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
What an elegant “read”, Melissa! I loved and savored every word. I must say I feel like a pampered brat, because we are experiencing the mildest summer I can ever remember here in So. Cal. We haven’t even had to turn on our airconditioning yet. Honestly, it seems unreal, or surreal. But wait, September is coming, and surely “it” will come…heat and humidity, So. Cal style, not the difficult to breathe Georgia style. Just as you settle in to Autumn, the glory days of the south, surely, we will be getting “it!”
Hugs,
Pam H.
Melissa,
As others have noted, this post shot straight to my own issues of contentment and satisfaction with the season of life I’m traveling through. Thank you for your articulate and insightful manner of dealing with each topic you bring to us through this blog. I am amazed by my God who created such minds as the 3 Moore women possess! Each of you has a profound gift for written expression and God is so pleased that ya’ll use these gifts to glorify HIM.
I’m also about an hour south of you and a little east of the sister from Peachtree City here in Griffin. While our town is certainly far from quaint, we do have the famous Sock Shop that attracts visitors from all the world…they have lots more than just socks, by the way. If you haven’t had the chance, I would also recommend visiting “historic” Roswell, esp Canton Street which has lovely little shops and cafes….but maybe wait until Autumn so you can enjoy eating outside on one of the balconies overlooking the tree lined street. There’s also a Little Grand Canyon down around Columbus that’s pretty neat.
Melissa – I am always so excited to read what you have to write, though I know in some way it will leave me grappling (in a good way). As a fellow lover of learning who is in seminary trying to find balance in daily living, the things you write challenge me, cause me to agree with you out loud, or make note of the quotations for later reference and contemplation. I too have been in a house-bound season with an intense amount of work and study. I stare longingly through the panes of my french doors at the world “out there” and long to be there “living” as if what I am doing is some type of ‘un-living’ on the road to really living. Over the last week as I have walked my neighborhood (my big outing for the day!) I felt the Lord showing me things I hadn’t seen before, though I have walked the route too many times to count over the last seven years. My eyes were drawn to a beautiful stain glassed window, freshly blooming garden boxes, a dog happily basking in the waning rays of sunlight, a beautiful bright red door I wish I had the courage to paint…I kept trying to convince myself that much of what I was seeing must be newly painted, built, or planted but the Spirit was saying otherwise – it’s always been there, you just have been looking. Over the course of several days I could sense God opening my eyes not to what I wanted to see or what I longed for, but to that which was already around me. His Spirit was telling me EXACTLY what you wrote – BE PRESENT. Don’t long for ‘when seminary is done’, ‘when the kids go back to school’, ‘when the finances improve’. Your words are a direct confirmation to my heart. Though we hope in what we cannot see, I think we can often miss the trail of breadcrumbs provided by those things we CAN if we are only willing to open our eyes and look. Your words are a gift this morning.
Melissa,
It has definetly been hot here and we have been stuck inside for way too long. The temp one day last week was 106 but the heat index was 118! And I live in northeast Kansas. I love the point that we need to live in the present. Last night, God sent them most delightful shower storm which then lowered the temp by about 25 degrees in just a half hour. Then he sealed it with a beautiful rainbow. What a great reminder that He is still there, still active and still loving us.
Jan
You have no idea how much I needed to hear that! I have been feeling exactly the same way and it feels good to commiserate. And really I suppose your words were just a downright answer to prayer. I was right at that place yesterday where the need for change was about to turn into full blown tears, and frankly I have too much to be happy about to cry right now. Especially after the words of the pastor you quoted, I’m going to go enjoy the fact than I’m not off celebrating my anniversary in Charleston like last year, but listening to my kids play (happily of course…I refuse to enjoy it when they’re fighting!). Because frankly I think it would be too hot in Charleston today to do anything fun anyway! And maybe I’ll go taste a little of that blueberry french toast from Cracker Barrel. Have you had that yet? because if you haven’t, you really need to! Angry child screaming for me…must go entice her to happiness with blueberry french toast ….
Beautiful message.
