i've been resting... for 11 days. for those of you that know me, you know that i don't sit still very well for very long. i can relax for brief intervals, but then i find something to busy myself with. i get jittery. i need to DO something.
scott has had the most laborious summer of his career. he has worked long days and burned the midnight oil for many of nights. at the start of the summer, he saw this coming and wisely he suggested we go away for a last hurrah before our busy fall kicked into gear. i diligently scoured the internet for a cottage in michigan.
and so we headed to new buffalo, mi for 11 days. i didn't' intend for it to be so long, but that's how the cottage owners do it around here. i was a little nervous. 11 days? the first weekend here, i left scott at home to host his college buddies for a reunion weekend. it was wonderful. i came with my beautiful friend steph and her two sweet girls. kate is almost four and has been buds with e for the last 3 years. amanda is two weeks younger than d. it is rare to find a family that provides such perfect playmates for your little one, while also providing valuable adult connections. i adore kate and amanda. they are really amazing kids that you just fall in love with. for the 3 days they were here, i fell a little bit further in love with them and i realized how lucky i am to know them and to have them as friends for my own sweet girls. and steph, well she is an amazing woman, mother, and wife. i've learned a lot from my friendship with her. she always makes me think about things in a new way and helps me see the beauty of life with a different lens.
after they left, our friends jen and payton arrived. (do you remember my friend that bursts out in prayer and invites God into any conversation?) payton and e have been best friends since they were 5 months old. they also stayed for 3 days. it was wonderful to enjoy the sand, yummy ice cream, swinging, and e's first official slumber party with them. (e and kate tried, but they just didn't quite know how to fall asleep together. the third time was the charm. e and payton finally dozed off and made it half way through the night together.)
while jen and steph were here, i was having a blast. and because there was a change in guests, i had some things to keep myself busy. i had laundry and dishes, tidying up and preparing. but when jen pulled out of the drive i suddenly found myself feeling anxious. i began to wonder about things at home. were there any important massages awaiting me on my answering machine? urgent mail to tend to? is my garden thriving? did the neighbor remember to enjoy the ripe tomatoes? i felt a little bit isolated, cut off. i mean, i didn't even know who obama had chosen as his running mate! i hadn't really even turned on the tv and i certainly hadn't read the paper.
scott was coming later that night, so i spent my afternoon busying myself. again, i began to tidy and wash, cook and do pretty much anything to busy myself. i was having trouble being still.
scott arrived. and suddenly, i found myself still. i was enjoying the crickets more. i was content with the absence of a plan or a schedule and gave in to complete relaxation. and when my mind would wander to things at home, to our fall schedule that begins this week, to blog entries, to e's upcoming 4th birthday party, i found myself pushing it out rather than welcoming it into my mind.
and so here i am, at the end of vacation, finally surrendered to rest. and i suddenly have a new perspective on the sabbath. while i didn't abstain from using energy, cooking, lights, driving etc., i did do a whole lot of nothing. and while you're doing a whole lot of nothing, God suddenly becomes ushered into your thoughts in a refreshing new way. He becomes the center and everything else becomes secondary. i am not typically one that finds God in nature (i see Him just fine on a bustling city street, thank you), but suddenly, i found myself staring at the waves and thinking about Him. as i watched frogs, crickets, fire ants, daddy long legs, and spiders i marveled at how unique each part of creation is. as i indulged in oink's ice cream, i celebrated the taste buds purposefully placed on my tongue.
and thencomes the time to depart. and hopefully this rest has restored me. hopefully i will carry these new nature eyes into my busier version of life and hopefully, i'll find more reasons to be still.
"Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything." (Psalm 46:10 The Message Translation)
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