After some July 4th plans had fallen through at the last minute, we found ourselves with a free day and evening, and discovered we were pretty happy about it! We enjoy getting together with other people, certainly, but when presented with a free day and evening to enjoy together, we’re rarely disappointed.

We decided on a menu, and necessary supplies were purchased. We floated lazily around the pool for a couple of hours, sat on the porch and talked, and made a plan to go see a local fireworks display later on. We finished watching the last segment of The War (WWII), never realizing how perfectly timed it would be to have it wrap up on Independence Day.

Then, it started to get dark. We were waffling a little bit, by this point, on whether to head out to fireworks, or not. We both wanted to see them, but didn’t really want to fight the congestion of traffic in that little park, or the bugs, or the crowds. We thought perhaps we might be able to see them from the porch or swing, far off in the distance, over some other little surrounding towns, and just as we were discussing that option a loud POP interrupted us. We turned to see giant, professional-looking fireworks right above our own tree line!

Stunned, we sat in our rockers and watched a beautiful show for about half an hour.

Right afterward, I threw on pajamas and crawled into bed. I could still see a few fireworks go off every now and then through the big windows along the back of our bedroom, and thought to myself that, while we still would’ve seen fireworks, we would’ve missed the spectacular show in our own back yard. We would’ve missed viewing this unexpected treat from our favorite chairs, and listening to the pop and crackle against the silence, save for cicadas, birds and other country night noise.

Really, if you think about it, we miss the unexpected blessings that are there for us all the time. We are such a forward-thinking bunch that we often miss what’s there to bless us right now…right where we are. If we’ll slow down, and clear off some of our jam-packed calendars, our eyes can be opened to the abundance that awaits us in our own backyards. I’m thankful, because it’s quite a show, and it’s waiting just for you and me.

Right at home.

“Open my eyes so I can see  what you show me of your miracle-wonders.” Psalm 119:18 MSG

“Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light.” Matthew 6:22 MSG

“You feed them from the abundance of your own house,letting them drink from your river of delights.” Psalm 36:8 NLT