My husband and I were just talking about the cherished moments we get to have in the present, as we were praying with our children at bedtime. We are learning to truly appreciate the time we have with each other and with our two new additions. We realize that the gift of time that we have been given will never come again. We finally understand that the present should be filled with our presence – minus cell phones, television, and other time-stealing interruptions.
Thank you so much for this message. It served as a wonderful reminder from my heavenly Father about what really matters.
Blessings to you and yours. May you all live well and enjoy this moment.
In His Presence,
Kim
Thanks, Melissa. I needed this today!
Great post. Living in Oklahoma, I can relate to the heat…”OklaHOTa?”. Hm. Doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as nicely….
My 21-year-old son relates everything in life through a “Tolkein-esque” filter. And I mean EVERYTHING. I love it.
Thank you so much for the post. I’m now off to find some Chesterson!
Love the last quote Melissa! “Present” is my 2010 word 🙂
Awesome post! Thanks for sharing!
I’m from Macon (a couple of hours South). People who haven’t experienced Ga humidity just have no idea! 🙂
We’re heading to Glacier National Park in a couple of weeks…..just for a short reprieve!
Leigh Ann,
We lived in Macon for 8 years and now live in northeast Indiana. The weather here lately has been Georgia-hot and humid! As much as I loved living there, I don’t miss the summers. So while we sweat through these muggy days, I’m grateful for the memories of our time in the South and the promise of glorious autumn!
As I said, the heat and humidity I don’t miss. But gosh, I miss the Southern accents, the people we met and loved, Grits Cafe in Forsyth and homemade peach ice cream!
Well done Melissa!
I loved this post. I’m down here sweltering with you in Fayette county. And yes, its a scorcher this summer! I praise the LORD everyday for AC and iced Tea! I like the evenings. We have had a lot of rain this summer and that has been SUCH a relief to this heat. I watch my garden seem to just sigh with relief when it has some water to cool it off.
For me summer is a time to read and I read all kinds of books. I’m going to amazon right after this to get the Chesterton books. I read all the posts and I love the suggestions others give. My heart is going out to you Colleen. I’m praying for the LORD to work his PERFECT will in your life.
Thanks Melissa….
I’ve been cerebrally fed and pumped up.
heidi
(in fayetteville)
Melissa –
I’ve so been anticipating your next post! I love not only your topics but your incredible way with words. Thank you for sharing yourself with such transparency and expression!
After doing the Ruth study, I have recognized that I have a tendency to run from things that are hard (thus moving from west coast to east coast to west coast and now the third coast). And right now things are hard again, and there’s nowhere to run. God has us sticking it out this time right here.
My husband and I got in the habit of doing job searches and finding the “perfect” ministry job(s). Then we research the ministry, the location, the real estate, the whole shebang. We plan out the move, the commute to work everyday, what restaurants we’ll try…We runaway for awhile without actually going anywhere.
But we’re working on becoming more present and content. Thanks for the reminder and the encouragement!
Melissa! Remember: no matter how hot it gets anywhere in the world … it’ll always be hotter in H-E-L _ Praise God we’ll won’t be there!
Weather is part of the daily dialogue in our house, since our professions deal with plants, landscapes and trees. There is this constant assessment of the weather, not to mention a very loud machine on the wall that announces (as in siren) the weather to us from all over the world–btw, I was told this morning, by said machine, that Kuwait was 117 degrees. I immediately stopped grumbling about my own 97.
Weather is our life and everything we do revovles around it. I get weather reports on my phone. My husband has weather radios in his truck and we discuss daily the option of irrigating or if it is going to rain. We even watch the weather channel as if it were a movie.
All this to say, there is a connection between weather and being present. The weather forces us to come back to the present. A torrential downpour causes all the people at the grocery store to stand with their carts and talk to one another while waiting to make that dash to the car.
The snow that put everyone’s power out for over a week this winter filled my house with guests. The lack of rain as we drive past our farmer’s houses reminds me to pray for them.
The weather is one of the number one instruments God uses to keep me in the “present” and available.
