:thoughts on faith // on sabbath & keeping it holy:

our current read aloud is little house on the prairie. just recently we came across the chapter describing sundays and the honor of them. laura and mary weren't aloud to run and play on sundays. for it was the sabbath and meant to be honored, holy. this didn't sit well with laura- this idea mandated and passed down of what sabbath should look like for everyone. it doesn't sit well with me either. 

times have changed a bit. children are free to run and play. stores are now open on sundays. church people are the primary patrons during the lunch hour rush. honoring the sabbath and keeping it holy looks different from one person to the next. 

there was a time when i would notice someone mowing their lawn on sunday and judge them. 

there was a time when i noticed the neighbors car never moved on a sunday morning and judge them.

now there are many days when our car doesn't move on sunday morning. yet honoring the sabbath and keeping it holy is sacred to me. 

on any given sunday you'll find me sleeping in, sipping my coffee slowly while little ones snuggle close for books or a show. i might wake up early to sit in the silence and bask in the grace that never runs out and never gives up. i might crawl in that amazing tent my father-in-law built, to snuggle eisley, usually the last to get up, and chat about her dreams and plans and hopes. you'll most likely find me making the bed, because it gives me peace. before i can finish the one-that-i-love picks me up and throws me down for a cuddle. this cuddle is also known as an open invitation for little ones to join in to wrestle and tickle and giggle breathless. 

these are the moments where i see the evidence of god. 

these are the moments crammed with heaven and i see it and i am taking off my shoes for these moments, they are holy. 

:the one where age brings wisdom:

our sunday ritual. worship, park, naps and dinner with friends.

children laugh and play. peace is found in friendship. baby girl gets passed around, soaked in love. that man and i dispute, lovingly, over the children saying mama or dada first. the one that is a daddy's boy to the core? well, he said my name first. we grin the sly crooked grin, wrinkles around the eyes and we both know, love. endless love. the kind lionel richie sings about but only few experience.

i'm on edge a bit.
their limbs far to close to the flames burning hot. they want to play with it. dabble in it. get as close as they can, feeling the warmth without harm. no fear, having never been burned. only we can see the danger. the ones that have already trod this path.

there is value in age. though mine out races the others seeking the next decade with a vengence. i find myself grateful for lessons gifted with age.

don't catch that twig on fire.
don't get to close.
careful now.
if you get burned it will hurt very badly.

still they dabble, because it's fun playing with fire.

one day they will appreciate wisdom passed down, but rarely in the moment.


*linking up with carissa for miscellany monday

:the story::

:

sabbath.
it begins with early morning cries from the boy. our time together has a starting place. he asked for cheerios in a language only mommy can understand. then a follow-up question, always expected, "where's daddy?" this kid is crazy about his daddy.

i start the chocolate chip muffins, a sunday morning ritual of sorts.

then the coffee....always coffee.
while waiting for it to brew strong i mix up cream for topping. my children know this sound and come running for the sweetness left on the beaters. they lick away all that is left and stand with faces covered in sticky goodness.

they not-so-patiently wait for the timer for the muffins to alarm. when it does, each takes their place for the warm-gooey goodness.
they have been served and i have loved serving them.

i sit, finally, coffee in hand.
thoughts about last nights bible reading with eisley flood my mind. the prodigal son and how her bible book pointed out that  jesus told stories so people could know what god is like.

i wonder, does my life tell a story that shows others what god is like?

these are the thoughts that fill my day.
sabbath.


*linking up with heather for life made lovely

{it starts here}

{photo credit}

"one must begin in one's own life the private solutions that can only in turn become public solutions."

-wendell berry

as you know i have been reading {sabbath by wayne muller}.
yes i know i have beat that horse right into the ground {wink}.
but for me, this book has been extremely inspiring and motivating during this particular season of my life!

i'm busy busy busy.
are you?
i feel like i speed through each day reaching and trying to hold onto moments that slip. right. through. my. fingers.

this book is not a new concept...taking a sabbath. resting. that is not new. i know i need to rest but making it happen...well, that is a different story. so here i am consciously incorporating ideas into my life that i have learned, or re-learned, from reading this book.

if i want things to change in the world i need to start with changes in my own life. "small things with great love" {mother teresa}, right?

so i made a list.
a list of things that shape my days.
some i am following and some i want to be able to follow.
they are written in my journal as a constant reminder of the things that i desire to flow out of my life.

just a few to give you an idea....

