The Refuge
On a cold winter’s evening, the sun sets and leaves the house
in thick darkness. It is enough to make
my young mind uneasy. It is nights like
these that I am glad that I have a place of refuge, in the kitchen in front of
the warm morning stove on my Grandfather’s lap as he sits in his rocking
chair. I have found this to be my place
of refuge for the uncertain nights in my life.
I feel safe
snuggled up on my Grandfather’s lap. His
strong arms around me make me feel so safe.
The smell of his aftershave gives off the sweet smell of summer’s days,
gone by. Here with him makes the dark
winter seem so much farther away.
The rocking
chair we sit in is made strong and simple giving it the feel of home. The swishing sound it makes as we rock gives
off such a gentle soothing rhythm. It
seems to erase my worry, as I concentrate on the back and forth motion my mind
is put at ease. It gives me such a care
free feeling like being on a carousel.
It is my own private ride that carries me to a very safe and comforting
place.
I start to feel
the warmth from the stove on my cheeks.
It’s as if it is kissing away all my worries and cares. I start to focus on the yellow/orange flames
as they dance within the stove. They
bring brilliant light and warmth with their every movement. It’s as if it is a special dance just for
me. I can’t help but smile after looking
upon such a beautiful dance, oh no their dance has not been in vain.
This night like
the many before and the many after will take my worried mind to a more
beautiful and worry free place that will see my through yet another time of
darkness in my life. Spending these
worrisome winter evenings in my favorite place of refuge makes the darkness not
seem so thick and scary. It not only
gets me through many though times, but it leaves behind some wonderful memories
for me to carry through out the rest of the winters in my life. I guess this refuge will always be my refuge
even if only in my memory.
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