Cinthia, I love the insight you gave from your own personal experience. What a unique life you live! The connection you gave between the weather and being present was really neat. Blessings to you, Melissa
That is so insightful Cinthia! I never thought of weather that way before, but it’s so true.
My boots were made for walking too! 😉 I loved the paragraph about being a bird in cage! You are a gifted writer. God bless!
Another wonderful post Melissa!! The passage from Lake’s sermon was excellent. “Be Present” I like it….I also love the way you always make me think and dig just a little deeper. Thanks
I thoroughly enjoyed the writing you presented to us from Pastor Kyle Lake. That really spoke to my heart this morning. My husband and I have retired, been a full year now, and most of the time God seems to have me home learning more about Him to share that with those He has surrounded me with. At times mundane, but beautiful as well.
How are you my Friend? Any new recipes lately? I made a delicious green bean casserole that truly hit the spot, that is marinated for 24 hours before baking.
Love,
Yolanda
Wow! Be present!! What an incredible truth. I was talking to a friend the other day and told her that it’s so hard to be content with HERE when you know that God is taking you THERE. That was spawned by reading this quote from Christine Caine: If God wants you THERE He will take you THERE… in the meantime enjoy HERE on the way to THERE.
p.s. GIRL..it is SO hot in Georgia right now! You might as well not go anywhere unless it’s the pool!
Boy, Melissa, do I share your sentiment! My doctor prescribed a medicine late last winter to counteract an allergic reaction. I have 3 months to go with the treatment. The thing is, I can have NO sun exposure while taking the Rx. I have literally been indoors all summer…and did I mention I live 1.5 blocks from the ocean? You’re right, though, this season has forced me to notice the good things God has given me, and with His grace I have learned that as long as I’m in His Presence, it can be oh so refreshing to “just be”.
Melissa; ~just a few thoughts~:
I enjoyed reading your post.
I think you and I are like minded… I mean, I long for a chance too. Thats why I started scrapbooking. I made my first one for my Grandmother on her 100th birthday and I’ve daydreamed and remember good things from my childhood as I put pictures on a page. I love photography also…
I just started reading G. K. Chesterton. He seems to be a man full of life and love for the Lord. Nothing helps me more than getting into a good book and forgetting the things around me. I think the Good Lord invented our imaginations to help us survive this fallen world we live in.
But we do need to get out more… 🙂
Thank you for this post. God knew it was exactly what I needed to hear today. I feel in a similar place right now, and I really do know what the heat is like because I am in Hotlanta too! I am trying my hardest to live in the “now” 🙂 Thanks again!
just a quick comment from one of those Pacific Northwesterners. We’re expecting 94+ degrees for the next few days, and while that may not be hot for those who call places like Kuwait, Hotlanta and Phoenix home, around here that’s way too hot!! Give me good old 70 and I’m a happy camper. Speaking of camping, we’re headed out for the next few days to a campground by the lake in a trailer with air conditioning. Now that’s what I call camping 🙂
Yes! I needed that. Thank you!
Thanks Melissa,!
I was reminded today how hard it is to live in the moment. I thought I was doing a pretty good job but realized this morning after having a miscarriage that I had once again got caught up in thinking about the future and the things to come. As I read the excerpt from the sermon I will indeed grieve and grieve well today:) This post was perfect in so many ways, thank you for sharing.
Oh, Melissa! What things we have in common! And how entirely brilliant of Jesus to have me read your post at precisely the moment I needed it! You have to hear how incredibly intricate He was at weaving the timing of your words into my day!!…..
I’ve been feeling exactly as you have. 28 years old and single. Resigned to going to work and then home, with no excitement in between. With this weather, I’ve been longing for an adventure and travels. I dream of the beach, of times gone by where running along the prarie with Laura and Mary and Carrie sounds heavenly. I laugh at your comment about the Shire because I am affectionately referred to as “The Hobbit” by my co-workers. I just want to get out and away. See new things. Meet new people. My dreams at night lately have been of traveling and being in a different state every week. I so very often envy your mother. I itch for that. I even went as far as to turn my bedroom into a Narnian forest. Trees and all!
