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
Thank you for the gentle rebuke to be present! The devil really messes with me regarding the issue of being content where I am. I get to be a stay at home mom to our 2 boys — the younger has Down syndrome. Sometimes I get so jealous of “everyone else” who gets to do “normal” activities together that I lose sight of the incredible joy our family has because of the complete silliness and excitement that is ours due to Down syndrome.
Your post reminded me of a wonderful little book called, The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and “Women’s Work” by Kathleen Norris. Check it out if you haven’t already. It is a fast read and a great reminder that God is in the “ordinary” tasks of washing dishes and the monotonous work that can feel like torture if we don’t have our eyes focused on Jesus. All of the little things that the devil tries to get me to stop doing are all of the little things that bring God glory as I work to serve Him by serving my family…if I can remember to call the devil out and take my thoughts and make them obedient to Christ. And when that happens, what blessed peace we have in the ordinary!
I totally get where you’re coming from – our middle child has autism, and I still (7 years after his diagnosis) tend to focus on what we can’t do, rather than what we can. I’m very slowly learning that God is with us in ALL things – even the little ones. I’m learning to let go of the desire to be a “normal”family and do what “normal” families do, and just enjoy where we’re at.
Praying for you…
Absolutely wonderful and refreshing! I saw Beth in Lexington this weekend, and she shared that she’d been keeping a gratitude journal. On my way to church this morning, I was thinking on that. I prayed that the Lord would make me aware of every complaint that came from my lips, and that I would challenge myself to then think of something to be thankful for. I pray that I will get to the point where I can catch those complaints before they are spoken, but still say what I am thankful for aloud. And eventually, not complain but be thankful and humble. Our pastor has been preaching on the Sermon on the Mount, and today our message came from Matt. 7:12-14. 12, is basically the golden rule verse. That was another reminder to me of complaining. It made me think, just do the right thing and do it for the right reason, and don’t worry if that person has done wrong to you. He also shared how the entire word of God screams “LOVE!” If my heart is focused on love, how could I complain. Then, I read your post. To me I read, “cherish the little things. Be thankful that you are alive and don’t wish your life away.” I am not going to let these words (from all of you) spew out of my mouth, but I will gladly eat them. And, I will taste them. Thank you for this!
Wonderful words Melissa! I love the excerpt from Kyle Lake’s sermon, it’s confirming my heart of hearts, and it’s truly good!
Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us!
May your Autumn in Georgia come quickly!
Teri
What an encouraging word! Such a breath of fresh air!!! Someone once said in a sermon, “Are you a human ‘being’ or a human’doing’?” … and it is so true, we can get so caught up in the “doings” of life that we forget to stop and BE in every moment! I agree with you, I want to LIVE and BE in every moment! (Even in the mounds of laundry and never-ending housework!!!) ;D
By the way, I feel your pain on the heat part—I live in Mobile, Alabama–and it’s H-O-T. Can I say, Ready for fall!!!!
I’m breathing, and relaxing in the moment. Awwwww.
It is so easy to live life as a checklist and move from one event to the next, without even realizing what just happened. I needed this reminder today. Thank you!!!!
I saw something on the TV today that reminded me of Melissa’s “Compassion” trip recently. There was a show talking about the doctors that perform “facial surgery” for those that have a cleft palate. Anyway, the show was following a little girl and referenced that they traveled for 2-4 days to reach their point to apply (not chosen) for surgery. Fortunately she was chosen.
We forget that the world around us is much different than what we live in. The “poor” in this nation is rich compared to the “working class” and “poor” in other nations.
I am sorry to post this as a response to this post, but it gripped my heart today and reminded me of Melissa’s “Compassion trip” and how her blogspot was totally heart-warming.
CJ
Hi Melissa!
Who knew a book titled “Orthodoxy” could contain something so sparklingly beautiful?!
