Greetings, Blogworld.
Happy Friday!
I’ve been tucked away in my little condo way too much lately. I’ve been inundated with work and personal study, both of which I thoroughly enjoy, but both of which tend to keep me indoors for long periods of time. And let’s be honest- who really wants to go outside right now? Dear inhabitants of the Pacific Northwest, in case you didn’t know, that was a rhetorical question.
It has been insanely hot in Atlanta. I’ve sworn heretofore that Atlanta has been dubbed “Hotlanta” because it happens to be where a bunch of beautiful people live, but now, after enduring my third consecutive August in Atlanta, I’m pretty sure that was naïve or just plain wrong. Please take a sister’s word for it: Atlanta is called “Hotlanta” because, well, it is hot as heck-fire. I have a smile across my face right now because I’m thinking about my friend who recently moved to Kuwait. Yep, Kuwait. I just glanced at the weather report for Kuwait tomorrow and it looks like it is predicted to be a balmy 118. She would rebuke me for grumbling about a good ole classic 100 degrees but I would quickly retort: “It’s the humidity that makes it unendurable.” She wouldn’t be impressed though, and well, I don’t really blame her. So let’s put it this way: relatively speaking, the heat has been pretty nasty around here. I ran into my neighbor earlier today and she told me she has gained several pounds this month because she refuses to leave her house. We both shook our heads and carried on for a good while in mutual astonishment until finally there was nothing left to do but to prophesy about the glory days to come: autumn in Georgia. By the way, “autumn” sounds way more glamorous than “fall”, right? Autumn in Georgia covers a multitude of summer sins. Some folks get annoyed when people small talk about the weather, but I get a kick out of it. I like that the weather is something that everyone has something to say about, no matter how bashful the person may be or what season it is. The weather is just good neutral common ground, you know? Also, you can get really good and worked up over the weather and you won’t hurt anyone else’s feelings. It’s kinda fun.
But back to my recent case of condo fever. Several months ago I explained to my Mom that I think I am equal parts homebody and wanderlust. She laughed at me, not with me, and explained that I’m more like 99% wanderlust. “Your boots were made for walking, sweetheart.” That’s how she put it. She may be right. A perusing of a world atlas can be sacramental to me. When Colin and I were first dating he told me that he wanted to have an entire wall of his house dedicated to a huge world map. Although I was slightly horrified by the aesthetic ramifications of a big map mural, I had never loved him more.
I love to travel. To see a new place and to experience a new culture. But there is this little thing called adulthood. And responsibility. For some weird reason our landlord keeps demanding that we pay rent every month. Plus, there are events like weddings and family reunions that stack up and demand a big percentage of that small slice of vacation time each of us are allotted.
I’ve had the travel itch lately without the practical availability to travel. I’m like a bird in a cage. I know there is a fabulous destination out there with my name and respective 50-degree weather attached to it, but I just can’t make it happen right now. The very idea that there are people walking around places like Tuscany or Madrid, well, it makes me feel like I’m missing out on something that might have been. I mean, for crying out loud, somewhere over the rainbow, there are people mounted on the Alps eating Swiss fondue.
The most serious symptom of my condo fever has been chronic daydreaming. I can’t remember a time period of my life when I daydreamt this much since my fifth grade teacher taught us long division. Back then, I used to drift off and imagine Willowbrook Mall was my own personal closet. I would roam to and fro throughout this gigantic shopping mall, from Limited Too to Gadzooks, to pick out my new outfit for school. Don’t ask me how Limited Too and Gadzooks were able to coexist in my daydream because I’m not sure. But they were.
Some twenty years later my daydreaming hasn’t matured or progressed all that much. I won’t tarry long on this for sake of my own tender ego but I will say, I have eaten lots of freshly picked strawberries on the rolling green hills of the shire with a handful of delightful little hobbits. I also cried the other day when I heard the theme song from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. You know, the song: “Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination”? Who wouldn’t want to drink from a waterfall flowing with milk chocolate? Or pick the fruit from a tree that renders elephantine gummy bears? And what about red and white polka dotted mushrooms the size of giant patio umbrellas, bulging with buttercream icing?