But alas, I settle for the whimsy of watching Narnia and Frodo while I sit and fold laundry. That only remains exciting for so long, though. Once you memorize every word of the books and movies, they lose their luster.
You have inspired me, today. Encouraged me to pay attention to what way I look at things around me. And for that I am so very thankful! There is ALWAYS something amazing to see if we look. Reflections of our true and real home. Reflections of the ultimate artist who is always at work upon the canvas. And then to think, that much like Narnia, this whole brilliant world is but a dull reflection of the REAL one, (in which we’ll be wearing crowns) is AMAZING, isn’t it?:) Oh, man. I love it. Thank you, Melissa!
I don’t know you sister, but I love hearing that I’m not the only one in the world that longs for Narnian skies and the peace of the Shire. I have lived in worlds like that through books since childhood. I love now, to see what is here that inspired the writers. I also look forward to seeing what lands lie ahead of us in heaven. It’s hard to contain my excitement! You’re welcome to come out here to Arizona anytime you want and see the wonder we’ve got going on! The color is pretty special! Thanks for sharing Elisabeth!
Oh Melissa, I wish I had the gift of putting my thoughts into words like you do! I have often thought about the small blessings God places in our lives everyday if we’d just take time and enjoy them.
Thank you for reminding us to enjoy life no matter what we’re going through.
God Bless!
Thank you for posting the quote from Lake’s sermon. I have a friend who is a chef and has been taking a group of us to eat at various restaraunts around Houston this summer. He also cooks us meals 4 or 5 times a year. He’s taught me how to really appreciate food and the preparation and spices that go into it.
He has experienced some difficult times a few years ago when his mother died of cancer and hasn’t been to church much since. Yesterday, we were talking about living life to the fullest everyday. I was telling him that I live life for a much greater purpose and for an awesome God. We talked for a while, and He just didn’t get it. It’s so refreshing to read your blog and be reminded that there are other people living with the same purpose and for the same and only God.
Love it- great entry, Melissa- especially loved Chesterson’s quote, and the paragraph about wondering “if imagination itself is one key to enjoying and delighting in the mundane.” What an enjoyable read- lots of little treasures to savor over and over again! Thank you for allowing God to speak to us through you, and God bless.
Melissa, Your post changed my entire outlook and I love it! It’s hot here. It was also hot when I lived in Hotlanta 10 years ago. But, yesterday, after your Mom’s amazing event in Lexington, I stopped and appreciated the greatness of life…the incredible food; the comfy bed at the Hyatt; the great friend I spend the weekend with, and the important message your Mom brought us. And oops, I forgot all about the heat.
I’m thinking though you would have had the absolute time of your life if you’d gone on that RV trip with your parents to get out of the condo and cool off.
Unless you pulled a muscle from laughing.
Love you guys for keeping it real.
Greetings Melissa!
I love how your mind works!! I too have an overactive imagination. Sometimes it’s great! Other times I get into trouble w/it!
Steven Curtis Chapman’s song “The Miracle of the Moment”, really helps me during the mundane times. God had to do a lot of work w/ me to realize the present is a good place to live…I was home sick for 2 years. Now when I’m home, I just love being here!
I can’t recall the title of the movie, but it’s one w/ a giant panda, (maybe “Kung Fu Panda”) who wants to be a warrior. His teacher gives him a great line:
“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is the “present.”
I believe that today is God’s present to us to unwrap and enjoy it’s beauty. I need to walk out that belief!!
Great to have you back on the blog!
Little Monkey’s Mama
Melissa,
Thank you for sharing this, what a perfect post for the summer…I especially liked the quote from the pastor…
Blessings,
Angela
Wow! Those are some wonderful thoughts Melissa. Your mind always amazes me!
Melissa,
Thank you for this post. I read it yesterday, with no intention to respond, but my Saturday started out with the routine, repetition and rut I usually experience when doing laundry, cleaning bathrooms, mopping floors and going to the grocery store (things I do not love to do).I would love nothing more than to escape to Italy or at least to a coffee shop to read about Italy. What penetrated my heart most was the sermon you quoted at the end, spoken at this man’s funeral. Hit me with a brick, Lord! “be present” in this moment, to live intentionally, not in my imagination, but in my reality, whatever that may be; crisis, or mundane, let us live in this moment…thank you for putting your thoughts to the keyboard and sharing. it spoke directly to my heart, soul and mind. blessings, Pam in San Diego.