Tolkien is one of my favorite authors, and the pages of my books are well worn (as are our DVDs). And yet, as much as I love the Shire and its inhabitants, I can’t say I’ve ever dreamt of hanging out there – at least as me. So I thought I’d go with you there just now as I read your post, and it didn’t last even a second… I felt way too huge next to those little Hobbits! – and what woman wants to feel huge?! : )
I love how God can use a post from a precious person like you and hit us with it in so many ways and on so many levels. I was encouraged, affirmed, awakened, refreshed, and chastised through different things you wrote in this post. That too is a gift. I will relish all of it.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Those words are music to a tired mommy’s eyes and ears! Thank you for reminding me of God’s gifts of the beauty in daily life not being too exciting sometimes! My heart has felt restless and this helped me take a fresh look at the awesome miracles surrounding me. Blessings do indeed abound in repetitiveness!
Hey Melissa,
Currently on vacation in DC and Boston. It’s in the 70’s a bit rainy. I am sick, sore throat, ear ache, headache not fun on vacation.
Thought about calling you Friday night as I was “stuck” in your fair town. I was flying from Branson to DC and was to change planes in Atlanta….looooonnnnngggg story short, circled Atlanta, then back to Huntsville and sat for a while then back to Atlanta and that was it. Finally about 1:00 AM when I was not getting to DC ended up at a hotel for a few hours…..then finally into DC the next morning, with more delays.
I too want to travel….everywhere!!! But today I don’t want to do anything or go anywhere.
When Lake mentioned smells it remined me of when I was 6 and our grocery store freshly ground people’s coffee. I loved to smell the freshly ground coffee. I would go over to the coffee lady and enthrall her with my 6 year old conversation while my mother shopped.
THAT. was good.
Melissa
what a brilliant writer you are… LOVELY!
you remind me of someone that you look a lot like, BUT you are different too… a good different.
thanks! I love your mom! She is my good friend, although I have never met her in person. I have studied with her for years… I LOVE it and always need to be in a study or I think I would die! or go crazy!
all the best! Keep up the good work!
Karen
Fabulous and completely inspirational!!! Many thanks for that ’cause I needed it!!!
That’s some good writing. I feel refreshed by reading it. Thanks.
AHHHH Yes Melissa, thanks. I love Chesterton! I turned 50 this year and am finally relaxing. I have learned that nothing improves life: money, career, kids, marriage, only Jesus the life giver improves life and He gives us more to live and abundantly more! We gain His perspective and waloops us with unspeakable hope and joY! PRAISE HIS NAME!!!! You keep writing, I enjoy it and look forward to your posts.
PS Yes I eat a steady diet of exclaimation points!
I liked that too, and you are an amazing young lady 🙂
Greetings Melissa:):)
Thoughtful post yet again, when I read the Chesterton quote it made me think of the phrase, ” with faith like a child” and faith most definitely pleases Him. Then, with the next quote, I thought of when Christ said to Peter and the disciples, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” In many ways, that verse is scary to me. Lord, I want to be awake, and not asleep! Presently living. Being present. Hmm…there’s a running joke in my family about when we get excited over things that seem trivial, we say “little things amuse me” with a smile. But it is the simple delights that are often missed nowadays. Like watching my husband or little girl sleep peacefully,and sending up a short prayer of profound thanks. To be hugged tightly by my most handsome husband:) To smell that amazing baby shampoo smell in my baby’s feathery hair after she is freshly clean from her bath-that kind of stuff:) Love it. Love it.
Blessings a plenty to you tonight Melissa,
katiegfromtennessee
Love it! Love the quote from Pastor Lake’s sermon. As adults we often forget to stop and take in what’s around us. God’s universe is so amazing!
Thank you Melissa for sharing and making us turn back on the part of us that daydreams.
great thinking post! as a mother of 3 i’m laughing and thinking to myself…..THREE years, daydreaming, wanting to explore…..you need a BABY!!! never a dull moment after that dear! ooorrrr….you can enjoy your peace and quiet and alone time with colin and DO watch that sun dance in through your window.