And you’re thinking, Oh Melissa, you need to get out more. But that is exactly what I’m trying to tell you, dear, I can’t leave the house right now. So in attempt to deal more constructively with reality, I’ve been trying to take note of the beauty around me during the particular season I’m in. I don’t think the drive in me to constantly see something new all the time is all that bad. Sure, it could be bad. But for the most part, if it’s harnessed properly, I think it’s okay. Not to mention, it is kind of part of being human. At least for a lot of us, I think. Having said that, I would like to learn how to discover beauty in a season of repetition. Not a season of suffering or hardship, but just a season that is filled with mostly repetitive tasks. A season when I’m feeling a little domesticated and maybe a little bit too familiar with my surroundings. The whole “wake up, eat, work, eat, go to bed” monotony can be disillusioning over time and sometimes someone needs to look at us and say, “Snap out of it! There is beauty to behold, even in your mundane little world!”
All this typing has made me think of the paragraph from G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy.
“A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. The repetition in Nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical encore. Heaven may encore the bird who laid an egg.” (See Part IV “The Ethics of Elfland” in Orthodoxy)
If you haven’t read Chesterton before, you need to immediately. Orthodoxy should be required for baptism. I’m kidding, I think. Chesterton was a man of extraordinary brilliance and imagination and even if you think he has lost his mind at times, his writing will make you think differently about the world we inhabit.
But I’m not done talking through my dilemma. I wonder if imagination itself is one key to enjoying and delighting in the mundane. What if, instead of dreaming about how bright the city lights are in Bangkok, or longing for a cool starry night out on a ranch out in Montana, I took notice of the way the sun dances on my old cracked hardwood floors from the hours of 6-8 pm, as if they were its vintage stage? What if, each time I saw a butterfly, I imagined God standing at an easel painting the delicate and intricate patterns displayed on its wings? Or, what if, instead of being annoyed by the boisterous giggling of two people in my local coffee shop, I thanked God for the gift of laughter and comic relief or imagined the kinds of things that may bring a smile to His face. I wonder what my life would be like if I used my overactive imagination, not to daydream about far away lands or fantasy peoples, but to make sense of and delight in my own little world and the people I encounter on a daily basis.
I’ll never forget when I first read an excerpt from one of Kyle Lake’s final sermons. For those of you who are not familiar, Kyle Lake was the pastor of University Baptist Church in Waco, TX. He died, far too young, in October of 2005. I did not know Lake personally but I did attend his church on several occasions when I was a Baylor student and had the opportunity to hear him preach. Somewhere along the way I heard that they read the following excerpt from one of his final sermons at his funeral:
“Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun. If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time. If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash then crash well. Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done—a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old’s nose, don’t be disgusted if the Kleenex didn’t catch it all… because soon he’ll be wiping his own. If you’ve recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you’re eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift.”
Be PRESENT.
I like that.
I want to be present. In every season. Even the ordinary ones.
“Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.” James 1.17
And that, dear girl, is contentment. 1 Timothy 6:6
Beautifully written!
Loved the end from the sermon!
As I was reading I couldn’t help but hear the screaming voice in my head-YOU NEED TO HAVE A BABY! BTW, I’m sure I’m not the first to say that to you, but finding joy in the mundane everyday things of life is never more real than changing a diaper 20x a day or feeding a baby at 3 am. Hard hard things, yet glorious at that same time.
And, it’s 106 in humid filled Kansas today. . .
This has to be one of the best things I have read. Ever. EVER. Thank you a million times, Melissa. Not very often anymore do I find myself just little-girl-giddy but you’ve got me at that point and I just can’t stand it. Smiling so big my cheeks hurt but I don’t mind a bit!
Melissa, I am right there with you melissa in hotlanta…and I do mean literally. we live south of the city. but just as i read this post…we suddenly get a downpour of rain. Just like God to refresh us in this way. Jesus send the rain…hope you are getting some in your part of the city 🙂
That was beautiful, Melissa! Definitely some encouragement I needed to hear. I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one that can get pulled down by what I think of as the mundane in my life. Just this afternoon I found out who my boys will have for teachers this coming year, as well as who will and won’t be in their classes. I quickly realized that while I’ve been stuck in the monotony of summer the last few weeks, change – it’s gonna come, and soon! I’m not sure if I’m ready. 🙂
Melissa, this post made me smile because your season of monotony is my LIFE! But I chose it and knew what it involved.
