Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913

Community and Contentment

Every once in a while, a person will have an experience that they will always remember. Such was the case with me several weeks ago.

I had gone to church a little earlier than usual. There were about four or five other people there when I entered. Sitting down in my usual pew, I casually looked around, noting as I did so the simple beauty of this little country church.

The sun was shining through the stained glass windows and I could hear birds greeting the morning with their songs. The quietness began seeping into me.

My thoughts drifted to an upcoming test that would tell me if the new medications I’d been taking the past couple of months were doing their job ... rid me of my cancer. I was also thinking about a CT scan I was scheduled to have. It would show if any new spots of cancer had appeared in my bones.

Then my thoughts turned to the community I live in. To the compassion, care, and concern the residents seem to have an abundance of when it comes helping others. How they step up when they hear of someone in need and do everything they can to help them from taking them meals, getting them to appointments, even holding benefits to help them financially.

My attention was caught by one of my grandsons going up to the bell tower to ring the bell, announcing services were about to begin. In that moment, my surroundings combined to bring me a totally overwhelming, all-encompassing sense of peace.

In that moment, I knew that whatever the future held I’d be able to handle it. And I could feel the goodness coming from the other people in the church with me.

Along with the sense of peace was a feeling of knowing there was no other place on earth I’d rather be than where I was. And a feeling of contentment, of understanding, of belonging, of absolute certainty this is exactly where I was meant to be.

Since that day, the feeling of utter peace I experienced has made a difference in my life. I find myself not being so anxious about medical test results or worry if my doctors feel it necessary for me to have radiation treatments. I’ve become more focused on several projects I’ve been considering doing. And I’ve felt a deeper gratitude for my life, all it holds, and all it can yet be.

 

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