Monday's Motion

 

"Direct me in the path of your commands,

for there I find delight."

Psalm 119:35

Hoping to shake off the last of this cold bug as I head into the Monday of a no-meeting-week. I'll admit, it's a tad redundant since I had to Zoom in on, or outright cancel most of my meetings last week.

Still, productivity was low, and I have a few matters to tend to for which I'd prefer a clear head. Matters like: It's time for my annual safety policy training and police check. Slogging through an online course on fundraising. Working on the service to open the season for the good peeps of Cognashene Community Church. Plus, I'm having the first inklings of a soup-related fundraising campaign for this fall, and I want to get some traction on that now, if I can.

All this, of course, with the ongoing adventure of selling our house. I'm always finding one more thing I can clean up a little better. And the dandelions in the backyard are out in full force by now. Good for when I need a brain break.

Psalm 119 seems to keep calling me back to its rhythm and reality. Verse 35 is a good prayer to help launch me in a good direction for the week, especially when I'm feeling a tad sluggish.

Gonna go pursue me some delight, then.

A cloudy Monday, but then again it is still April.

Loving all the spring flowers showing off everywhere.

Happy Monday all.

Not So Random Acts of Kindness

 

When a friend who knows you're sick with a cold asks, "Can I bring you soup?" and it arrives in this giant container, and you eat a lot because it's truly a soup-deluxe experience, and this is how much you have left over!

I'm feeling so much better by this morning, and I have no doubt that it's due at least in part to the good medicine of soup-from-a-friend, and the thoughtful TLC that comes with.

And here's another little big thing. The plant beside the soup, which originally I just put there because I thought it would make the picture a little more interesting, is also from a thoughtful friend.

She saw a picture I had taken in Thailand of something that was growing in the garden Yupa's already started on the new property, and recognized it. Brought this over so I could have a little bit of Thailand with me on my kitchen counter.

And if I wanted to continue with not-so-random acts of kindness I've received, this post would be crazy-packed with pictures and stories. My friends are good. I am a rich woman indeed.

And it brings me back to one of my favourite texts and a point I made not long ago in a sermon.

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters,
stand firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,
because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain."
1 Corinthians 15:58

To define "work of the Lord" we have to go back to the rest of that chapter and realized it wasn't just about "church work," as much as we might use that term most often to describe what those in full time ministry are up to. And if we're not carefully we might think of that as the "big stuff." But it's not really.

Instead, the "work of the Lord" can be understood as anything that is moving God's heart-agenda forward towards peace, and reconciliation, and love, and justice, and all things being "on earth as it is in heaven."

And actually, I think this is the big stuff.
And not just because I so thoroughly enjoyed my soup-gift yesterday. Or because this little plant is managing to survive in spite of me.

But because of all the stories out there where something that seems so small ends up meaning so much.

I guess one more point to make on this is that each of these friends expressed their kindness in line with who they are and how God has wired them up. Making delicious meals and growing beautiful things are second nature to these ladies. And while there is no doubt effort involved, there's nothing forced or artificial about it at all.

I love it. Because it means every one of us can make a difference.
No act of kindness is wasted.
There's this incredible ripple effect about it all.

It's been a week.
Glad for the kindness of friends.
Happy Friday, everyone!

Hope and Hostas

Oh the hopeful inspiration of perennials! Imagine staying buried in the dirt all winter, yet finding a way up and out of all that cold darkness to flourish in the warm wonder of spring and summer.

Every year.

Remarkable.

These are the tips of just one of about five Hosta plants that appear each spring in our front garden. Someone told me (thanks BJ) that they're okay with shade and are quite hearty, which suits both the tree cover from our large maple out front, and my lack of gardening talent. A plant needs to be fairly self-sufficient to survive me.

Basically, after planting it for the first time, I do nothing but sit there and be inspired.

I find a story here.

Life has seasons too. Waiting in the cold and dark spaces can be so devastating if we forget that a new season is always on the way.

