After mowing both the back yard (taking appropriate breathing breaks) and the front yard, I put everything away and sat with Pat on the front porch for a while.  The guys up the street were trimming their trees and hauling them off somewhere, who knows where.  But being a nice sunny morning,  it was a laid back, kind of day with the birds singing, and flying around having fun.  The guys came back from dropping off their load and stopped by my branches I had had cut off my two small oak trees and stet them next to the street, along the side yard.  After loading what I had, they continued on up the block for their last load of the other neighbors yards.  What a wonderful, small town, expression of what neighbors are for each other.  To them it seemed to not be a big thing. To me, it was wonderful!  I thanked them as they jumped back into their truck and went back up the street for that last load.  Thanks again guys!

Sitting there on the porch listening to the birds singing was music to my ears.  I got to thinking, how many folks actually take the time to enjoy the birds? I was watching a couple Mocking birds playing in the branches before they were taken away.  Then a robin showed up on the new mowed lawn, looking (listening most likely) for a worm or bug in the shade of the tree.   What a relaxing time to sit quietly and watch God's creation at work and play.  What made it even more enjoyable is that it is taking place in a rural small town where the air is clean, the sun shines bright, (in between the rain showers/storms) and people take care of each other.  What a wonderful little world I live in.  Wish everyone could experience small town USA.  Then you could understand what quality living is all about.  It is NOT about things.  Things that you buy.  Things that you hoard.  Things that you are fearful someone might steal from you.  I am talking about things like calmness, peace of mind, contentment.  Small town USA has those.  Don't get me wrong though.  Some like the noise, the busy-ness, the closeness of shopping, theaters, things like that.  They also encompass things like traffic, crime, fear, etc.  Those things get in the way of the "Important" stuff, like watching those birds play, seeing a sunset on the other side of the corn field on a warm summer evening.  Does it take "age" to appreciate those things?  Maybe so.  The folks at the other end of the block are not as aged as Pat and I are, but I think they enjoy living where they are, or they would move!  I'm glad they are there. It makes this neighborhood complete.  They are quality folks trying to make a difference in the place they live, work and play.   The other night when it stormed so bad the transformers blew, the men all gathered at the corner across the street in front of my house.   I went out to see if they knew anything about the power outage and they thought that the power was out all over town. Fortunately there were flood lights pointing upwards a block away that we could see, so that was reassuring.  Sure enough, power was only out for about 45 minutes.  All is well in small town USA.  I realize that Pat and I are truly blessed in where we chose to live.  God did put us here for a reason.  No matter what goes on in the big towns, we here in rural USA still have relative calmness and peace if we choose.  And we do.

My Daughter Amy and I were out and about the other day and stopped by a friends house a half of block from Downtown.  They were all outside enjoying the afternoon . . . all twelve of them!  Some were riding their bikes around the yard, another was working a jigsaw puzzle on the picnic table, some were just talking with each other, Dale (the Dad) was watering the flowers and the new sod he had planted, and Frances (Mom) was working with one of the kids.  What a scene of small town family time!  I thought I was watching Mayberry RFD!

An inner calmness is something EVERYONE can have.  If you know God on a personal level, you too can have the calmness I am talking about.  Ever have a friend you never talked to or communicated with? They seem to fade away don't they?  God NEVER fades away.  He is always there waiting for you to strike up a conversation.  That relationship creates an inner calmness beyond belief.  And, I suppose, it doesn't really matter where you live to get it either.  Whether it is small town USA, a Battlefield in Iraq or even a place like Washington DC!  Believe it or not, God is every where...just waiting for you to talk to Him.  Personally, I think Small town USA is a great place to be...both on the humanistic side AND the Spiritual side!

Keep singing, keep praying, keep smiling

Blessings,
Gary