shadows among the ancient patterns

This was taken at the door of a Saxon church we visited. You can just see the silhouettes of my two friends.
Today we went for another bracing walk over hill and dale and back. The daffodils are out, buds are appearing on the hawthorn trees and, later on, on the train journey home to Glasgow I saw a field filled with lambs. Spring is here, and on our walk back the sun was warm on our faces and we felt it.

So I am home, refreshed and wind blasted having spent time with good people. And here I am, getting ready for tomorrow and the patterns of daily routine re-establishing itself. Sometimes we don't see the grand designs through which our lives move. We can become lost in some detail and trapped and isolated there. Stuck in a dead end.
Today I felt the grand patterns, the ancient patterns of lives lived among the dales of Tyneside, of the seasons turning and growth asserting itself. I was with people I love very much, doing the things with them that help me take a step back.
And as I take a step back I see the two of them, see their lives against the grand pattern, the ancient knots and symmetries of place. I see myself there somewhere with them; I see we three and these little things we shared together this weekend and how it fits in the bigger picture.
And as I step back I unlock the ancient maze before me and I bless the trees, the stones, the river running to the sea, the wind on the water -on our faces - and I thank the turning seasons for navigating me through to these two beautiful people and blessing me with time spent in their company.