summer's safety net

i was beginning to feel as though i was living out of my beloved backpack since april. it never was relegated to its usual place in my closet all through the days from april until now...& it's still not back in its "place" because, you guessed it, there is more travel on the horizon. now for someone with a serious case of wanderlust like me, this is very nearly a dream year.no complaints, no sir!! but i do embrace the idea of down time...& this has been a year of very little of that! the times in between the flights & drives have been completely loaded with school (for the boys in the spring & again now, for me all the way through it), all that catch-up laundry, scurrying to vet appointments for vaccination updates (because you can't board your hound without 'em), & all the usual suspects around the house to keep things up & running. (no, the bills did not pay themselves while i was away!) if that's not crazy enough, some of the travel was unplanned & when the opportunity arose, squeezing in the unplanned travel necessitated maneuvering the already planned travel!i did not realize the serendipitous nature of this shuffling around in late may, but last weekend i sure did! Baby Girl & i had planned to take our yearly retreat together at mepkin abbey last monthbut the change to last weekend was just perfect - it was just when i needed it! it was a weekend of pure peace...no cell phones save a nightly call home, no TV, no iPod,...zip, zilch, nada in the way of exterior noise except the chant of the monks. under the graceful sway of spanish moss-laden live oaks, we renewed our minds, our perspectives...we readied ourselves for more life at full speed. the brothers who maintain this beautiful place & open their doors in hospitality to life's weary warriors have my undying gratitude.we re-entered the real world monday afternoon, dodging fay's crazy rainclouds...back to boyworld for me! & for Baby Girl...some serious travel on the horizon as she prepares for her semester abroad in costa rica!! through the fall we will carry our gifts of this respite...104. bright, clear skies after quenching summer rains...105. time to dream, uninterrupted...106. time to envision the future...107. & finally, a note of belonging...inscribed inside the Bible in our room was this message...the priest who signed this note was the same priest who married D. & i over 21 years ago, baptised our 2 sons 14 & 16 years ago, & presided at Baby Girl's First Holy Communion Mass 12 years ago~~ all these events occurring 4 states & 700 miles away from mepkin abbey!! i took the photo of the signature because i could not believe what i was seeing.i compared it his signature to our marriage certificate at home & there is no doubt it is his signature! in the years we lived in his parish i never once heard him mention mepkin abbey, nor did i know of the place at that time in my life. coincidence? i think not...& so i'll cherish that message as a gentle reminder.