Thank you for your reminder to make the most of every day. Being a transplanted kiwi, I struggle with wanting to travel, especially as I see my family so little. I appreciate the reminder look up at my Montanan stars tonight.
I will be present ~ thanks for the reminder. And oh, when you’re feeling like just seeing someplace else, you’ve got free room and board at our home away from home: Budapest Hungary. My hubby has a project here for two years. We have an extra large house and oh the sites and smells you’ll see here 🙂 Lots of Europe is very near by. We’d love to have you and Colin 🙂
Amen, sister!
What a terrific reminder of God’s goodness to us in spite of all the gloom that surrounds us in this sinful world.
When my kids were younger, I would say to them, “Look at the beautiful sunrise God painted for us today.” We check our roses daily to see how the blooms change shape and color. We try to keep our eye on the butterfly’s wings to see what colors they have. Now, when we see a lovely sunset, my son says, “Mom, mom, look at the colors in that amazing sunset!” God is so in the details of every single day we have breathe!!
And the travel-oh how I’d love to visit a new place each day! We travel in our imaginations too!
My imagination took me to Japan where I had a Japanese house and Japanese food then invite friends over to eat,_a house in Germany where I could go to the Alps and travel on the train_a house in Colorado near the mountains in a huge log cabin and ranch house and horses with lots of orphan kids, and to the Smokey Mountians to
have a church near the running water and waterfalls with deer drinking out of the stream. It would be nice to have a antique looking house full of antiques in it and an antique car to drive around in to have friends over_ have Bible studies and brunch together. Then, where I live now I would like a big place where I could have a women’s brunch and Bible study once a month and Bible study once a week. Have a nursery for those with children. Music before we meet. Just dreaming.
I like what Kyle Lake said better_that is the reality of life.
What amazing timing for this post! God is so alive and present! This past week my stepfather-in-law passed away. The post speaks to my grieving heart. Then, just this morning in my quiet time, God convicted me of discontentment in my heart that is leading me to ingratitude and denying intimacy with my Lord and with my husband. Powerful messages. Thank you for the post!!
Absolutely LOVED your post, Melissa! It has sparked some creative ideas for my church’s Christmas drama (yes, a team of us write original material every year).
And if you are interested, have access to a beautiful house in the NC mountains to escape to. Only a 3-4 hour drive, short enough for a weekend getaway. 🙂 Just email me.
Melissa,
Thanks for the reminders to be PRESENT! Thanks also for providing me with a new author to look into. I have recently (will be starting year 2 on 8/24) begun working toward my BA in Bible Education with a Missions Emphasis and find that I have a voracious appetite for good, solid Christian writings. I will be looking into purchasing some Chesterton ASAP. In addition, thanks for helping put the hot weather here in Atlanta in perspective. I was born here and, with the exception of a year spent in MS, have lived here my entire life and the summers still wipe me out so I can complete sympathize with how much you suffer from the humidity but Atlanta is a beautiful place in the summertime, there’s no doubt about that. I’m glad to call you a fellow Atlantan! Hotlanta rocks girl!!!!!!!!
May the Lord bless you and may His coutenance shine upon you!
Love in Christ,
Stephanie
Melissa, I thought about this blog all weekend. Again, thank you for your encouragement, openness, and honesty! I laughed a FEW times about your opinion of the “weather conversations”. As I was shopping at the mall with my daughter I thought about Gadzooks and 5-7-9, those were the days. Now my 8 year old daughter has Justice to shop at…which is just the most ridiculous of prices for 8 yr old clothes..but gotta love the 40% off everything sale they had this weekend.
K, that was longer than intended. Just wanted to let you know that your words sat with me through the weekend!
Just beautiful! How sweet life really is!
Monica
THANK YOU!!!!!!
Greetings from Coolifornia to Hotlanta,
Willy Wonka was always my favorite book growing up.
