The Lockhart’s holiday home is named after John Henry Newman’s retreat house called “Littlemore”.
The home is set on a hill and the view over the Loch is spectacular. The sun sets here in June at 10:30P and the light lingers on the horizon until 11:30P. The tidal waters reflecting the sky in shades and patterns depending on the winds and water depth. Its a glorious painting redraw by hour in endless combinations of light and color.
The brine smell of the sea blends with the sweet garden flowers. And depending on the wind direction, the sheep and cows in the nearby fields add their scent. The Irish air is thin and fresh. The sun is coy and reveals itself only in brief but brilliant patches.
The grass is a bright yellow-green, with fine needles and spongy underfoot. Unlike the coarse, dark green grass our home in Tennessee .
We entertain friends and family all weekend. Pots of tea brewing, sweets laid out in bowls, bottles of wine opened, laughter, old stories. The sound of the boys playing ping pong and laughing. Card games at the table. The kitchen always warm from the heavy iron stove and yet the bedrooms cool and quite.
Littlemore is a gift, reflecting the love and warmth of the Lockhart’s family. It has become a place of reunion, refreshment and retreat for my family. I give thanks for the beauty of the sea, the Irish air, family, friends, laughs, prayer and silence.
June 30, 2017