mind settling down and peace once again returning. 

I stopped focusing on the irritants that faced me today and started to focus first on the wonders of Gods creation evident in the middle of a busy city which then led me to ponder on Gods immense goodness and His amazing provision in every area and in each season of our lives.

How blessed we are to be back in the north. I am a different person here, a happier person. I’m more me if that makes sense. A shadow that has cloaked me for three years seems to have lifted and I am marvelling once again at the small things. I am inspired to create. Each day I remember something that’s packed away in a box sitting in storage and think, “When we move into our new home I really want to…finish that quilt/spend a day filling my freezer with home cooked meals/dying up yarn/knitting a new cuddly blanket”…and so on. A million ideas and projects running through my mind that add comfort and warmth to a home.

Our new garden is skeletal compared to the ones we had in Devon and I find that inspiring because I have ideas scrambling over themselves in my head for that. Spring bulbs, a small orchard, a kitchen garden, chickens perhaps. My husband is dreaming too, he can’t wait to build a lovely fish pond and has the perfect place all picked out.

Although I have admired and appreciated the established gardens in our Devon homes, I haven’t had a connection with them for they were someone else’s. 

I returned to the hotel with a spring in my step, hope in my heart and joy in my soul. Even in the middle of a busy city, God used nature, His creation, to work its magic. How easy it can be to walk through your day and miss the blessings that God has in store for you if you would only take a moment to pause and notice.

As I finish typing up the post I’ve just had a call from the estate agents to say that our application for our new home has been approved and we can now start planning our move in date! Thrills!!! I will be back to share how God has provided -yet again – a home that is just perfect for our family. Until then, have a blessed day and look for those small things that God wants to use to bless you.