'Weeping may last for a night,
the a shout of joy comes in the morning.'
Psalm 30:5

'Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
say to those with fearful hearts,

"Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come to save you."
Isaiah 35:3-4



Hang in. Lift your face.
The warm sunshine awaits you.
A new season of flourishing.
And unlike the Hostas who are so self-sufficient,
if you need a little help, just ask.

I write these words full of delight for the morning's crisp sunrise.
Full of excitement to see the Hostas again.

Guess I better plant some more around our new little house.

Day two of this nasty head cold.
Staying home by the tea kettle again today.

Although I did manage to get out and get at some of the dandelions in our backyard later yesterday afternoon.
We'll see how the day unfolds.

Calling in Grateful

 

Yesterday it was a 'dry' throat and just feeling really tired.

Both these things I attributed to all the cleaning and prep work we've been doing leading up to last weekend. Plus a really packed schedule over Saturday and Sunday.

But between last night and this morning, I have to face it. I actually have a cold. Not terrible, but enough to make it wiser to stay home today drinking lots of tea.

Problem is, Wednesdays are my 'out to all the things' days.

Good thing for Zoom.

Gives a new meaning to 'calling in sick.'

I can do my meetings and stay home too.

More restful without the driving, and less germy for my friends.

Later I just might put on the fire and continue the online course on fundraising I've started. Gotta love it when the weather cooperates with your sick day. Might as well be warm and comfy.

Mostly, I'm feeling grateful that this is the first 'anything' I've had in months and months. And I've really, when I think about it, even in the viral realities the whole world experienced, I've not been sick of any consequence at all since November 2019. So that's a good gift, and one I appreciate all the more today when I feel a tad under the weather.

Cheers and good health to you all.

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From a Duct-Taped Bible to a Smaller Home: A Personal Journey

I think the duct-taped Bible may have been the catalyst.

A few years ago already, the Thai-English Bible I had purchased some years before that, is getting ratty.  The spine especially.  And the cover is about to fall off.  

To my mind, this problem is easily solved.  In typical Western style, I ask Yupa if we might be able to visit the Bible Store in Chiang Mai one day so I could buy myself a new one.  I show her the ratty Bible to be sure I'm communicating it properly, my Thai being limited.

She looks genuinely puzzled.  I assume I haven't said it properly.  But when I repeat myself, and explain again, I realize that she understands my Thai but not my intentions.  

Buy a new one?  Whatever for?  Then she leaves for a moment, and returns with the duct tape.  She's really good at this.  In a matter of moments I have a tidy new Thai-English Bible that will carry the day for many more years to come.  

No need to spend that money,

Yet, it was my first default.

White privilege will do that to you.

And actually, I think the Bible is due for another taping.

Since that catalytic moment, I have been increasingly conscious of my rather complex relationship with money.  I never thought of myself as being extravagant or wasteful.  I came from a rather stringent home, with a tiny bit of Scottish blood in us.  But every time I come back from Thailand it confronts me.  How much extra I have to, on a whim, buy a new sweater, not because I actually need it, but just because, oh I don't know, it's on sale, or I have a pashmina that would match.  And don't get me started on how many pashmina's I own!  

Am I frugal?  Am I a wild spender?  I guess it depends on with whom I let myself be compared.

Then there's that whole message of reciprocity I've been preaching this whole time.  That ever-increasing understanding that cross-cultural partnerships aren't true partnerships when things get imbalanced.  When there's a power differential or any kind.  And let's face it, money is power, no matter how hard we try to not let it be.  So how do I partner with those who materially have way less than me?

And then, each year when we do the budget, and we have to tell Suradet and Yupa and our other Staff that we can only bump up their minimum wage salary by just a tiny percent.  Yes.  For all that beautiful heroic work, they are paid minimum wage.  And then I turn around and get my nails done, or book a massage, or go for a swim at the gym where I have a lovely little membership.  And there's two of us living here where, if we picked up this house and plopped it down in Thailand, we could house 20 at-risk and orphan kids easily.  Easily.