I like living in a “world of pure imagination” life of wonder & dreams. 🙂
((( HUGS ))))
Kim
wow. The very idea of God saying to the sun “do it again!’ with joyful abandon…..
that makes me look at both my toddler AND God in a whole new light.
and please don’t anyone come after me for mentioning my toddler and God in the same sentence…..
Deirdre
On this mundane, redundant Monday this post dunked my dome in a pool of appreciation and clarity…. Thank you Melissa your post was brilliant and PTL for the Lord’s reminder in James.
That was said so well!!! What a fabulous post! Reading Monday totally sets me on fire for the week!!!
I needed that today! Wonderfully written!! Thank you!
I so want to come visit Georgia….trade for a few days? Today we are in the 80’s…last week it was low 100’s like you. Instead, I’ll go to New Orleans on business later this week and try to relieve my “itch” for travel.
Feeling for you…trying to live in the present too!
Believing Him~Pamela (Missouri)
Pamela, New Orleans will be great fun! Be sure to get you some beignets at Cafe du Monde! And make your visit to Georgia count by coming in the Fall or Spring! Both are fabulous! Warmly, Melissa
All I can say, AMEN! I’m so blessed by this post and needed to be challenged by this thought today. Enjoying Him as I proceed with unending piles of laundry. Love you sister! jenn
That car commercial with the song from Willy Wonka…its purpose was lost on me because I can’t for the life of me remember what kind of car the commercial is for. But it did succeed in making my husband hum the song around the house 24 stinkin’ 7. Which then succeed in making me want to watch Willy Wonka. (If you ask me, I think Paramount should be paying the car commercial for promoting the movie rather than the other way around). I subsequently introduced the movie to my 4 and a half year old. She wasn’t a huge fan. (Hey, even I still think the tunnel scene is creepy). But when I told my little book worm that there was a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory BOOK she got really excited. Our library didn’t have it. *gasp*. She asked about it for weeks before a friend let us borrow it. I have never been much of a “reading for fun” kind of person… I’d rather do “productive” reading. But my daughter has kindled in me a love for children’s books. And thanks to that commercial, and my girl, I can now say for the first time in my life “the book is so much better than the movie”, and really mean it 🙂
It’s sort of like you were saying; If we will take the time to REALLY experience it, I think the story of our lives is so much better than our daydreams.
The big Blue and Yellow store has a great cloth wall map. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70119430
Lived in Nigeria for 6years. That map has been on my desire list for almost 2 years since we returned to America. “Operation World” is another great way to be somewhere else and pray!
I love the way you write- this is an awesome post. We have a lot in common 🙂 I think it was you that said when you are going through a tough time you watch Lord of the Rings; me too! I watch it alot! God bless Melissa!
Dear Melissa,
Wonderful post, very refreshing and thought provoking. I love reading your writings. It would seem God is fashioning the next Moore author . . . what’s your first book going to be about? BTW: I’m one of those Pacific Northwest gals where the weather has been bumping between 60′-80′! Come on up and you can cool off!!
Blessings and Love,
Mare
I really enjoyed this post. These kinds of thoughts have been in my mind too as I’m nearly leaving my 20s behind and trying to settle down to a life of responsibility and maybe even monotony? Thanks Melissa.
What a WONDERFUL reminder to live in the moment…to appreciate all God has given us TODAY…to worship the Lord in ALL that we do.
Thanks Melissa- I read this on Friday and I’ve been kind of marinating in it since then…I learned this lesson pretty hard and fast almost 5 years ago when I had a bout of breast cancer, found out I was pregnant, had radiation treatment, then had a beautiful baby girl. Each day is precious, and truly none of knows when it will be our last.
Unfortunately, I apparently have a pretty hard head, or at least not a very good memory, because lately I have been struggling with being settled in where I live. I am looking at a change this fall as my oldest starts first grade, which means school every day, bus at 7 a.m. Because of that, I am “retiring” from youth ministry at our church that has been a part of my life for the last 4 years. My summer Bible study is wrapping up tonight, which has been my one opportunity to get out of the house and be around big people!
