Feeling thankful

Last night I had one of those moments of deep gratitude.

I was at the men's church softball game, where our team was playing the Baptists. Friendship Field is the name of the field where the men's and women's softball teams play here in Stuarts Draft, and it is THE place to be on just about any evening in the summertime. Friendship field is actually in the middle of a vineyard; think "Field of Dreams" and replace the corn with grapes.

Softball games are a staple of small town life. I sat over on the Calvary side with several of the wives and children of the players. The smaller kids were all playing in a big pile of sand by the scoreboard, burying a beetle and filling up a huge pixie stick with sand, then mischeviously asking us if we wanted some candy. There were at least eight or nine folks with dogs, both big and small, who were also socializing here and there. The bleachers were packed last night with people watching the game and talking about life.

It was the perfect night for softball; hard to believe that the next day was the beginning of July. There was a delicious breeze in the air, and I actually wished that I had brought a jacket with me. The game started at 8:00, so we watched the sun go down over the outfield. The sunset painted the sky various shades of pink, yellow, and blue.

It turned out to be a great game, and our team won. As I walked to my car, parked by Row 4 of grapes, I stopped for a minute and looked out at the mountains, dark blue in the twilight, and the crescent moon just above the skyline. I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude, for that particular moment in time, for the beauty that was so incredible. What a blessing it is to witness and be moved by beauty. Thanks be to God!