A Proverbs Experience

I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed a day so much.  We went to church like we do most Sundays.  On the way home, Ken seemed distant and down.  I had forgotten Sunday was the anniversary of his dad’s death.  Ken said, “I don’t know why, but today I miss my dad.”  I knew exactly what he meant, and we both cried for our dads.

When we got home, we fixed our dinner.  None of the kids were there.  We had vegetables in a basil sauce and Italian sausages seasoned with basil.  That was all.  I joked to Ken that “better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a stalled ox with hatred.”  (C’mon…it was a simple meal.  You can give me that.  A simple meal with an herb.)  We enjoyed that dinner.

In the afternoon, Ken asked me if I would like to go on a hike/walk at a historical site in Clinton known as Musgrove Mills.  The British camped on the Musgroves’ property during the Revolutionary War because the property ran along a river and there were many fords.  We hadn’t walked more than a minute when I twisted my ankle.  Trust me, this is a story all by itself but I won’t tell it now.  Ken helped me up, and I was so relieved my ankle wasn’t broken, I started laughing. I felt almost hysterical at first but when Ken laughed with me, it had a calming effect.  We laughed about ten minutes.  It felt good.

We came home and I got in my easy chair to get the swelling in my ankle down.  Mom had sent an email about a message she’d heard on the last days.  Since I was sitting and had the time, I listened to the message.  Afterwards, I summarized it for Ken which prompted a discussion between us. Since neither of us had answers for the questions it raised, he found one of his books called These Last Days.  He read quite a bit of it to me and we puzzled and learned together.  I enjoyed it so much.  I think we both did.

Simplicity with love.   Excess with animosity.  I get it now.  I wouldn’t trade that day for anything.