It had been a long day traveling down to Oglesby Illinois and back; about 320 miles. We have a phrase in Wisconsin, “Around here we have two seasons: Winter, and Orange Barrel Season”. At almost every turn, road construction was in progress; local roads closed to all traffic, and the interstate down to one lane. The road sign I saw most frequently was “Detour”.

I met our son-in-law at Oglesby so that he could take my wife to Springfield for a family thing that was for females only. I returned home alone, for a wife-less weekend. Before I left for the return trip she had asked me to be sure to pick up some peaches at a fruit stand in town that was open only until 4 PM. I drove without stopping for 160 miles and arrived at the stand at 3:47 PM. Back at the house, I snapped a quick photo of the peaches and texted it to my wife so as to ease her mind that peaches would indeed be there for us when she came back home.

Then, I poured myself a glass of surprisingly good Merlot, and took a seat at the picnic table to relax before supper. It was very pleasant out; mild temperature, soft breeze, an ideal summer afternoon. My wife and I work hard on the yard, she with her annuals, herbs, and hanging baskets; me with lawn mowing, sidewalk trimming, shrub pruning, and weed pulling. And I feed the birds. Trouble is, we rarely take the time to enjoy the fruits of our labors, to just sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of our backyard.

So, wineglass in hand, I did just that, I sat and simply enjoyed the view. My wife’s flowers are at their peak right now thanks to daily watering and weekly fertilizing. The colors are amazing. I had mowed the lawn the day before, so it was in prime shape. The birds were making good use of the feeders, fluttering in and out, taking turns, enjoying their supper.

I took a sip of Merlot, deep red in the glass, the taste of the grape transformed into something precious and delightful, and began to count the ways in which God has created all things good. Just in this little half-acre patch of ground was so much LIFE! My view was filled with colors and shapes and movement. I could hear chirps and tweets and buzzes and the rustle of the flowers as they moved in the gentle breeze. The air, filled with subtle scents, of earth and flower and wine, entertained my nose. All this, created for God’s glory and my enjoyment. What lavish love, to create such a beautiful, wonderful world!

So at the end of that long, wearying day, I got to experience a foretaste of heaven, where all things will be beautiful and pure, and where God’s children will enjoy an eternal peace.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.” Ecclesiastes 3:11-13 (ESV)