When you live in Florida very soon you realize that there are only two seasons and there is no such thing as fall. It is still in the low 90’s with high humidity and it is almost October.

Sometimes around this time of year it is fun to get away to a cooler part of the country. So I planned a visit with my Aunt and Uncle in September.

They live in a serene woodland setting outside of Ft Wayne, Indiana in a traditional English Saltbox. It is painted a barn red and sits among some tall trees. My aunt Mary has planted hundreds of hostas and daffodils.  In this place it is easy to be in rhythm with the sounds of silence. I notice that my Spirit is energized here. The quiet resonates inside my soul, I can hear my footsteps and find that my breathing, my body and even my thoughts have relaxed.

                                              

Their house is filled with well-made classic furniture. My aunt Mary is elegant and understated and very beautiful. She lives in a joyful state, almost always, delighting in the birds that come to feed at one of the many birdfeeders placed outside her kitchen windows. 

She has a matter of fact way of dealing with whatever situation she is placed in…and she has taught me how to cope with situations I wanted to run from, mostly by example. She arrived with my uncle ready to help when my younger brother was in the hospital dying. A few years later when Mama left this world there they were again a strong and steady presence in my life.

My aunt and uncle don’t believe in God. At least that's what they say. Yet, they are the kindest and most generous people I know. They are in touch with the Loving Presence of Spirit, living quiet yet giving lives. Many battles have taken place in the name of religion, most of us believing that our way is the right way and that they are wrong.

God is Present in all of us whether we believe it, or sometimes, if we are aware of it. Our Spirit remains in constant contact with God who knows what our purpose is. My aunt and uncle live in this Loving Presence, they just have not given it a name.

The week I am to arrive in Indiana find that my uncle is suddenly in ICU and drifting in and out of consciousness. He is in renal failure and has congestive heart failure.

 I planned the trip to spend time with him while he was still able to weave a tale and share his sometimes slightly embellished stories. He is a great story teller. Instead, I am here to be with them through this time as they have always been with me.
  

What happens when we are facing debilitating illness is that what is happening in the world outside or things in our own lives in general, matter less and less. A week before he would have argued politics, becoming angry with the other side, now suddenly the things of the world become less important.

The reality is nothing is more important than our relationship with God.

My uncle is home now and doing very, very well.