Sanctuary (2013)
I am so blessed that I have the chance to get out of the city and relax- even the ride is relaxing once I am off the freeways and major highways. I see tall, east Texas pine trees lining the road to my sanctuary on the lake. I’ve seen deer standing along side the road, some with spots on their backsides, others with none, and a few with big antlers. I’ve even seen a big, wild black boar crossing in front of me. Sometimes I’ll listen to the radio and old country music, sometimes my cds, but a lot of the time it is better to just enjoy the ride and not have any interruptions.
As I travel down those roads I feel the tension start to melt off, peeling off like layers of coats and clothing that were suffocating me. By the time I am just four miles from the house I always get a little butterfly of anticipation in my stomach because up on the next rise I’ll get my first view of the lake off in the distance. At that point, I feel like I am home. I usually say a silent prayer of thanks that I made it safely as I pull up to the house. It is almost like a ritual.
There’s a porch swing that was left by the previous owner. They didn’t understand the meaning of owning a porch swing. When they had it, it was facing the street, not down toward the lake. Who would ever want to place a wonderful thing such as a swing where you couldn’t get the best view available? One of the best views ever is to be sitting in that porch swing when the sun is rising over the lake and fog is still lingering down the hill and over the water. That’s usually when the weather is still chilly and I am wearing a robe and slippers or I came out with a blanket to cover myself. I’ve also spent time working puzzle books sitting in that swing looking up to get a glimpse of the water now and again.
Most people will never know the peace that comes from waking up and looking out a double window to see the trees each morning. Sometimes they are shrouded in fog, other days they are reflecting sun on the leaves, but almost every morning I have been able to see either birds moving about or squirrels running and jumping from branch to branch. There was a lizard who lived on my window screen for a long time, hanging out in the shrubs and on the side of the house, but I guess time marches on and he did, too. I’ll never forget when I looked out and saw a deer. So innocent. I hope we can see more in the future.
What I believe I really love the best about Sanctuary is that I feel as though I belong there. Does that sound strange? I’ve lived in the fourth largest city in the country for a lot of my life, but I have lived on a farm, lived in a small town, and have had the privilege of being able to get away and go camping or to other lake homes, so I know that I don’t belong in the city. When we pulled up to this exact house and I looked at the forest next to it and the lake down the hill, I knew this was it before I ever walked inside.
I looked up the meaning of Sanctuary and found this.
sanc·tu·ar·y saNGk(t)SH??were/ noun noun: sanctuary; plural noun: sanctuaries
1. a place of refuge or safety. “people automatically sought a sanctuary in time of trouble” synonyms: refuge, haven, harbor, port in a storm, oasis, shelter, retreat, hideaway, hideout More “the island is our sanctuary” safety, protection, shelter, immunity, asylum “he was given sanctuary in the embassy”
2. a nature reserve. “a bird sanctuary” synonyms: reserve, park, reservation, preserve
Yep, I have found my Sanctuary.