what I really need now: anapauō

After reading this article by Tsh on Storyline Blog all that is within me is nodding and whispering a tired "yes".

These weeks and days have been running long in the most beautiful, encouraging, hard, exhausting way. The way only life being lived deep and wide can. Yet, there is still a need for Rest.

Here comes my continual struggle to say no and to slow. You see, Leslie Knope and I are kindred spirits when it comes to our love of lists. Not just that, but quality time with people truly makes my heart do happy cartwheels (the only kind of cartwheel any part of me is capable of).

I'm right in the middle of this struggle. This isn't a "Oh look, I've figured it out!" situation, or a "Wow, so good to have walked through and learned that. Won't do that again!" scenario. Nope. I'm here and I don't entirely know the "way out" or the lesson to be learned. I'm fighting the pull to try to figure it out.

Right here and right now, what is needed is Rest. A nap, a meal, a snuggly blanket, and quiet moments in the arms of the Ever-Present Father. Not another crossed-off item on my list or post written about what it means to truly Rest, because to be honest - I don't know.

Maybe you're here too, which would be kinda nice because then I wouldn't be alone. (Selfish, I know. Oops.) And I say these next words while fighting every pro-active-can-do-get-er-done bone in my body:

Let's do NOTHING. Let's take some time, away and Rest. And let's not try to figure this all out.

through His lens - week 7

Life has been in the to-do lists & time sheets, the espresso grinding & bubble filled sink, the phone calls in transit & cat naps in cars,
the songs written & the dance parties had, the day trips & fireside nights.

Hope woven in and lessons of where true Rest resides. Here I sit & stand & stumble - learning that Hope is the joyful expectation of Eternal realities.

through His lens week 5 & 6

Honesty.

Here we go.

These past two weeks have been all over. Days long and full. Some ended in exhaustion & tears, others robust with laughter & singing. Nights that run late and mornings that come early. Stories told and listened to, from those long-known & those now-knowing. Walks in silence and picnics in the dark. Prayers whispered for strength and praises for Freedom being lived.

These days have been beautiful. They've been hard.
Above all, they have been FULL. Abundantly so.

Thanks be to the God that is here;
in His Fullness, He is ever near.
In His Abundance, He is creating,
Beauty from this mess.

                               

  

a practice in embracing

Here I am, practicing.
Slightly begrudgingly, but gasping
to accept the Grace He is so abundant to provide.

And with that, my weekly Through His Lens post will come....sometime this week. I'm not even going to say tomorrow, because ya know, I don't know what will happen tomorrow.

Till then, my prayer-thought is for you to experience grace. In a weight lifted by a friend, a moment of quiet that just stands still, or in the middle of the everyday running. A quiet that overwhelms the soul, reminding it of the depths with which it is loved. Above and beyond. Within and without.

through His lens - week 4

Crazy to think this is week four in the "through His lens" series! Jordan and I sat last night talking life and reflecting on what it has meant to us to take this time each Sunday to pause and look back. It's been such sweet time to recall and focus in on the past week, being made more aware of His constant presence. Even as the week runs fast and the days run long, He is there - in the selfies taken by co-workers, the snapshots of food being baked, and the sky looming overhead. He is moving in the moments not captured also - the Skype call that left my soul refreshed & challenged, the back porch song writing session that began the week on a sweet note, and the countless meals shared with hearts laid bare & laughter abundant.

He is present & He is good. This ever remains True.

to Austin we go

Wandering, romping, adventuring near & afar - this makes all that is inside me spin, giddy & fast. Leaving me dizzy on the ground, with a stupid silly smile on my face. I also picture myself wearing a tutu and in a field of flowers. Now that this imagery of how I feel about traveling & adventures sounds like a feminine supply commercial, I'm going to stop while I'm ahead. Which probably would have been before that last sentence. With that, I proceed....

This past weekend, on a whim, my dreamer friend and I decided to hit the road ATX-bound. We found ourselves venturing up and down South Congress; wandering in and out of shops (Uncommon Objects, Stag, & St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store). In between little shop pop-ins we consumed coffee like air (not using our windpipes contrary to popular belief), we super enjoyed the TOMS Roasting Co. and snagged a classic ATX snapshot by Jo's!

After a late lunch at Magnolia Cafe we trekked back to the car and headed over to the Graffiti Wall. We ended the day lake side at Mozart's Coffee Roaster. I couldn't have imagined a better end to our day than unwinding coffee in hand (#typical, I know) and taking time to write. Just one sketchy bathroom stop & several sing-alongs, and then we were back home.

So thankful for the chance to quench this thirsty inner-wanderer and enjoy such a sweet day with Jordan! Hope you enjoy a little visual peek in to all we encountered!

What was your last road trip like and what's your go-to sing-along song?

stitches of an adventure heart

You take my adventure heart
for miles & miles of wild rides
through open skies & hidden towns
You delight in seeing my heart come alive

My inmost tangles are known to You
each woven thread & knot undone
Divine Hands of Yours tug gently
winding Our thread together more tightly

No thought unseen or desire uncharted
each stitched with care on my fabric heart
calendar numbers passing fast & slow
not a single hour left unbuttoned

seams never left untouched
Your presence woven in with each
never a point, a place without
Your Holy Stitch of grace complete

Dark can never cloak Your presence
nor light outshine Your Love Divine
each waking, waning, wishful moment
hemmed in by Your heart so kind

Your fingers trace the roads like knotted stitches
grace unravels as every mile is sewn
adventure hearts knitted together,
it is here that I am known.


*inspired by Psalm 139