Marriages Restored

Play and Beauty. Yesterday, after four long days of caring for the souls of men, I hiked the sometimes muddy, icy mountains at Button Rock Preserve. My five-month-old puppy Jackie pranced along through the trees, around the frozen lake, and slid with me down the slopes. 

At times we paused. We drank in the beauty of the trees, frozen water and mountains. I was thirsty for beauty after the weekend of joining in the battle for the hearts of thirty courageous men. Oh, I saw beauty in the men but a different kind altogether. 

I playfully smiled at the rock above. I dubbed it, Sleeping Turtle. I imagine I'm not the first to see the slumbering terapin. As I saw the turtle I felt about eight years old in the best of ways. Playful, unencumbered by responsibilities, delighting in the now. 

My legs are slightly weary in a satisfied manner this morning. My heart and soul are satisfied as well.