Thankful… for the beauty of nature

As part of our pilgrimage, we visited some Missions in California. The peace and tranquility of the Missions brought such calm to my spirit which I so badly needed. Being in contemplative silence, the beauty of my surroundings penetrated deep into my soul. How lovely it would be to live here for a couple of days every once in a while. Somehow I lost my spectacles here. Well I guess when I get too burdened by our busy lives, I can close my eyes and look through the lenses of my glasses and re-live the quietude of my time there.

Mission San Luis Rey

Thanks to the time difference, I woke up early in the morning and headed for the beach. So nice to have the beach almost entirely to myself. Sitting on the sand and listening to the waves crashing on the shore was wonderfully therapeutic.

Pismo beach – California

On our drive up to San Francisco, we enjoyed the scenic tour of the 17 mile drive. We stopped for photos of this lone cypress tree which has been featured in many movies for being, er, lonely. What struck me was the vast expanse of the ocean in front of me. Made me feel the awesomeness of the universe and recognise just how tiny we are in this dance of life. Very humbling.

17 mile drive – Monterey

On returning home, many friends remarked how fresh and radiant I looked, and that my happiness was palpable. How did I manage to survive the past 15 years with hardly a break from the kids! If only I could take such a wondrous breather every year to renew and recharge.