My daily schedule – get up, exercise, pray, eat, pray, work, pray, eat, work/recreation/study, pray, eat, pray, read/recreation, pray, sleep. And this would be my schedule for 350 days of the year! (And let me add – that all of these activities take place in the monastery – we don’t go somewhere else to work.)
One of the most frequent questions I get asked about being a nun is – don’t you get bored?? And my answer is -not yet!
You have captured well the beauty that can be found in the most ordinary moments. And that is so essential because most of our life is lived in these ordinary moments and if we don’t stop and appreciate them – wow! how much would be we be missing. Your “being present” is what we call “mindfulness” here in the convent and we strive for that in all the moments of our day. Being mindful and fully present to the activity at hand – because you know what you discover? God is only found in the present moment.
Blessing dear house-bound friend! Sister Lynn
Sister Lynn,
Your perspective is invaluable. I love hearing from you. I should have totally interviewed you for this post! Would have been so fun!
LOVE that last quote. So needed that. Good to “hear” from you, Melissa! 🙂
I’ve spent a lot of pensive time lately thinking about how my dreams seem to be slipping away…and instead of focusing on what I don’t have (yet), I need to remember to constantly make myself be present in today. Because there are many blessings God’s brought with giving me 24 more hours of oxygen. 🙂
It’s hot here in Dallas, too. I think today was day #14 of 100*+, but really I don’t want to know how hot it is, technically. It’s hotter than billy blazes and whether it’s 100, 101, 105, whatever, HOT IS HOT IS HOT! 🙂
Praise the Lord for A/C! Have a great weekend.
Melissa, I’ve never identified with you more than on this post. I’m a former wanderer turned hermit in a similar season, and recently moved to Georgia. Blue Ridge is a small, but beautiful and artsy town that allows me to occasionally “escape” from reality for just an hour or two at a time when I can or when I need it most.
Kyle Lake’s quote was beautiful – I plan to print it out and hang it on my desk. Thank you for a wonderful reminder.
Your mom shouldn’t laugh! I am nearly her age and I too, have always been the homebody/wanderlust combo. Now one of my five children, a daughter in college, is the same! I lived in NYC with five young children for three years and loved it. Traveled a bit overseas, to my favorite spot, Prince Edward Island, to CA many times where my family lives. But that side of introvert in me makes me love the quiet times at home as well. i had five children in six years and leaving the house was just too darn hard for anything but the absolutely necessary. It was those years when the Lord taught me contentment, but also let me dream. Our time in Manhattan came after that, and then…to Kansas which I have come to love so much. Now I have four children scattered on either coast and in your native Texas. When your mom talks about the joy of having her children in one place, I know exactly what she means. The quotes were like water for my garden. Thank you.
Dear Melissa,
Your words today reminded me of something I saw on the elevator as I walked into work today. There was a Mom on the elevator whose face was filled with love toward her blonde headed little boy sitting in his wheelchair, he was I’m guessing about 6 yrs old. I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear at his sheer excitement at riding in the elevator. He was giggling and shouting happily “And what will happen next? The door will open!!” I don’t remember the last time I witnessed such unbridled joy..
I pray we can all embrace life this way, in seeing the joy and blessing in the little things. I wish you could’ve seen his darling sweet face..you would’ve melted.
Love, Marylee
Hi Melissa! I’m a first time responder to one of ya’lls posts, but have been an avid follower of this blog for sometime now. My husband, our 2 year old son, and myself (along with my 19 week pregnant belly) just moved to Saudi Arabia 3 days ago. I can tell you one thing– it is HOT over here! But, that’s not why I’m writing.
