I’m sharing a not-so-good memory from last summer at this time.
How casually I take for granted the simple act of taking a breath. In fact, unless there is a problem, it’s the last thing on my mind.
Last year, some record-breaking fires brought me a new appreciation for clean air. My allergies did not permit the mere crack of an open door or window in our home for several weeks. Even with this precaution, every evening my nose would get stuffed up, making it difficult to breathe.
After a much anticipated rain, the air cleaned up considerably. I tore open the doors and windows upon awakening and witnessed the beautiful sight of a baby blue sky filled with 
white cottony clouds. It looked fresh like what the newly formed earth must have appeared in Eden. There was no more smothering sensation of the gray, and sometimes brown horizon with short distance visibility.
I made up for all the days spent trapped in my smelly house by working in my neglected garden for hours. Then, I sat in my lawn chair, just staring into the heavens, watching the moving canopy of space. Gratitude filled my heart for this simple pleasure. When air is blocked from filling our lungs, although a basic expectation, it becomes a matter of life and death.
Thank you, Lord, for fresh air and for helping me to appreciate it.
Dianna
Sharing the Fruit of Maturity
