Breathing in the Mountains

What a fabulous fall day!  I am in Donnelly, Idaho, for a church women’s retreat.  This morning we talked about breathing—our theme is “Breathe. . . Take a deep breath, the breath of God.”  I especially like this poem (don’t know who wrote it).

Breathe

To pause

To collect your thoughts

To remember

To face the next moment

To choose

We relaxed by tapping into our creative sides.  One member of our group gave a brief watercolor lesson.  I painted a pine cone and then experimented with clouds.  It was a good release for me.

I came to this retreat to breathe both literally and figuratively.  I have been struggling with asthma lately, first because of smoke and recently because of the high sage pollen count.  Yesterday, when we arrived it was windy and I could detect the pollen in the air.  Today the air is mostly still and the sun is shining.  I can take a deep breath and feel the cool mountain air fill my lungs.  It is delightful.

I can breathe out and let go of my responsibilities at home and then breathe in and concentrate on God’s presence in my life.  This afternoon four of us drove to a trailhead for a short hike.  The drive up there was beautiful.  We have not seen such intense fall colors for years.  On our walk and on our drive back down we stopped frequently to try to capture the beauty with our cameras.  The sun lit up the red leaves, intensifying their bright color.  The yellow leaves with light shining through them caused the trees to absolutely glow.  It took our breath away.  I am so grateful to be here this weekend for the chance to breathe and enjoy God’s creation.

Written on 9/24/2016