By Maureen Kalbus
Sheltering in our homes indefinitely, we have all become more aware or our surroundings, appreciating all the elements that turn four walls into a home. Colors, decorative items, books, all contribute to our daily mood. Pieces we have collected provoke memories of their origins and places we visited over the years. Photographs instantly bring loved ones into our current world. Using my parent’s “Old Country Roses” china brings comfort, and seeing the wooden planter that our nieces sent us, filled with flowering plants, brings sunshine to our doorstep, and makes us smile.
What treasures give you comfort and joy?
Having more time to drift in thought, aware of our confines, we may escape, visualizing places we love. W. B. Yeats, if ever he felt in need of comfort, mentally escaped to “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” where
“I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight’s all a-glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet’s wings. I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavement gray, I hear it in the deep heart’s core.”
For me, I close my eyes and my heart lifts, as I find myself over the Emerald Isle. Flying into Ireland, is like landing on a patchwork quilt. On the small island, three hundred miles from top to bottom, everything is miniature. Fields reflecting the forty shades of green are sewn together with thread like hedges and stone walls. Gently rolling hills, gushing rivers, placid loughs and lush glens are plentifully and naturally dotted over the fabric of the landscape. Villages comprising one main street, rustic towns, and compact cities are colorful in their architecture and floral vegetation. In the countryside, around virtually every corner, an ancient castle, fortress or ruin lies waiting to be discovered.
The mixture of raw beauty and centuries of history are irresistible!
To where do you visually escape? Which places give you comfort and strength?
As we continue to hunker down, we ask that, wherever you call home, God will
“Bless this house, O Lord, we pray. Make it safe by night and day.
Bless these walls so firm and stout, keeping want and trouble out.
Bless the roof and chimney tall. Let Thy peace lie over all.
Bless the doors that they may prove ever open to joy and love.
Bless the windows shining bright, letting in God’s heavenly light.
Bless the hearth a-blazing there, with smoke ascending as a prayer.
Bless the people here within…keep them safe and free from sin.
Bless us all, that one day, we may be fit, O Lord, to dwell with thee.”
Shelter safely, and trust that you are being guided.
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