Sit Down and Shut Up!

As this week began I was concerned that there were so many things scheduled that I wouldn't have much time to think or reflect or prepare for any of them, but then a scratchy throat quickly gave way to strep and my concerns immediately changed. Instead of figuring out how to fit it all in, I kept calling one person after another canceling my commitments. I found myself with nowhere to go and plenty of time to think and reflect. My physician has told me that strep has "colonized" in me, meaning that whenever my immune system is down strep is the first thing to appear. With no voice, I am quickly put in my place. I have decided it is some divine way to tell me to "sit down and shut up."

I am incredibly grateful to everyone who helped me this week, picking up pieces I could not handle. I am grateful, too, for the perennial lesson I need to be reminded of: none of us, for the tasks we do, are indispensable. All of us, for the people we are, are irreplaceable. We all need time to be still and quiet if only to remember these truths. I know I do. Perhaps if I took more time to be still and quiet on a daily basis, nature would not need to force it upon me.

Tonight is our first TAIZE service of the season (first Thursdays from 6:00 - 6:30 p.m.). There are few ways I like to be still and quiet more than when I am surrounded by candlelight and beautiful music in our sanctuary. Even though I am feeling better, I am still planning to sit still and be quiet tonight. I hope you will join me there.

The Swing of Summer

I love summer. I love warm weather and sunshine. I love having the kids home. I love the ever changing gardens outside, and being able to cut fresh flowers for my home. I love cooking on the grill and using fresh produce that comes right from the ground. I love having a schedule that is a little less crowded with meetings so there is more room for reading, planning, and creativity to emerge. I love the longer days and the spontaneity of getting together with family or friends that seems to happen more readily in the summer. I love sitting on the porch, or by the water, and simply enjoying the day. I love sitting in our sanctuary feeling a breeze and hearing the sounds of the city right outside our door.

With the new season comes a new schedule. This year my husband is teaching for several weeks in India, and so my early morning hours have been spent communicating via web cam with him. My late night hours have been spent connecting with the kids. I wouldn’t trade those hours; I cherish them. However, I recognize that these were the times I had typically been blogging - first thing in the morning or last thing at night. I want to get back to regular blog updates and I know I can do it. Like most things that are important to us, it is a matter of making it a priority and balancing it with everything else. Now that I recognize the need, I will carve out other time. I see it all as part of getting into the swing of summer! I will be in the swing of summer before the calendar officially tells us we are there.