We spent several days in May in Greece. This monthly reflection looks back on those days …
Looking out my window
I am thinking
How travel slows us down enough to notice people, beauty, and grace again.
I am thankful
I am thankful for journeys beyond the familiar,
for roads that lead to wonder.
For sun-washed hills and endless blue seas,
for beauty around every turn.
For kind strangers and shared smiles,
for stories gathered along the way.
For a world both vast and welcoming,
and memories carried home.
One of my favorite things
I loved the hospitable and friendly people of Greece, and their stories are my favorite things!
I am creating
I wrote a travel reflection and created a picture book of our travels.
You can read the reflection here: Conversations Along the Aegean.
I am listening to
I don’t often listen to audiobooks but I am loving Prue Leith’s book,
“Being Old… and learning to love it!”
I also listened to The Henna Artist … it was quite good!
I am wearing
Soft comfortable clothes while settling back into home routines after travel.
I am reading
Besides the audiobooks, I am reading Tish Harrison Warren’s book, What Grows in Weary Lands, and also Dust to Dust by Jen Wilken.
I am hoping
To keep noticing beauty in everyday life, not only in extraordinary places.
In my kitchen
Tea lingering longer in the mornings because I’m resisting the urge to rush.
Thinking about the freshness of a Greek salad!
And how delicious is fried feta …
In my garden
We have had a lot of rain the past few weeks. Our paddle cactus (Prickly Pear) don’t really need rain but they have been growing like wildfire!
There is something comforting about growing a plant that actually wants to live here. While other plants wilt, complain, or demand constant attention through another Central Texas summer, paddle cactus quietly keeps growing. It survives heat waves, shrugs off drought, and somehow still produces bright flowers and fruit. I have come to appreciate prickly pear not simply because it is easy to grow, but because it reminds me that resilience can also be beautiful.
Quote
“The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” — Gerard Manley Hopkins
A moment from my day
We wrapped up the month with a visit to our favorite jazz club.
It was a “New Orleans” celebration and it was soooo good!
Closing Thought
I came home from Greece grateful not only for what I saw, but for how deeply it made me notice. Some trips change your location. Others quietly change your pace, your prayers, and your perspective.