And it's over and over again in the duct-taped Scripture I claim to love and live by.

"Is it not to share your food with the hungry

and provide the poor wanderer with shelter --

when you see the naked, to clothe them,

and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

Isaiah 58:7

"However, there need be no poor people among you, 

for in the land the LORD your God is giving you 

to posses as your inheritance, 

he will richly bless you."

Deuteronomy 15:4

"Freely you have received.

Freely give."

Matthew 10:8

"Whom have I in heaven but You,

and earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever."

Psalm 73:25-27

And oh so much more.

So.

We're moving.

From our 1,397 plus square foot side split in Waterloo, to a 630 square foot, newly-built granny flat that will tuck in nicely behind our son's house in Kitchener.  Shared driveway.  Shared yard care.  No condo fees.  A little porch out front for visiting.  Everything inside designed by us to maximize the space. No stairs.  Lower taxes.  Less utilities.

Not a tiny home, by the way.  Folks who are truly dedicated to minimalistic living would laugh at us for calling our home tiny.  

Just.  Simpler.  Smaller.  Truer.

Yes, there are other factors in play in this decision.  One is the desire to take initiative now to set ourselves up for the latter decades of our life, freeing our children from some of the decision making and grunt work often associated with relocating elderly parents.  We were given the wonderful honour of clearing out both sets of parents' homes.  It was exhausting and disruptive.  We're not going to do that to our kids.

But a big part of it is that this just seems for us a more authentic way of living out the convictions God has placed on our heart.  It's not everyone's journey.  There is no desire to convince anyone else that this is the right thing for them.  None.  

It's just right for us.

That it took no convincing and by now we can't tell who owns this idea more, 

is just another way we know.

It's our journey.

For us.

Okay,  That's enough for now.

I'm going to go see if I can find some more duct tape.

(Diagrams by Royal Homes.)

It's Okay to Go Slow

 

Against the protest of my body, I got myself up and out into the crisp air for a sunrise walk this morning.

Normally, I'm all over this and wouldn't hesitate. But the extra physicality of everything we're up to right now in selling the house has me more carefully guarding my energies.

If counting steps is any indicator, I'm way above the recommended 8,000 per day for folks my age. One day last week I logged 17,253. I'm not bragging, honest. That many steps should be considered foolish.

The weekend was full, with Church Cleaning Day on Saturday and an open house in the afternoon. Then I preached in the morning (finished the series Dandelion Faith at Highview), and another open house in the afternoon. By Sunday evening, Ken and I just basically let the TV watch us.

But this morning I felt I could do the walk, the full 4.5 km, because the bulk of the physical work is done...for now. The house is such that we are only allowed to make one hour's worth of mess in case of a showing, and we have a whole system worked out to accommodate that. For today and into this coming week we can relax a little bit. At least compared to the pace we've been setting recently.

I walked slow this morning.

Thanks to the same technology that counts my steps, I can also keep track of my pace, timing and heartrate for each kilometer along the way. I broke no records today. I even think the voice that updates me on my progress sounded a little more laid back than usual. And I'm just fine with that.

Back at my desk now, I'm reminding myself that it's okay to go slow here too. I don't usually say that to myself on a Monday. Mondays are 'go get 'em' days where the whole week lies before me in delightful anticipation of checking off as many things from the list as possible.

This week the list is short. I have the luxury of working on things that are more long range. I can pay a little more attention to what my body needs, what my own soul needs. Take slower breaths.

Wait. I think I can hear "Feeling Groovy" playing in the background.

"Groovy" probably doesn't describe how I'm feeling right now though.

More like careful.

And curious.

Waiting to see where God is taking us in all of this.

And a slow morning walk is a great time to talk to Him about it.

Friday's Fabularity

 

Maybe making up words is a stress-coping strategy for me. But also, maybe I'm being silly just because we made it through this rather crazy week in relatively good spirits. (And mostly sane.)

