The Oak

I walked down to the barn after dinner tonight. The air is much cooler this evening. A band of rain raced through yesterday afternoon and brought with it a change in the weather. I'm sure there will be more hot days to come, so we'll enjoy this cool spell while it lasts.
I sat on my turning plough and soaked in the last remnants of the setting sun. There is an oak tree in the barnyard that I cannot reach around. In fact, some of the limbs of that oak are bigger in diameter than the trunks of most of the younger trees around here. It is a magnificent thing to behold. In the heat of the summer, it seems cooler. And just sitting in its presence makes you feel a part of something much bigger and more permanent.
As I've said before, people often ask me why we live out here in Empire. "You're spending a fortune on gas and the time you spend commuting is lost." But usually when people come to visit we wind up taking a walk down to the barn and once they stand under that oak tree, they begin to understand the appeal.
I'm grateful for that old tree and all the other blessings in my life.
Y'all have a great weekend.