1. patience.
yes i pray for and seek patience. my children need a patient mommy so that they too can learn to be patient.

2. kindness.
one time this man was very mean to me at the grocery store check out because i was in the express lane {and didn't know it-honestly} with more than 10 items {the cardinal sin of grocery shopping} and i retaliated...in front of my little girl. she was oblivious but it was a good lesson for me. i want to show kindness to all...even those that do not show it to me. why? because i want my children to be kind. they will be what they see.

so what are yours?
to be grateful?
to serve others?
help the poor?

i'd love to hear the precepts that guide your life.

grace and peace friends!

{the most precious gift we can give}

"one of the most precious gifts we can offer is to be a place of refuge, to be {sabbath} for one another."

-wayne muller

sabbath: finding rest, renewal and delight in our busy lives

i held my cup of coffee and she held her cup of ice cream.
our bodies nuzzled into opposite ends of the couch.
we sat there.
cozy.
relaxed.
we talked and giggled.
it's been six months since our last visit and that's just waaaaay too long.
we rejoiced in the evidence of god's hand in our lives.
we shared tears of joy.
we explored the art of parenting and compared stories.
we shared our challenges and took note of our blessings.
she {among several others that are truly gifts from god} is a place of refuge for me.
she always has been.
since the first interaction of that freckle faced teenager and this metal mouth teenager fifteen years ago.
she encourages me.
loves me just as i am {and that often is a task in and of itself}.
she is a wonderful friend.
for her...i am forever grateful!

thank you k.p.


xo

(things i love thursday}

this book....

wayne muller - {sabbath-finding rest, renewal and delight in our busy lives}

seriously guys...it's been life changing for me.
you see... i am a do-er. i do things.
lot's of things.
ALL the time.
my husband is constantly telling me to {sit down and rest}.
rest?
that's when i give him, my "you're crazy" look.
how can i rest when there are mountains of laundry and dirty dishes and floors?
rest.
that's a strange concept to me.
i want to rest. it sounds lovely.
but the duties of life beckon me day and night.

but this week i read the chapter A Life Well Lived.
and that's what i want to be said about my life when it is done.
i want A Life Well Lived.

wayne muller addresses the issue of time. and how over the years we have come put into place the standard that {time = money}.

"people who have a lot of money and no time, we call 'rich.' and people who have a great deal of time but no money we call 'poor.'

"when we are not using our time to get money, we are using it to spend money."

{BUT}

"what if we were to expand our definition of wealth to include those things that grow only in time- time to walk in the park, time to take a nap, time to play with children, to read a good book, to dance, to out our hands in the garden, to cook playful meals with friends, to paint, to sing, to meditate, to keep a journal. what if we were to live, for even a few hours, without spending money, cultivating time instead as our most precious resource?"

{what if we took time?}

"in time, we can taste the sweetness of peace, serenity, well-being, and delight. the trusth be told; with all the money in the world, and no time, we have nothing at all."

{so i encourage you dear friends, take time......just take it.}

{{walk it out}}

{sabbath walk}

"the story is told of a south american tribe that went on a long march, day after day, when all of a sudden they would stop walking, sit down and rest for a while, and then make camp for a couple of days before going any farther. they explained that they needed the time to rest so that their souls could catch up with them"

{sabbath by wayne muller}

yesterday i took a sabbath walk with my sweet family. i wore flip flops and let eisley walk instead of riding in the stroller. why? because those things would force me to stroll instead of the walk turning into something i had to accomplish like exercise.

it was beautiful.
refreshing.
we noticed the vibrant colors.

and we were silly with our shadows.

we talked and giggled and enjoyed each others company.

we picked flowers.

we played in the leaves.

we let our souls catch up with us.
just what we needed as we enter another holiday season which can often be overtaken by chaos.
hope you have a wonderful week and that you {take time to let your soul catch up with you}.

grace and peace sweet friends,

{{just do it}}

{{photo credit}}

"sabbath is not dependent upon our readiness to stop.
we do not stop when we complete our phone calls, finish our project, get through this stack of messages or get out this report that is due tomorrow.
we stop because it is time to stop.
sabbath requires surrender"

{{Sabbath by Wayne Muller}}


so today....even though my house is dirty and the laundry is not done.
i will stop.
i surrender.