Thursday, November 23, 2017

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

~ Epicurus

The tinkling of the alarm on Gerry’s phone breaks the sweet silence in which I sit and read and ruminate.

”Oh, Thursday morning.”

My husband rolls out of bed and pads toward the kitchen to silence the phone. It’s the one day of the week with an alarm set; this, to ensure he is up in time for the early morning men’s meeting at church.

The buzz of the coffee grinder replaces the sound of the tinkling alarm and, with that, day begins.

Today, after men’s meeting, we will travel to Vernon for a small celebration to honour my mother-in-love’s 97th birthday. Following that, lunch out and a visit with my husband’s sister. Simple blessings.

Simple is on my mind a lot these days.

I am reading my blog books and being reminded of an intentional decision I made in 2009 to put some things aside in order to focus on one single thing. I’ve been feeling a similar pull in recent months and this reminder confirms the direction.

I am also sensing a pull toward stillness. In part, perhaps, as the dark months close in; but it’s more than that. I’m on the cusp of declaring a time out from being busy— ironic, given that we’re days away from, what is traditionally, one of the busiest months of the year.

I had some insight back in 2009 about the reason behind all that busyness that I seem to have forgotten along the way. This reminder comes at precisely the time I am ready to receive it—and do something about it.

It’s Thanksgiving in the U.S. today—I still feel the pull even though we’ve been back in Canada for almost four years now (!). Happy Thanksgiving for those reading this who are celebrating, with gratitude, this day.

A perfect opportunity to add a few more things to the simple happy list.

# # #

Lights in the valley.

Bible study afternoons.

(Relatively) warm days and bare feet.

Lavender sprigs on my kitchen windowsill.

Turkey soup in the freezer—perfect for a light supper after a busy day.