I wanted to thank you for your post. We’ve been preparing for this move for 2 years now and I don’t think anything could have really prepared us for being over here. Even only being here a few days, dealing with jet lag, searching for stores, amidst their celebration of Ramadan, my prayer has been to keep God present in our lives daily; to soak up life while we’re over here and not let our lives “stop”. I appreciate the reminder you gave today and will keep those words etched on my heart to get me through the days. Blessings to you and your family.
Oh Melissa, I just love when you “blog” like we are sitting on a porch swing in not so hot weather sipping something delightful….for me it would be water with some lemon or ice tea. Preferably an ice tea made from one of my favorite organic teas…jasmine and green tea perhaps.
As for the weather…….good gracious Michigan is HOT!! Unheard of in August, especially mid August. We were in the 90’s today and actually had humidity. We’ve been in the high 80’s to 90 all week and more than enough humidity. You have to realize us Northern Michigan girls are NOT AT ALL used to humidity. I am NOT complaing!! I enjoy the heat while it is here, because all to soon my hand will be on a snow shovel for several months. Yay!!
(that is a sarcastic yay)
Thanks for sharing from Chesterton and also from the Pastor. I thoroughly enjoyed both comments and will print them off for even more further reflection.
I don’t daydream about traveling much, because I doubt I will get that opportunity in this lifetime…..however I sure do look forward to eternity when we will see all places and be able to go whenever we want. I REALLY look forward to sitting down with a “mess” of Siesta’s and talking nonstop. Probably all of us talking at once!!
What fun!!!
Have a blessed weekend and stay cool. We are supposed to have storms tomorrow that will take us down to the 70’s and 80’s. Prayerfully it will take some of the humidity with it.
Blessings,
Bible Bunny in NO MI
Melissa-
Thank you.
Sigh….that was awesome. Being present is something I am completely HORRIBLE at! Notoriously horrible. I love this reminder and pray that the Lord will keep it fresh in my spirit. I so terribly want to be present.
Melissa,
One summer back in the 1980’s, I visited a friend in Arizona. It got up to 112 degrees the day we traveled from the Grand Canyon to Phoenix. I remember flying home to Alabama, stepping off the plane to encounter 86 degree weather with 100% humidity…it took my breath away. It literally hit me when they opened the door of the plane. It was unbelievable. I had never considered that 86 degrees with 100% humidity would even compare to 112 degrees…I’m here to tell you the humidity we encounter in the south is rough. And compared to dry heat, well, it was hotter to me!
You hang in there…the fall (otherwise known as “football season”) is coming!! I can feel it in the air! 🙂
CJ
Melissa, girl, keep drinking whatever coffee you’re drinking! I love your writings and the fascinating ways you’re sharing your education with us! I’ve made notes while reading your blog tonight. God is using you in a mighty way and I am always drop jawed at His glorious ways.
Melissa, thank you for this! I loved the final paragraph, the excerpt from the sermon. I think we all need to print that out and post it somewhere where we’ll see it every morning. I know I will when I get back home.
I live in Kuwait, I’ll be going back there in 4 days. Although I’ll miss the green forests surrounding my parents’ home in Canada, I’m looking forward to the dry heat of Kuwait! It’s a special country and I hope that your friend falls in love with it, too. We have an awesome church there (www.tlckuwait.com) which I think it’s one of the reasons I keep returning year after year 🙂 Nothing makes it feel more like home than a hug from Pastor Jerry!
God bless you and … yay for seizing the day!
Katie, So fun that you live in Kuwait!
Hi Melissa!
So nice to hear from you! I love warm weather, maybe that’s why I live on Summerhurst Dr, but I will grant you that 100 is hot.
I very much identify with your post. I’ve been going a little stir crazy myself. I’ve been unemployed for two years now. Grad school provided some structure, but since graduation I’ve struggled with the lack of direction.
And now, I can’t leave my house for more than 2 hours at a time because my sweet elderly dog Cindy needs a lot of care. Just last week the one person who would occasionally watch her for me told me she can’t do it anymore because it is too much. It is a big job and sometimes I feel trapped. Granted, I know that caring for my dog is my decision and my responsibility. I just can’t have her put down while she has a good quality of life just because it is inconvenient for me. I love that pup to pieces.
