My parents had a swing on their side porch. I spent many happy days swinging with my mother when I was younger.
Sometimes when storms would blow through, we sat in the swing and and listened to the thunder and watched the lightening.
And when the storm was over, sometimes we would just sit quietly and listen to the rain dripping off the roof.
Later in life, when other storms came, I sat in that same swing and let my tears flow like the rain. In the uncertainties of life, swinging rhythmically was soothing … a reassurance of my mother’s words, “The storm will soon be over.”
My father put up a swing on our pecan tree. When I was little, he and my mother took turns pushing me until I got the hang of “pumping.” I flew higher and higher until I was convinced I could touch the sky!
And then I discovered I could fly. I swung as high as I could and then jumped out. For a few seconds, I experienced the joy birds must feel, to be free of the pull to earth and just soar.
When our daughter was a baby, we got a swing for her. We had to wind it up, but then it was good to go. It was the perfect way to put baby to sleep and became the bedtime ritual. Swing the baby and then ease her out into her bed.
The baby outgrew the swing before she outgrew the bedtime ritual. Her feet were dragging the floor, but she still wanted to swing.
Her ever creative Dad put blocks under it to elevate it and we milked another few months out of that beloved swing.
When we moved into our first house years ago, we had a swing on the deck. When we moved into our present house, we put a swing on our covered patio. I call it my “sweet spot.”
The sweet bay magnolia is near by and spreads its fragrance in the spring. In all seasons, I swing and watch the horses in the pasture out back.
Sometimes I think of all the times and places I have swung in rhythm to the earth’s heart beat … and sometimes I get the urge to swing higher … and maybe see if I could jump out without breaking a hip.
Today life came full circle as our daughter sent us this video of our grandson at the orchard with his Mom and Dad. Their joy became my joy all over again!
I think there may be swings on the front porches of Heaven. Oh what a time we are all going to have, swinging and reminiscing about the preview we got of Heaven on earth through swinging!
