Return

Time and time again I return to the comfort of a hot bath.
When I was very small we lived in Japan and a trip to the hot baths was one of the best treats imaginable.  The old women laughing, the cold white tile, the steam rising from the first bath in slow wafting columns and from the hotter second bath in sheets. I’ve had to ask landlords to turn up hot water heaters because those Japanese baths taught me that tepid water was something to be avoided at all costs.

Afterwards, our hair wet and drippy, my parents would buy us an ice cream treat and we would feel the cold on our lips while our skin was still red and warm.

Returning to the water this way, the rest of the day falls aside. A place to dream and rest and meditate. To let the water help me remember my baptism and all of the wonder and promise that comes with learning to live in grace. Returning to peace.