Relaxing
On Friday evening Scott had a school function so Anna and I planned on a fun relaxing time just us. We got a small pizza and salad. We made tea lattes that were oh so good and we watched a favorite Hallmark movie
I noticed green shoots coming out of messy, leaf covered dirt, among fallen sticks. Green. And it made me think.
Take my joke upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart. ~ Matthew 11:29
This place, this desk in the back corner of our living room for 29 years has been a sacred place.
A place where I meet God.
Each and every day.
In prayer, in journaling, in His Word.
In devotions that speak to my heart and teach me.
He asks nothing of me, just that I come, honest, true, like a little girl. And he teaches, guides, answers. His unconditional love given to me allows me to be just me. I am so grateful.
Behind this desk is a huge basket of past journals, pages and pages of prayers poured out to God, a living testament to answered prayers.
I simply can not, ever start my day not here. It is life, my oxygen, the only way I know how to live in this world.
She just texted us her amazing grades from midterms and sent up pictures from her essay from a course titled: The Life of Jesus. She wrote and wrote and wrote in that blue exam book and I read every word in those pictures.
We just called her for our evening mini chat and check in but she was busy and will call us in a few minutes. There was the sounds of friends and happiness.
I am so grateful for her. How is it that not too long ago this was her?
I am reading a book called Seasons of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson. Although intended for a homeschool mom and certainly intended for one much younger than I, I have learned so much. I am on my second read. I am finding it so helpful in navigating this new 'season' I am in as a mom with intentionality and joy; still parenting, still loving, still guiding.
I am thankful for a regular week. All of the regular things and of course a few appointments thrown in there too.
I am thankful for first thoughts of my daughters, husband, parents, and all of the blessings God has bestowed.
I am thankful for early mornings with my journal, devotional, prayers, and scripture verses.
I am thankful for my classroom, oh after all of these years crafted, curated.
I am thankful for 'my' seventeen nine and ten year olds who I get to spend my day with - the ones that keep me on my toes and keep me young.
I am thankful for the gift of organization and love of planning - oh how it helps me as a teacher! (and at home too)
I am thankful for coming home to our home of cozy, light, and welcome where I can turn on soft music, turn on all of the lights, nourish our bodies with good food.
I am thankful that home is more than a functional place for me. I am thankful that I love to decorate and make it place of beauty in a world that can sometimes be chaotic.
I am thankful for tulips that my husband brought home on Saturday to fill our family room with a touch of spring.
I am thankful that the feast of Easter is coming in this season of focused Lent.
I am thankful for exercise that balances my life and is like medicine for my mental health.
I am thankful for soft sheets and my pillow in the evening.
I am thankful for God leading and guiding my sweet daughters in His ways, along His paths, and in His truth to where they are supposed to be right now.
I am thankful that their hearts are open to the whisper of the Holy Spirit who has access to their hearts even more than I do.
I am thankful for restful sleep and sweet prayers and dreams.
hmmmm... not sure what I want to blog about usually means I wonder what has been going on. Mostly parent/teacher conferences. This week has filled up with those. But also coming home each night to the home I curated and built over years and years, wrapping me up like a hug each night.
Looking at what I've taken pictures of is also like a hug. Warm cookies baked for my family, scenes of comfort from our lent home, places of beauty all around me even on really full days.
I love this quote so much and believe in every word of it:
"In times of exhaustion, grief, or trial, holding on to a sense of order and lovliness is essential. Those many trials of life can not be fixed with a pat answer, the difficulty of walking through them is often eased if it can be experienced in a lovely environment.
The idea stems from being made in the image of a creative God. Just as God looked into the void and created our orderly, lovely, magnificent universe, we are able to look into the messiness of our lives and create spaces of meaning and beauty. A simple way to combat chaos is to focus on creating small spaces of beauty." ~ Sally Clarkson
