Pictured here is a torii gate that the local arboretum has in its Japanese garden near the tea house. The arboretum is very peaceful with its winding paths, rocks, flowers, trees and shrubs. Traditionally, the torii gate is at the entrance of a sacred space.
This sprawling garden fits my definition of a sacred space.
It is a refuge. It is a place I can go and quietly sit beside the pond and watch the branches of the willow tree sweep into the water and watch the koi fish swim between the willow trees’ delicate, sweeping branches.
The pale blue sky above me and the chilly January breezes remind me of the simple beauty of this life. This life is such a priceless jewel and God has blessed each of us with this day to just bask in the sunlight and to breathe in the sacredness of this moment.
For the next couple of weeks, I am unplugging social media. I do not want to know about those things that trouble me. Yes, I am going to stick my head in the sand and look away.
Only God can change this trajectory of chaos and mayhem.
I can choose to take a deep breath, stay in the moment, go for a peaceful stroll among the ancient oak, pause beneath the red torii gate and consider the sacredness of this space in time.
God has blessed us with so much that we as a society have taken for granted.
I am thankful to God for the beauty of this day.
I am thankful and I give praise to my God for this gift of sacredness.
Jenny W. Andrews copyright 2021
Jenny Grace's Poetry and Creative Writing Techniques 