Through all this, I’ve often asked God what I should be doing. One reason this season has been bothering me is that I historically have found my worth in doing and accomplishing, but now I am stuck here in this stagnant situation. I have wondered if God is trying to teach me to stop “doing” and just “be,” but it is extremely difficult for me to understand or embrace.
I will think about your comments and being present. Hopefully God will help me grasp it.
It is hard to be in the present when facing hard times in life. For me this year has been hard, lost my mom in March of 2009 and my dad died in April of this year, all while going through graduate school. Sometimes just breathing and being present in the moment is way too hard.
Going to sleep at night has been very challenging for me, because in the stillness of the night I feel the pain the most. I have gone to a “happy” place right before I go to sleep, I think of my mom and dad with my sisters and I at the beach (grew up in Puerto Rico), swimming, playing in the sand, eating and having a good time. It feels so real that I can smell the beach and feel the breeze. Right now the memories from the past give me the comfort I need in my present.
Love these thoughts.
Live in the present. Be in the present.
Great Post and thank you for sharing what so many of us feel but do not have the words to express- I have started to listen to the Oswalt Chambers cds, AGAIN- revised- and your writings, my dear, fit so well with his remarkable perspective- keep up the work, you are a gifted young lady and a timeless voice- Lots of love, Kathy,An Aunt Siesta- I have sons your and Amanda’s age, so I am very prejucice toward your remarkable gifts-
Beth, that is so funny. I was just thinking the exact same thing while at my boring hostessing job.I love the atmosphere there; it takes me to a little place in France…but I just really want to go! God has blessed me to be able to travel to some neat places, but this is what makes me excited. I’m so glad to hear you say that too, so i don’t feel foolish for desiring what seems so frivolous. Oh, the places we’ll go. Thank you!
Great post, Melissa! Thanks for the reminder that I so desperately needed!
Oh Melissa, why do I feel like cheering for you every time I read something you wrote? As I read, it seemed like my soul just took a long drink of cool water and was deeply refreshed for having done so.
Quoting GK Chesterton? Read it. Loved it. Required for baptism? Hilarious. Oughta be. Mental meanderings? Please keep it up and take us along. Whether to Hotlanta or Hobbitville.
And if we grieve, grieve well. Yes, let’s do that. Lord, please lead the way. Of course, You already have.
I was feeling similarly a couple weeks ago, especially not having the opportunity to have steal vacation this summer. Pack a fun snack (great cheese, fruit, crackers,etc) jump I. The car and drive about an hour and a half north to amicalola falls. It will awaken your senses and give you much reason to praise. And if that doesn’t do it On Your way home is a great outlet mall with pottery barn, banana republic, Ann Taylor and more.
All I can say is wow, and thank you for this post. I’ve never commented before but have been following this blog since the beginning. This really hit me. I think I need to go to my Father right now and thank him for every second of this day.
I always thought I shared much in common with you, Melissa–from the new notebook to trying hard to make things in the kitchen to a heart that dreams.
One thing I know for certain, God will hone this passion in you and take you on many wonderful adventures, as you are being present with Him. That’s how we came to be in Colorado. It’s also how we may move to Switzerland with Chris’ company…not this year, I don’t think. But he leaves in the next month for a business trip there. And I have a feeling, my Maria from “Sound of Music” is going to really come out. 🙂 Only an hour from Italy, too…oh my!
For now, I am glad, Glad to be His. Glad to be clay in His hand. Just Glad.
Love and prayers for you!
Holly
I LOVED this! But I have to add a note to the dear departed Kyle Lake’s sermon. My beloved granddaughter was sick in the car one day. I grabbed a bag to catch the barf so it didn’t go all over Mommy’s new car. Mind you, I don’t do well with any bodily fluids. So there I sat with a bag of barf while we drove home. When we got home, Sydney told her Mommy that, “Mamaw loves me so much that she held my barf!” Way too soon she’ll be grown up and won’t need much “barf holding” but I figure this was part of living to the fullest! I am going to give the alternate imaginings a try = thank you all so much!
