Bowing to 2020 - September

September felt very much like an in-between time as I reflect back.  It was a period when the congregation I serve was back together in person for the first time since March, there was a trip for our family to go camping and spend some time on the rivers of West Virginia.  There were the first hints of the changing of seasons.  And there was also the best picture I took of Scout all year . 

One of my favorite photos of the year is the one of the  heron flying.  It was another of those right-place-right-time moments but what I see in it right now is how the reflection doesn’t exactly match the heron.  There’s elements yes but it is far from exact.  That’s how I feel about a lot of this period of bowing.  It isn’t just a “I did this in September” type of thing but instead a “how does this feel now?”  

What I feel as I reflect back is deep gratitude for the love of my family (hence the heart leaf - I generally don’t post pics of my family on my blog).  There’s so much that has been there with not only my wife and children but our extended family as well.  I am so grateful for each of them and for how we have been able to make it through this year together.  At times it has very much felt like that photo of me walking across that narrow log over the river - a delicate and careful balancing act.  But we have made it through a lot together and I am grateful beyond words.