Sometimes food for the soul is truly food and not some mind expanding theory to meditate upon. Today was. (as in, it happened) A skinny latte at the mom and pop coffee and tea house followed by a fill-your-belly-up breakfast at our favorite homey diner, Cross Keys Diner. Sometimes that’s what our bodies need when our minds are preoccupied with solving the unsolvable. And, our bodies can distinguish the difference between run of the mill take out and the extra love tucked inside the nooks and crannies of a well-crafted meal.
For the past few days I have been preoccupied with the physical necessities of life, mainly heat and hot water. Two days ago, my husband awoke to the smell of oil and went in the basement to discover that oil from our heater was leaking all over the basement floor. We live in a 112 year old house and while it has many virtues, it’s heater is not one of them. The heater is about 60 years old and has been a great workhorse, but it’s time has come to an end. We are faced with fixing it one more time in the hope to make it through this season or to figure out a way to pay for a whole new system now… but, alas, with a 112 year old house, there are always interesting complications. The kitchen of our house is a shoddy addition that was built over the outside entrance to the basement limiting what kind of replacement can be installed. I’ve spent the past couple days researching various heating and hot water options and exploring how to pay for them.
All that to say… God is good. I went to bed and the title for the day in my devotional was, “balancing the budget”. And, the verse that went with it was:
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ” Matthew 6:33
I hadn’t really started praying about our heater situation yet, but God was already speaking to me. Some people would say it was a coincidence that the topic of the day in my book was finances and I might agree if this didn’t happen to me regularly over the span of my lifetime. So, take it or leave it. The prayer included for that day touched on trusting God, sharing a portion of our earnings with God for His glory, and putting God first in all things. I had started to come to the conclusion on my own earlier in the day that I needed to hand this heater situation over to God, but reading my devotional sealed the deal. Since I do the books for our business and for our house, I felt I needed to call a family meeting to discuss what I felt God was telling me.
Our family meeting made me feel more connected to my children and husband than I have felt in a long time. With our children all getting older, we can easily get attached to our various screens and go to our separate rooms with very little communication of true meaning. We actually prayed together as a family i.e. we all said something, instead of just me. We haven’t done that in years, if at all. And, we talked about some very difficult subjects.
The unexpected benefit of our heater breaking is our family coming together in a more meaningful way. Again I say, God is good.
My son and I were driving last night and talking about intertwined relationships. Interpret intertwined in your own way. I immediately was reminded of my favorite tree growing up… even amidst busy highways this short yet aged tree stood out. It had bark and branches that tangled together and a thick trunk. I’m not sure if my creation will go that direction, but it’s a starting point.
Once you have completed your piece of writing, photograph, drawing, painting, etc. Post a link below this post to your blog, so that anyone who participates can view it and comment.
When you are intentionally watching for that which causes you the greatest happiness, it reveals itself all the more easily. Sharing a boisterous belly laugh after boasting about who’s taller with my 13 year old daughter last night was by far the highlight of my day. Due to this change of mindset, I was able to savor the moment and recognize it for what it was. (And, yes, I wrote this memory down and placed it in the jar)
Tomorrow, I am starting a weekly project called Soulful Saturday. I plan to post a word or phrase to (hopefully) inspire myself and anyone who wants to join me to create a work of art in the form of a piece of writing, a photograph, a funny joke, a drawing, a painting, you name it. You have a week to do so and can post a link to your blog within the reply, so that we can comment on each other’s work.
With the beginning of this new year, there have been several people on my facebook page who have posted about creating a memory or happy moment jar. A place to store quickly jotted down notes of something special that happened that day no matter how small the event. As someone who tends to feel more down than up, I thought I’d create my own jar, my own personal box of rain to ease the pain, as Phil Lesh would sing in one of my most favorite songs…
“Box of Rain” by the Grateful Dead
Look out of any window, any morning, any evening, any day.
Maybe the sun is shining, birds are singing,
No rain is falling from a heavy sky.
What do you want me to do, to do for you to see you through?
For this is all a dream we dreamed one afternoon, long ago.
Walk out of any doorway, feel your way, feel your way like the day before.
Maybe you’ll find direction,
Around some corner where it’s been waiting to meet you.
What do you want me to do, to watch for you while you are sleeping?
The please don’t be surprised when you find me dreaming too.
Look into any eyes you find by you, you can see clear to another day,
Maybe been seen before, through other eyes on other days while going home.
What do you want me to do, to do for you to see you through?
It’s all a dream we dreamed one afternoon, long ago.
Walk into splintered sunlight,
Inch your way through dead dreams to another land.
Maybe you’re tired and broken,
Your tongue is twisted with words half spoken and thoughts unclear
What do you want me to do, to do for you to see you through?
A box of rain will ease the pain, and love will see you through.
Just a box of rain, wind and water
Believe it if you need it, if you don’t, just pass it on
Sun and shower, wind and rain
In and out the window like a moth before a flame
And it’s just a box of rain, I don’t know who put it there,
Believe it if you need it, or leave it if you dare.
And it’s just a box of rain, or a ribbon for your hair;
Such a long long time to be gone, and a short time to be there.
2012 was the year of muscle and fat. Serendipitously, by the grace of God, I stumbled into fitness and weight loss. My friend, Nicole, started me on this path with an innocent invitation to her fitness class which led to doing boot camp with her trainer, Lesia. Lesia continues to bless me physically and spiritually. I am half way to my goal in this regard and am using the energy I have gained from this process to continue the evolution of myself proving Newton’s Laws of Motion.
I intend to be intentional and creative this year.
Yesterday and today were difficult for me. Sadness overshadowed my day, whether hormonally-induced or otherwise. Watching home videos from years past that my hubby had transferred onto dvd’s for us for Christmas has been bittersweet. I rejoice at seeing my children as they have grown up, but the pangs of guilt over seeing how distracted or anxiety-ridden I was as a younger parent has caused my heart to ache.
I read this verse before bed and believe it may be God’s theme for me this year:
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139: 23-24
This drawing was a result of how I have been feeling. It is my plan to do something creative once per day. This is a lofty goal. Today, I gave myself one hour. I am sure some days may be limited to 5 minutes, but hopefully I can stay dedicated throughout the year.
sentient marrow 