Wow…so much to ponder in all this post! Love your writing and your reading that you shared! And I agree Atlanta is hot and of course more humid than say Denver…however, Florence, SC where we now live after Atlanta, this is humid!!!! I know Atlanta is less humid, because when I was there two weeks ago, my hair looked awesome (if I do say so myself) That is my humidity barometer! 🙂
Thanks again for sharing,
Midge
Thank you so much for this post!! Really needed to hear it today.
Great post, Melissa! If you ever want a quick weekend trip–it’s just as hot here as Atlanta, but Thomasville is only a few hours south, down I75….full of history and small town calm, but with enough activity to make it a great vacation spot. As a matter of fact, it was THE southern vacation spot of the Victorian era, because this is where the railroad stopped. Also, it’s only 30 minutes from the Marble Slab Creamery in Tallahassee–so maybe your hubs could figure out a way to make it a work-related trip? 🙂 Great encouragement to recognize every moment as a gift–but I know that for me, especially this time of year for some reason, a quick weekend vacay is all I need to snap back into an attitude of gratitude. So–holler if you wanna head this way!
Blessings!
Oh WOW!!! Today as I was running around like crazy, three hours behind my original schedule and waking up late with no time for a morning quiet and prayer time….I had to stop! I guess you would say God had to stop me dead in my tracks! I just sat there in my car and said to myself PAUSE….STOP….BREATHE….PAUSE….STOP….BREATHE!
I cannot tell you how refreshing the end of your post was for me! When I got to the place where you included an excerpt of Kyle Lake’s sermon I nearly started to cry!
“Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT.”
Wow this is just what I needed to read after a long long day! Raising four kids on a hot 100 degree Missouri week has just nearly drained me. I hadn’t even taken the time to thank God for the great report I received this a.m. from our son’s doctor concerning his battle with autism! We have been praying for the changes that are going on with him to settle for months now! He just turned 13 so I am sure you can imagine the social and emotional toll this has taken on him and our family.
Anyway with all of that said…and much more I could have added I feel such a sense of refreshment from your post! I am so thankful that I took the time to stop…pause….and breathe long enough tonight to read your words! Thanks for sharing…God has truly blessed us all…And yes we just need to BE PRESENT!!!
I just admire your mother and family so much and mostly thanks to our wonderful heavenly father for taking such an “ordinary woman” as your mother says and using her to speak to so many! Now we have received two more times the blessing to get to hear from you and your sister! Thank you so so much for sharing such wise words!
Much Love and Prayers,
Lori Anderson 🙂
Oh, wanderlust – I know it well… Our house is under the approach to the airport – I see/hear planes all day long and I wonder where they are coming from… But with a husband and 3 kids (1 with special needs) it’s tough to indulge the wanderlust. Trip Advisor is my friend – I can look at hotels/destinations that maybe one day we’ll be able to try. But the Lake quote really hit home for me – to be really intentional and revel in whatever life is presenting me with right now.
Thanks for sharing!
I honestly think it’s more difficult to serve God passionately and be present in the mundane routine than it is in the dark valley. That’s very sad to me, because I wish it weren’t so. But I think it’s human nature. We struggle with the everyday.
That Chesterton quote profoundly marked me when I read it a few years ago (maybe in Yancey’s “Soul Survivor”). To me, a fellow lover of all things new, the monotony of same sounds boring, the ultimate insult. But maybe to God, even monotony is amazing because He sees with clearer eyes than we do.
I hope you get a break from the weather soon. (Speaking weather is speaking my love language.) I’m in Minneapolis, and while we’ve been in the 90s this week with air so thick, I served it one night for dinner, by Monday our high is 76. I’m looking forward to leaving my windows open Monday night, the ultimate summer luxury.
I loved this post. I LOVED envisioning God making daisy after daisy because He loves it so much. I love thinking of someone in the Alps right now eating Swiss Fondue. And I love that you reminded me how much I love to dream and daydream. We can get so busy in life that we forget how to let our minds be creative. I miss that.
I feel a breath of fresh air after your post.
I feel your pain with the heat! I live in GA just a few miles South of Atlanta, and yes i can testify it is HOT out there!! Your writing has really struck a place with me!! I know I need to work on being content, then such joy comes when we can say we are content in every season!!!!! Thanks for sharing your point of view with us!!!
