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Back home again!

The difference between the morning when this picture was taken and the evening in a busy urban restaurant, yesterday, was quite stunning. I usually like bustle but yesterday felt disturbed by it as we readjusted from camping on Assateague to Alexandria, VA.

The horses were standing very still - I wondered what they were thinking- were they watching the sunset like me, or enjoying the cool morning breeze from the ocean. They simply allowed the pictures - I said thank-you to them as I walked away. They simply do what they do, wander wild across the island, and for the most part, the humans who visit respected their equine hosts.

I wonder what the people in the city are thinking too. Especially in lines for milk or waiting for the clutter of human life to stream neatly down the roads. If you pay attention you can really see people, angry people, happy people, people who are pretending they are not and people who are hoping that they are. Most folks, understandbly, are not as forgiving of intrusions into their lives as the horses. We are all protective of ourselves and our place in the world.

I wonder about this. I wonder whether we are often too careful with who God has made us to be and whether this reflects a lack of confidence in ourselves or a lack of faith in God. After all, people who are truly honest about humanity are often uncomfortable to be around and make themselves unpopular.

Like Jesus. He was honest and some folks did not like it. I wonder whether he would have minded photographs on the days when he was angry or tired or even unsure. Or I wonder whether he would have allowed folks into that world - after all the Gospels give us little peeks into an uncomfortable reality of uncompromising speech and action.

Perhaps that was why the horse standing so still on the beach hit a chord - I wish I could simply be like that - living in each moment as the best person I can be - the morning sun a reminder of the light which I am called to bear. Being still and in the moment requires both honesty and a lack of fear of who we truly are. God holds and transforms, the suns rays adding a warm glow to our lives and transforming the misty morning into dazzling day.