Well, after hurricane Sandy and Obama’s election and a week when we both had an awful cold and flu – we have finally returned to somewhat normal.  So, for Veteran’s Day holiday we packed the car and took another of our excursions into the countryside of Virginia.

The weekend was absolutely beautiful.  It was like Seattle-summer!  That is, it was 72 degrees and sunny with the addition of the autumn leaves turning and falling all around us.  We headed for Southwest Virgina, a part of the state we had not yet traveled, and made our destination Appomattox.

The first day was taken up with driving, but that didn’t inhibit our appreciation for the beauty of the countryside.  Virginia is rolling hills and small farms with what remains of old plantation land interspersed between them.  The wooded hills with the turning leaves and small streams between pastures were beauty to behold.  Farms are immaculately groomed and lanes leading to large old houses are picturesque – not unlike you may have seen in the movies.

We simply enjoyed the views and breathed in the grace of a lovely day of driving on a holiday weekend in the autumn sunshine.

It was exciting to be in the nation’s capital during the elections.  I was so looking forward to it and being part of the energy that elects the president.  Only, I had such a rotten cold that I didn’t even make it to the polls!  News reports said it was the coldest national election day in history and that people were standing in long lines to vote.  And, I knew I would never make it.

Instead, I watched with interest as the results came in and followed the neighborhood celebrations in the city from under my blanket holding my hot tea.

And so, with the votes counted, we begin again.  As a nation this is like New Year’s Day – and we begin again to try to make policies and laws that will benefit the common good of everyone in this country.

We will have to learn all over again how not to be a nation divided by political lines, but a nation united by compassion, understanding, and a quest for the common good of all.  This is a great day to start.  There is always grace in beginning again.

Time passes and it’s November again!  And yesterday we gained an hour when standard time was restored.  What did you do with your extra hour?

For many years I was simply grateful for an extra hour of sleep when the time changed.  But, this year, during this retreat time, I thought of so many things I could have done with my whole extra hour.  What did you do?

It was only sixty minutes – but it was sixty minutes . . . . to have a conversation; to tell someone how much they mean to us; to read a book and escape into another reality; to go to a movie and enjoy the creative arts and an expanded imagination; to take a walk and appreciate the sunshine, trees, water, and neighbors; to write some thoughts down on paper; to write a note to someone special; to remember how much we are loved; to love in return.

That sixty minutes was grace given to us in the measurement of time.  What did you do with your grace?