I don’t know if you all know how amazing it is to be part of this blogworld . . . Beth, for your incredible zest and zeal for life and God . . . Melissa, for your succint, articulation of anything you talk about – I love it!!!! . . . Amanda, for sharing your life with us from your incredibly important place of being a mom with a young family. You’ve got all corners covered and it is rich! Thank you for sharing and for letting us see that we aren’t any different . . . and for constantly reminding us Who this is all about!
Vanderbilt.
It’s in Nashville.
Think of all the adventures.
At a recent ladies gathering, the speaker asked us to close our eyes and envision a beautiful scene…one of peace and tranquility and that was OUR OWN version of paradise. I realized my version looked like Willy Wonka’s Factory, complete with a Chocolate Waterfall ; )
I’ve felt that monotony as a stay at home mom and can’t even begin to count the times I’ve felt guilty for not enjoying the real life going on under my nose! I thoroughly enjoyed the Chesterton quote- what a great,fresh perspective!
I got married in south Atlanta 10 years ago- it was HOT at the end of October (and the trees were gorgeous!). My husband whisked me off to Anchorage to EAFB (where darkness was setting in…)- if you ever get there, go to the Wildberry Chocolate Factory; they have a {small} chocolate waterfall. 🙂 One of our assignments in the past 10 years was to live overseas and travel; I know. Anyway, we’ve been to some cool places that a travel guide might not present right off in the even you’re ever interested! We’re back in Kyiv, Ukraine, and you’re welcome anytime {during the next 2 years} if you and Colin get a few moments!
Hey Melissa – Wow. Don’t even know where to start – whether I should address the weather angle of this post, or skip ahead to the daydreaming aspect.
We just had our rainiest August ever. All I could think to do today was call everyone I know, ask them to bring their umbrellas and come over for a palooza party to watch Singin’ in the Rain. I didn’t actually do this – just daydreamed about it. (Can you believe, without even trying I have segued from weather to daydreaming? That was easy!)
I won’t even touch the daydreaming part of this post – because I wouldn’t know where to stop. A long time ago, I realized this is just how God made me: with an unusual and wacky capacity to turn the doldrums into daydreams. But you are right to note that making sure one is tightly tethered to The Now – not just always slipping off into Daydreamville – is important.
Thanks so much for sharing. I always relish your thoughts and words.
Come on, Atlanta – cool down!!
Warm in Alaska.
melissa! come to denmark!!! i am here with my husband and two year old daughter (but husband has to work every day) and it is fall-like weather here. my sister lives in austin and is flying here on tuesday. she said she can’t take texas right now (even though she is usually always cold, she says texas is just unbearable in august). she’ll only be here for one week, but i will be here for three months. i’d love a visitor and we have an open guest bed. there is a beautiful park where you could sit and do your work. oh, and of course, bring colin! 🙂
i hope you know i’m not insane enough to expect you to take me up on this, but would absolutely LOVE it if you did 🙂
love, amy
ps- i love that chesterson quote! i never read chesterson, but that very same quote was in a book a read. i think it was “Desiring God” by john piper. anyway, i read the quote, then read it to my husband, then read it to my mother-in-law, the wrote it in my journal. i couldn’t get enough of that thought. i guess you’re right and i should just go ahead and read the entire book 🙂
pss- my wedding song is “somewhere over the rainbow/its a wonderful world” by israel kamakawiwo. have you ever heard that song? i just know you would love it.
Amy Hill, I would totally take you up on Denmark! Don’t kid yourself! When do you leave permanently?
yay! we’re here until October 31st! 🙂 i would so love it…
I, too, feel your pain of heat and humidity. I have been babysitting my 2 year old great nephew and we have not ventured outside to play because of the 100 degree heat. However, we are enjoying mulitple shows of Blue Clues and Max and Ruby. It is sad because even when I am not babysitting the songs are stuck in my head and that is what I sing. 🙂
Thank you for reminding us to notice even the small things in life. I always say, it is the simple things in life. My favorite thing to do is watch a sunrise. A friend of mine just got back from traveling in Europe for the summer with his family. They went to Astir, Greece. I was enjoying every picture they shared and it gave me the desire to travel. I am itching to go somewhere but I am not sure of the destination but it may be to the Smoky Mtns. I could travel the world over but that would be my favorite place to visit.
