Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39 NKJV

I always loved the poetry of Robert Frost, and as a fellow New Englander, deeply appreciate his use of the small details of its seasons. “Birches, The Mending Wall,” and “The Road Not Taken,” all reflect the scenes from my own childhood. Perhaps, “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening,” is the best of all these. For Frost, that moment on a windy hillside gave him pause to think and inspiration to write of things beyond the snow and chill of the evening. But for me, having worked outdoors for forty winters, I am quite content to settle on a bench by our pond in Florida, to think and pray!

“Lord, I’m just tired” I said as the breeze pushed up tiny ripples on our pond. “You are in control.”

Though no answer came, contentment washed over me as I released the pain and exhaustion from my recent surgery to Him. “God, if this is as far as my road is to be, I’m okay with that Lord.”

As I sat, an Ibis, quietly swooped over the surface of the water and a squirrel raced across the branch of a slowly dying sycamore near my bench. Then His voice came, “You’re not finished yet. There are still miles to go.” Then it was silent again. Perhaps unlike us, God feels no urge to elongate His conversations. Just as after Jesus spoke, “Peace be still.” Perhaps He simply listened to the quiet lapping of waves as the disciples rowed. And in my own heart a peace settled in. I could hear only the rush of wings skimming over the waters of my heart and a still small voice saying, “Just a little further child.”