The Blessing

What I wake up to each day.

THE BLESSING

As the veil lifts upon each day, I rise to meet the magnificence held within it.The sky is wide, and the land is uncluttered—yet alive. High on the edge of a cliff, everything feels open.

In the morning, mist rises from the valley below like incense lifting in prayer.

In the day, a small waterfall trickles into a lily-padded dam. Dragonflies dance across the water, and small finches dart from here to there.

The kookaburra family sit along the tennis court fence,watching me as I watch them.A bush turkey walks past, as though I am part of the mountain.

The cabin where I live is rustic, with windows that allow nature to enter every space, as the sun spills in and quietly brings it with it.

The wood-lined interior holds a warmth of belonging I have never felt before.

You know you’ve arrived.

You are home within yourself.

The search for where I belonged ended when I arrived here.

There is a pool, a chapel for only a few hanging over the escarpment, a tennis court, a helipad, stables—and yet, I live quietly on my own.

The others are gathered further up the land, but here, there is space.

Not loneliness—space.

Above, the monks remain on their mountain, held within their monastery.

On occasions, bells carry through the air, and distant singing follows.

The old place in the desert and wilderness carried noise—crows that never rested, and a presence that pressed in.

Here, there is none of that.

I lay in bed and the stars fill my eyes as the sound of nature sends me to sleep.

Every day in this place is a blessing. Every night is more than you could ever ask for.

It took sixteen years of travel through my own soul to reach such a place. The Israelites spent forty years, and most never made it.

The Lord calls us all to come on this journey and find ourselves beyond what is known. Many are called, but few find the narrow path that leads to His blessing—a place of rest, peace, and quiet.

I have a constant and continuous thankfulness rising from within. I now know why the angels bow before His throne, day and night in complete reverence to His holiness.