My hammock.

Ahhhhh. Deep sigh of contentment.

Yes, this is my sanctuary where I can simply let go and feel completely supported. It sways slightly, and I am a baby being rocked in the safety of loving arms. Then my boys climb on and snuggle with me; well, that's a bit idealistic as they pretend that it's a ship on the high seas in a storm. But, every once in a while, we do share a very peaceful moment.

My hammock holds so many memories.

It was a wedding gift from my husband. He bought it and assembled it with great love and care the week of our wedding. (Perhaps it was an early wedding gift.) It was a rope hammock originally, and I first experienced complete and total tranquility for the first time when I laid on it under the oak tree in our side yard. It was the only time my mind stopped racing and my body stayed still. I watched clouds through the leaves. It's where I imagined the the knot in the tree trunk was a human face, or maybe even the face of a gnome. My imagination opened for the first time in a very long time.

As winter approached and it was too cold to lay outside, Richard humored me and brought my hammock into the living room. When I was pregnant with Pete, I would come home after a long day of teaching and melt into the white ropes. It supported my growing tummy and my achy muscles. I would inevitably fall asleep as the stress of the world disappeared. Even nine months pregnant, it was comfy and the place I went for complete comfort and relaxation. I must confess that it was challenging rolling out of it in the last weeks before I had Pete, but it was also good for a laugh.

When summer came, we moved the hammock back outside, and Pete and I would cuddle in it. He loved watching the cats run in the grass, the birds land on the deck in the cat's hunting arena, and the walkers passing by. He liked to climb up and then down and then up and then down. Sometimes, he would rest upon my chest, and we would both fall asleep--Pete in my arms, me in the supportive arms of the hammock.

Having an active toddler, we decided not to set the hammock up in the living room. Sigh. I missed my friend, but I also quickly realized that my moments of lounging in the hammock were too brief to reach a place of calm. Then along came Danny, and now our hammock moments were definitely short moments of cuddling broken up by giggling and mischievous little boys. The boys loved tipping the hammock until they fell out. They laughed and laughed--real belly laughs that made me laugh really hard too.

Unfortunately, the ropes weren't made for the rough and tumble life that we now had. They began to fray and snap. Knowing how important the hammock has been to me, Richard replaced the ropes with the sturdier material that now hangs on the original stand. I mourned for the ropes, which embraced me. However, watching the boys play and snuggle on it, I knew that with our small children that it was a very practical choice.

I think the memory of the boys and Richard on the hammock that stands out the most was when the boys were about two and four. I left them to go to the store for about 15 minutes. When I returned home, I found all three of them naked. Grinning, very proud of themselves, the boys announced all of the places that they had watered around the yard. This adventure was Daddy's way of potty training the boys. They would rest on the hammock and drink their "grog" and then water the grass and trees.

When we moved, we found a new home for it on our front porch. Again, it became my respite. It's where I retreat when I just need to relax. It supports me and sways me gently in its gentle embrace. The boys come to cuddle less frequently, and it's no longer a ship in a storm. Times have changed. We've all grown up. There are times, when I find one of them nestled in with a book on the hammock reading "just to get away" or "just to calm down for a while."

My hammock has the best view of the sky, and it holds treasured memories.

I am grateful that my husband gave me such a wonderful wedding gift, the gift of support and safety. I now gaze at the deer in our front lawn, our cats hunting, the boys riding bikes in the driveway, the birds flying from tree to tree, the trees rustling in the breeze, and the clouds shape-shifting in the ever-changing sky. I am blessed to have a little piece of Heaven here on Earth. I am grateful that I can appreciate my blessings. What a wonderful gift!

We all need to find that place where all is well in the world. One of my gateways to my inner place of harmony and peace is swaying gently on my hammock.

Namaste,

L