Enjoy your weekend!!
Love,
Patty
Melissa,
Thanks for the wondeful post. I am shut in the house also due to my husbands illness (heart/dibetic). Plus broke a finger, so hard to do much. Typing is fun LOL. Been verrrrrrrrrrrry hot in Indiana also. Let’s just hit the pretend train and go on a long cool ride to never-never land. Love your writting style. Please stay cool. Blessing to you and your family. OH BOY get to go outside in the heat, the babies need to go for a walk. ( dogs, Onyxmarie abd Brandilynn). Have a wonderful weekend and week. Always good to hear from you.
Melissa,
Oh my what a word! Thank you so much…honestly it brought tears to my eyes. Life is such a gift. It reminded me of Job 38-41, which is probably one of the passages I turn to the most in the bible. I just love to be reminded not to take all the wonders of life for granted and at the wonder of how everything in life has been created by the Father and how He delights in His creation.
Thank you for your reading recommendations.:)
Blessings,
michelle in VT
Oh how I wish we could all sit at the gate like the old, honored men of the Bible! They sat there, protecting, but talking.
I would enjoy the long, deep conversations we would have.
Wanderlust…that word has been all over my week this week. I’m listening to Dr. James MacDonald teach on prodigals…Go get the wanderer! Go get them! It’s about prodigals but it’s also about those who are wandering away from the church. Just love it. He can teach…
By the way…a word to those who have wandered away from God…Come home! Heaven celebrates the return of lost sheep…and the church prays for you to come home! Now! Today! Don’t put it off…you are missing out on supping with Christ…He stands at the door knocking. Let Him in…
Melissa, I am carried away by your thoughts today right here in my home with sheer, white window curtains and battenburg lace panels, hardwood floors and candles…deer leaping in threes as I drive before dawn down my dirt path by the cornfield…sometimes a rabbit hops away…sometimes he freezes still like a statue. Or she. I can’t tell. I suppose most bunnies are girls.
If I could, I would be on the beach at Cumberland Island dreaming about the first foot that touched that coastline right here in Georgia. Or I would be strolling through Charleston. Staying in a cottage by the sea. Eating pineapple, peaches and icy cold shrimp cocktail.
I long to travel to Prince Edward Island and visit Green Gables. Your mom and her RV trip still makes me giggle! I could do that. Imagining your mom cooking smores. Beth’s S’mores. Isn’t that what you eat when you camp? Or do the men cook…umm…grill.
Thank you for the reminder about the present. The PRESENT is The Gift. Embrace it and use it up! First thing in the day, give it to Christ. He has a way of turning it from life…to LIFE!
Come visit Dublin any time. Did you know the statue of liberty is in Mcrae, Georgia? Or that those luscious Vidalia sweet onions are grown down here? And we are blessed with our very own Starbucks…shhh…(it’s in the Kroger but it’s right by the floral section).
Cheers, Melissa!
Collige, virgo, rosas…
I can’t think of a better sentiment, especially in today’s world, than “Be present”. I shall try to live that each and every day of the rest of my life. I love you, Melissa!!!
Exactly what I needed to hear. God has been telling me to live for the moment, but I really wasn’t getting it. Now I do! Thank you.
Melissa, I can’t wait until you publish your first book! 🙂 You are a beautiful writer…thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us…I am always blessed by them. Have a wonderful weekend!
Melissa,
Thanks for your post. I think it was Jim Elliot that said, “Wherever you are, be all there.” I have this hanging in my kitchen as a daily reminder not to miss the small things. In our family, we say, “Love the ones you’re with.”
Blessings,
Melody
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Jim Elliot quotes. I read his biography (Shadow of the Almighty) at 17 or 18, a couple of years after becoming a believer, and it ruined me for Christ. My favorite is his most well-known quote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” But I think another one that kinda goes with this post is, “Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living.”