[repurposed reflection from another time]

It is 8:09 am. I sit on my deck at home in Baltimore County overlooking the serene countryside on a tepid morning. I have a soft grey blanket draped around my shoulders and a steaming cup of coffee on the table beside my sunshine-yellow Adirondack chair. Lupini the tiny pup noses around in the grass below, after having barked away all of the wildlife loitering since dawn.

Except for the occasional cow that mooooos in some unseen distant field, it is quiet. A donkey then braaaaays from the farmhouse across the stream. Suddenly, hundreds of identical geese squaaaaawk as they fly by in the cloudy sky on their way to somewhere important that only the geese know. 

I smile as I listen to this assorted chatter from God's animals, breaking the silence. What a pleasant way to spend reflective coffee time with Him, not sitting in a church pew. (Does He take cream & sugar in His coffee, I wonder?) God's creatures, sounds, creations. On that morning, this is “church” for me.

We can get creative with ways to be "in church." How else might we sit with God to take pleasure in His creation? How else to shift into a soulful place and peaceful mode? My friend Barbie and her family often do a "Son-rise," in which they'll go hiking to watch the sun rise and be ONE with God. Beautiful.

• We can be easily with God in “nature’s church” via a walk, hike or bike ride through the woods or around the neighborhood ... strolling the beach ... watching sunset ... sitting on a dock or a rock. The outdoors offer the perfect quiet reflection together, away from electronics and people in the house - just us and God. Outdoors is where I feel closest to Him. If the sky is doing its magic with cotton candy clouds of various colors at dusk … well, what a lovely bonus.  

• Perhaps we schedule a morning of coffee, breakfast, and conversation with a like-minded faith-filled friend. Certainly, we'll walk away inspired. Be sure to pray a prayer of gratitude together before you eat.

• Plan a pj party or weekend away with your siblings. Go to sleep and wake up in the same house, as you did as children. Play a game after dinner, laugh, reminisce. Set down your phones. Enjoy quality time and a chat over breakfast before the day takes over. Family time is splendid “church” time.  

• Visit a favorite religious statue, shrine, or graveyard - and simply sit in reflection. There are more shrines than you know about in your area. Maryland has plenty! And graveyards do not have to feel sad or scary – I find them quite beautiful. Merely looking around at the plethora of marble statues of Jesus, Angels, Mother Mary, saints, and the beautifully designed mausoleums is pleasing. Graveyards fascinate me – literally, a field of angels!

When I visit my family in Sardinia, Italy, one of my favorite things to do is walk to the edge of the village to visit the Padre Pio and Blessed Mother Mary statues lined up overlooking the mountains. Dozens of rosaries, trinkets, and spiritual mementos have been placed at their feet; how lovely to think of the Italian villagers and visitors praying there.

On another side of the ancient village is a graveyard. I visit it alone purposely to say Ciao to my ancestors "residing" in the slim eight-drawer mausoleum which is our Mossa / Cabras family’s. My great-grandparents and aunts and uncles are buried in those drawers. It is quite emotional to be staring at my legacy, my roots, in this way. The graveyard itself is quite picturesque. I definitely feel as if I am in "church" as I stroll quietly around to view the other family names and photos on the many headstones. Oh how many souls God has with Him! 

God is everywhere with us, He makes anywhere “church.” He sends us good people to be with and pretty places in which to experience. So, actually, anything you and He plan to do together can be “church.” Church is more than a brick building: it is praying, listening, reflecting, apologizing, accepting, being, offering, asking, and deciding with God how to do it all better than we did it yesterday.