I’ve been struggling because all I can see when I look forward is baskets full of laundry, sinks full of dirty dishes, and following an almost 4 year old around, picking up after her.
Your post is a great reminder that God puts us where He chooses (in my case, a ranch in Montana 40 miles from town, nearly 200 from the nearest Starbucks and women’s clothing store, and 30 miles to my nearest friend’s house.)I’ve been reflecting a lot lately, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it is a season to enjoy my kids, time with my husband helping around the ranch, and an opportunity to get to know my Father on a little deeper level. I need to learn to grow to know Him, not just work for Him, because not only is He my Boss, he’s my Father. I think I’ve been doing a little too much working, and not enough knowing.
Great perspective! Thanks!
Thank you, Melissa, for those words. I have a vivid imagination and it sometimes gets me in trouble. I don’t think I have the travel bug as bad as you, but I love to get a great book, and have the ability to be right there where the characters are.
I love reading all the blog posts you and your family write. They are very inspiring and teach me to deepen my walk with Jesus.
Thank you for the challenges.
Ah. So beautiful. I’ve been struggling with a similar feeling in a very different setting. We’re in the midst of corn harvest here, and my job is to run the elevator that transports the corn into our grain tanks on the farm. On and off the tractor; augers on and off; chute open and closed; all in unbearable heat with lethal dust…and unrelenting monotony. I’ve been searching for the beauty in it – and God has blessed.
I love your thoughts, they echo many of my own. Thank you for sharing and encouraging me to be PRESENT as well!
Melissa! This is now in my top 3 Melissa posts of all time, may be in the running for one of my favorite posts EVER. “Orthodoxy should be required for baptism!” It would sure bring some yells of “Delight” wouldn’t it? WOW!
This time last year I was in South Africa and for this “homebody” that was huge – and there are days I daydream about that shantytown and the little boy that had a plastic bread bag on his head to keep himself warm. I will never forget that – ever. Part of me yearns to go back and part of me just wants routine routine routine.
Another thing – YES! Glamorous girls like yourself should say Autumn, I wouldn’t expect anything less of you! I loved your take on “weather talk.” My parents just got back from the mountains and EVERY SINGLE DADGUM DAY my Dad would call and we’d talk about the weather. He wanted to know if it had rained here and how his hayfields were doing, and if we thought they would be ready to cut when he got home. Then he would say, “it’s 58 degrees here, we had to put a jacket on…” Then the next day we would go through it all again, same song, another verse. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
August 17 – TODAY – I am celebrating my grandson Zeke’s birthday. Today is the day I became a grandmother. I am attempting to see everything through his eyes and finding sheer JOY in being PRESENT! Oh this makes me want to shout! That sermon excerpt at the end of your post should also be required reading – daily.
Love much,
Mrs. Jan
PS: I was one of the nerdy kids in school that wouldn’t say “here” when the teacher called roll. I always said, “Present.” I’m so glad I did.
Melissa, this is a beautifully written blog entry, which makes me want to look up every entry you’ve contributed here as I am not a regular reader. You express you yearning, and your satisfaction, so well. I can identify with the wanderlust as mine and my husband’s “vacation” this year, as it often is, was spent visiting our families who live across the country from us. And while the time we spent there was thoroughly precious and we did have some fun moments, I find myself, as the responsibilities and pressures of autumn are already increasing, longing to take a trip with my husband to some exotic locale, preferably much cooler than Tucson. A place where I could just wander a beach or lay out under tall trees. However this longing reminds me to pay attention to the present because this too shall pass. Thank you for sharing yourself so eloquently.
thank you thank you thank you! be present. live well! i love the reminder. your writing is so beautiful by the way! 🙂
Thanks for this, Melissa! I have been so moved by Mr. GK Chesterton, and this is a special quote of his…..Thanks for moving our sluggish, humidity-deflated selves toward contentment!