Melissa,
I love your writing and love reading your posts.
I wanted to share one of my favorite Chesterton quotes:
“Here dies another day during which I have had eyes, ears, hands and the great world around me; and tomorrow begins another. Why am I allowed two?” (GK Chesterton)
Your blog was wonderful. I put part of the breathe quote on my face book post. It s hot in Richmond, but your thoughts made it sweet.
Not constantly waiting for the next, and surely better, thing. Thank you for the reminder! I struggle with this every day, and have to literally fight to take every thought captive to Christ. But this is a day hand-crafted by the designer Himself! I will rejoice and be glad in IT!
oh melissa… what a breath of fresh air that was!! thank you for your words and imagination… that was seriously refreshing to me tonight… the Lord flooded my heart with the joy of simplicity!
I love reading your thoughts and insights, Melissa!
For most of my life, I dreamt of becoming a wife and a mother. On the days when I’m disgusted by the chaos of my living room, or the crumbs on the floor, or the ring around the toilet, I try to remind myself that I am living the dream! It helps me to look around with slightly more imaginative eyes and appreciate the abundant blessings God has poured out upon me. I also enjoy trying to view my routine surroundings from a different perspective. For example, if I go sit on my deck at night, then I can see how the moonlight gilds the yard with silver or if I lay upside down off the sofa with my daughter (who seems to have a strange affinity for doing this) then, presto; New perspective on my space (and the cobwebs in the corner of the ceiling! 😉
Anyway, thanks so much for the reminder that exultation in monotony requires strong faith! Imagine on, my friend!
Melissa, I so appreciate your writings. I am thankful that you cause me to stop and think harder and deeper about things. I don’t do that near enough. Thank you for your insights and sharing your life with me/us. You are a breath of fresh air!
When I was a relatively new oncology nurse, one of my patients asked me at the start of one day “What did it smell like out there when you came to work?” He had been in isolation due to his cancer treatment for quite some time and was tired of the sterile air that smelled like nothing.
I had to tell him that I hadn’t noticed what it smelled like. I was 25 and just getting up, going to work, etc… you know the routine. But I did take note of the smell on my way home. Near my house the air had the really odd smell that was produced when they were processing sugar beets in the fall. Can’t quite explain it, but it wasn’t pleasant. But I took note and was grateful to be able to smell it – and I told him about it the next day.
That was 17 years ago. He died that fall. The sugar beet factory closed and no longer gives off it’s odd aroma. But I still make it a point to just notice the smells around me when I’m outside the house – even if they aren’t good. It reminds me that I’m alive and here, right now.
I love that Orthodoxy quote… I love the idea of God telling the sun “Do it again!” Love it!!!!! Especially since I have a little one who love to ask me to “Do it again!” I’ll think of God now every time I hear it. : )
I love this post! Thank you so much for reminding me to be in the present. I noticed that Amanda has not posted in a while,hope all is well. Please let her know that I miss her writing. I love yours and well, Beth is the Queen.
Thanks Melissa. I love C.S. Lewis and I’m so eager to get my hands on Chesterton. The paragraph you included gave me some insight and encouragement I had been waiting on. Have you guys ever offered a top ten favorite christian authors or books? I’d love to hear what they are. I’d love to hear what the siestas favorites are too.
Do you like Christian romance? I love Lori Wick, Janette Oke and Tamera Alexander.
At first gaze, I thought I was reading my own post… trying to decide if I would implode from the internal and forever ongoing temperature surges as well as the “Hotlanta” heat,,, one might melt… but then I think of my nephew stationed in Kuwait in the 115 deg temps… puts things back into perspective briefly anyway!!
