Come Sit Awhile: Sleeping Out

Welcome back to Meeting in the Meadow! Roy found some delightful materials that were written and published several years ago.

The Come Sit Awhile gift-book series was a collection of heart-warming stories, scriptures, recipes, quotes, prayers, and inspirational thoughts of hope and encouragement. They had chosen the theme of the front porch because it not only speaks of a place where people gather, relax, and enjoy the pleasures of each others company, but it is also symbolic of a special place in our hearts where rest is found, where we enjoy the sweetness of God’s presence, and where priceless memories are gathered and cherished always.

Abraham…was called the Friend of God.

James 2:23

The brilliance of a full moon, the fragrance of honeysuckle, the sounds of crickets and frogs, the flashes of fire flies, the clean smell of the air after a summer’s storm, the darting of a hummingbird as it goes to gather nectar, the laughter of children playing in the distance, the secrets shared between best-friends on the porch-swing, the warmth of unspoken love that surrounds you— These are only a small part of the simple pleasures that are found by those who on spend time on the front porch.

Come Sit Awhile

Sleeping Out

I have many special memories from my growing-up years on our farm. One of those special memories is the experience of sleeping out on our screened front porch. The only disappointment I experienced on those nights was when, during a storm, lightning came too close to the porch, and I had to gather my bedding and come into the house…

The porch was on the West Side of our gabled farmhouse, and faced the rolling grain fields of our neighbors. The only piece of furniture on our porch was an old coiled-spring bed. Most of the year the porch was unused, but in the warm days of summer that porch became my treasured place. My heart will always remember the joys I found there—the wonder of gazing at the star filled heavens, the delight of the soothing sound of chirping crickets, the overwhelming beauty of lightning flashes from a distant thunderstorm, and the pleasure of the company of a girl friend as we laughed and talked long into the night.

—Charlene Lessin

©2018 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow.