Practically Perfect in Every Way

For the last couple of hours, I've been sitting in a lawnchair with a cold couple of beers and a magazine, on a wide expanse of lawn that is mostly intensely butter-yellow with dandelions, watching my children play with baby goats, and supervising in a very relaxed sort of way as a small herd of goats and a pony amble about grazing. 

The sky is cerulean blue; the temperature is a comfortable 70 degrees; it's too early in the season for annoying bugs, but all the fruit trees are in blossom. Mount Baker is decorating the eastern horizon. My magazine is interesting but not demanding. I can hear laughter and contented noises coming from the direction of my kids. There is a chorus of frogs in the background. Earlier, I did a not-too-strenuous hour of work in the garden, which seems to be finally perking up and looks like it will actually produce food. 

Does life get any better than this? I mean really. I have healthy children, who are busy enjoying themselves on our own beautiful, sizable, clean piece of land.  I have healthy animals, doing the same. This is a time and a place of peace and prosperity, national recession notwithstanding. My marriage is strong. There is an abundance of love in my life. I am living the realization of a long held dream.  Every month I am acquiring new skills which are useful and contribute to the wellbeing of my family. Although I haven't written about it here, I am becoming more active in my community and doing work which has important results, results which I can see.

On a day like today I just have to express my profound gratitude to God for bringing me to this beautiful place and time; for giving me the scope and the latitude to develop to my fullest potential; for the possibilities that led me to this wonderful family; for the strength and the stubbornness that made me make the choices that led me to my wonderful husband and family; for the trials and yes, even the terrible pain that forged in me that strength and stubbornness. 

Forgive me, all you readers who are not accustomed to this sort of spiritual outburst from me. Today I am just so full of gratitude. Today I feel the full force of God's grace. I never did anything in my whole miserable life to deserve a day like this, or a life like this. It's almost hard for me to accept such fortune and bounty. May God grant that others, less fortunate, and perhaps more deserving, experience the joy and peacefulness that today has brought me.