Out My Back Door

When we found our house here in the valley almost 15 years ago, we almost instantly knew this was the house. We had spent many countless hours (oh so many hours!) looking for just the right place. Nothing ever felt just right. And yet, when we got to this house and stared out the hole that would become our family room window, we knew we had found the right place. And even though it was still in the framing stage, and then-4-year old Carson was quite concerned about living in a "stick" house, we knew this was home.

During the first couple of years looking out our back window we saw the pond and alfalfa fields. We twice saw a momma moose and her baby. There was a coyote who came trotting down the trail with a fresh kill of some sort in its mouth. And I certainly won't forget the time I looked out the back door and saw a stampede of cows...they had escaped from a field down the road aways. We've had deer and rabbits. And once, during a hail storm, we had a family take refuge under a rock in our backyard. For the longest time I wouldn't let David move that rock, because, what if those quail came back and needed a refuge again?

The quail aren't those only creatures that have refuge out our back door. Our children used to play out there quite a bit, especially when there was nothing but big piles of dirt to crawl all over. I've taken refuge out my back door on more than one occasion. The back of the house has a southern exposure, which means lots of sun. During late spring, summer, and early fall I will escape, even for just a few minutes, to sit on the deck and stare at the hills and mountains across the way. And during the winter, when it is too cold to venture outside, I will open the blinds in the family room, snuggle on the couch with a cozy blanket, and just stare out the window absorbing has much vitamin D as the short Inland Northwest days grant me.

I am so grateful for the view out my back door. Over the years it has brought me much joy, peace, and happiness. At times the view has soothed my aching soul as I see all of the beauty that God has placed before me to enjoy. And even though the alfalfa fields have largely been replaced by houses, and it has been years since I have seen a moose in our backyard, the initial feeling of "this is the place" is still with me, planted deep within my heart.