Wednesday, March 3, 2021

​“Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.”
Micah 4:4
 
This verse from Micah was one of George Washington’s favorites. He used it so much that it became one of Washington’s lines in the musical Hamilton. While the pandemic has allowed my family many viewings of Hamilton, the scripture verse speaks to me of this past summer.
 
With many vacations, like the beach and family reunions, being canceled, we decided to vacation in our own backyard, under our own trees. For this, we set up a tent, a tarp dining fly, a campfire ring and tripod, and a hammock. This was camping week. Every meal was cooked over the fire or camping stove. Hikes were taken. Knots were tied. S’mores were enjoyed. We lived the week outside.
 
While not the glistening sands of the beach nor the warm hug of a long-awaited family member, there was beauty in the simplicity. The bright spot I would like to share is the beauty of the backyard. Every evening, one of my children would borrow my cell phone and climb their playset house. There they would then spend the next thirty minutes watching the sunset and taking selfies together. This became their ritual. Their daily wonder at the sky as day turned to night marked the time for us each night. This would not have been possible if we had been running to and fro from activity to program and back. The simple enjoyment to “sit under our own vine and fig tree” was enough to fill us and to hear God saying, take the time.
 
 
Peter Horn