Saturday, October 27, 2007

Dearest God,

The days in Maine are long days, not short vacation days. Each day is fully lived.

Eric, our neighbor, and I stood talking between our properties. A volunteer fire fighter, EMT and liver and kidney transplant survivor, Eric is loved in the community. Ready to face his last surgery, a hernia, we talked about ways to beautify our property by cleaning out, pruning back and planting.

A year ago he was fighting for his life just like his older brother who died. We prayed with his family. A young woman died (21 years old) and Eric received her organs. He has done very well.

I listen to Eric and realize his very being is instructive. He lives each day fully, blessed. He lives with an uncertainty, not sure how long he will be well, maybe for a few years, maybe lots of years. He looks at things differently. Two survivors sharing along the fence row (that is no longer there) we talked about life.

Eric is in his 30's, too young for a physical breakdown but the inherited kidney and liver problems threatened his life. With a surge of new energy and a grateful heart, he lives to help others.

I see him come and go, think about him and his large family (single, but comes from a family of eight children) and what a blessing they are to us. They have welcomed us in, made us part of their family. Before Elizabeth his niece went off to college, we were invited to a send off. We talk nearly every day while we are there.

I don't know whether it is Maine, the beautiful, serene state on the coast or whether it is our little neighborhood where neighbors still care about one another. But there's something different, something closer to heaven where days are full and fully lived.

Wondrous, Majestic God,
how gracious you are.
You draw people together
where life is shared
from the deepest level.
Life stuff,
like blessing, gratitude, joy,
living in the present
is such a gift
and we live in it
like children
playing contentedly in the sand.
Thank you.

Love, Andrea