“Do it again” Daddy…. rise the “Son”….. is what I think of… yeehaw…
Blessings
Connie Barris
Rome Ga
Take heart! Hang in there for just a few more weeks. The hot weather will break soon. I was on the treadmill the other evening watching Georgia & LSU playing football and thought of you, Melissa ~ wondered how you are doing. When football arrives on TV, you know the heat is almost over!
My favorite thing to while away the time is to sit outside in a porch swing sipping sweet tea. Sounds like such a cliche, but it really is VERY soothing! You can feel the air move occasionally, hear the quiet sounds of nothing-in-particular, and just enjoy BEING. I love it.
Melissa, What a gift you have for saying all that I am thinking! Such beautiful thoughts.
I too often daydream about being somewhere else. Here is one concession… you are not missing fondue in Switzerland. They don’t serve it in the summer. We were there in May and asked and got, “We don’t serve it in the summer!” I am sure there was a DUH at the end that just didn’t translate. Save that trip for the winter!!
Melissa…just for fun…to post on a bulletin board…places you should go ( speaking from experience)
-stand on the beach in Camps Bay,South Africa and look west to the Atlantic. Look South and realize the next stop is Antartica. Look up at the hills of Lions head north and see the silver trees ( like something out of Narnia) and look east behind you at the towering Table Mountain and Twelve Apostles
-Take the Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs to the top of Mt. San Jacinto. Ascend from hot desert floor, with purple mountains and fields of solar windmills, to a mountain valley with cool pines and a stream.
-Stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon and take a journal. Go to Desert View and the South Rim. The expanse will take your breath away and the Arizona sky will fill something in your heart!
-Go to Monterey California, Aliso State Beach. Sit in a ribbon of seashells and shield your eyes from the brightness of the water.
-Stand in a cornfield in Canfield Ohio. Look at the red barns against the blue sky and the green rows and think about the toil and harvest and celebration of years of families tilling the land. And wait until dark and catch lightening bugs.
-Go to The Pike Place Market in Seattle and laugh as the guys throw fish around. Buy a bunch of dried flowers, and then take the Bainbridge Island Ferry. On the way back, make sure to gasp in wonder at Mt. Rainier.
These are just a few of my favorite memories and places. There are more. But I don’t want to seem too nuts! : )
I know your post was about the present. I love that. It is a necessary reminder! I just think one of the sweet things of the present is imagining the possibility of the future. Dreaming is a gift from the Lord! : )
Thank you for your post. Ifeel I’ve just taken a 30 second trip to 5 beautiful places. I literally could imagine every one, the way you scripted it. You have a lovely imagination. All I can say is “Ahhhhhh” and thanks !
Thanks JoAnn! You’re welcome! God is so creative! I am so thankful to Him for allowing me these experiences and so many others! I’m glad you enjoyed your trip : )I look forward to what He has in store for me! Someday I need to see Houston!: )
On the flipside, Melissa we live in Iowa. We woke up to 61 yes 61 degree morning with a breeze….I have wanderlust in the cold winters and think about all the people in other parts of the world on a beach somewhere. I find that I too gain weight during the cold winters because my middle-aged body can not take the cold then I get Christmas cards from my wonderful family in the south with pictures of them in shorts on Christmas Day while I am snuggled in my chair close to a fire with longjohns and heavy socks on my feet. What an awesome world we live in. I enjoy my time with God on those cold days when going outside is not an option. How awesome our God is to give me that time with Him. I lived in Hotlanta and visit often and as much as I miss my sweet tea and Ya’ll conversation this cool August morning is so so pleasant….
Melissa,
I totally understand your daydreaming. I live in Nashville and I’m in the middle of pretty bad morning sickness. The sauna that is our weather right now is making this morning sickness more than I can bear. I find myself driving around town imagining that outside my car is cool, crisp, fall weather. I find myself getting terribly nostalgic about all things fall…high school football, fall clothes, new school supplies…I am actually a thirty year old mother of three despite the fact that all my imagination is conjuring up is high school images. But, that said, I truly appreciate your reminder to remain present. He is the God of all times and seasons and He has ordained everything right down to the heat index!
Blessings,
Katie