It's a common stress point for anyone selling their house. You bust a gut getting it to show-worthy status. And then you have to live there as if you're in a home décor store's window display. I told Ken we're only allowed to make an hour's worth of mess. That's the notice we agreed to if anyone wants a private showing.

Had one already yesterday, within about an hour after the listing went live. An encouraging start. Who knows about today? And tomorrow and Sunday there's open houses in the afternoon.

And the thing is, even with all of this weirdness, I've woken up with good energy, totally looking forward to the day. Got me some happy work to do at my desk. And we'll continue with a few house touch ups we will keep doing along the way.

I'm even looking forward to Church Clean up Day at Highview Community Church tomorrow! Crazy, right? You know the event is a highlight when you've just spent the last three months cleaning your own house, and you're still looking forward to cleaning the Lord's. It's the people thing actually. Honestly, it's such a great day of community and love. (8:00 to 1:00 if you're interested.)

And then I get to preach on Sunday morning, wrapping up the last of the Dandelion Faith series. Glad for this opportunity to engage in some good conversations about spiritual formation. Tenacity, Rootedness and Wildly Prolific! Be a dandelion, people!

Here's a truth that's keeping me tethered right now.

Psalm 16:8-9
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body will also rest secure.

Have a fabularious Friday everyone!

Thursday's Goodness

It's a Timothy day.

As our clan of grandchildren gradually grew to five, we adapted to the sleepovers and other 'everyone' gatherings at Gramma and Grandad's. More beds, more cool water bottles, more Paw Patrol placemats. More snacks, more noise, more mess.

No problem. Room for everyone.

And. We have made it on purpose that every once in a while we just have them with us, one at a time. (Can I just add here that I think it's really cool that our almost 18 year old still wants to do this?)

Today is just Timothy.

Ken found this very old book (1947) when he was cleaning up his space downstairs. "Timothy's Shoes." He set it aside just for today.
Something about Grandad reading books to the children that makes me love him even more.

Today is also listing day. Like, it's-really-official day. We're only allowed to make an hour's worth of mess. That's how much notice we'll be given if someone wants to get in for a peek before the open houses on the weekend. Yup...here we go.

We're ready. Have car seat, will vacate if necessary.

But really I'm just hoping for a cozy day filled with Lego and Pups and the kinds of hilarious conversations you can have with a 3 year old.

And I may even get at a few emails during screen time.

Picture Perfect

We get to counterbalance things a little bit today.

The past four days straight, with the exception of Sunday morning, have been full out focus on preparing the house for showing. It was leading up to yesterday when we had the Stager and the Photographer in to get all the pictures taken for the MLS posting tomorrow.

It's amazing how, after months of cleaning and clearing your house, there's still so many persnickety details to attend to. I told the lovely people who were in my house yesterday not to take it personally, but this was far worse than when I was a new bride and my mother in law was coming for a visit.

I laughed with Ken at the oddity that, not only are we just letting people down into the places of the house that normally you just want to close the door on, but we're letting them take pictures!

Don't worry. It's all clean and tidy and ready for what comes next. But still.

Today we can be at our desks again, resuming some semblance of a normal life. There's still the open houses this weekend to anticipate, but for today, the priority can be 'all the other things.'

I'm glad for this balancing day. Glad to have understanding folks who let me cancel/skip meetings today. At least until 7 p.m. when I will have a conversation with some folks who may want to visit Hot Springs next fall. But even that's by Zoom, and I can stay home.

Grateful for the rain too, actually, to help make it feel all hunkered down and cozy. Safe.

A settling psalm comes to mind this morning.
Psalm 73.

Asaph, a music director for God's people (hey Derek Goupil, like you are!), was disturbed for different, more existential reasons than a move. But his moment of re-balancing feels anchoring right now.

(Expanded thoughts in brackets.)

"Yet (in spite of 'all this') I am always with You;
You hold me (not me trying so hard to hang on, but You holding me) by my right hand.
You guide me with Your counsel (so not alone in this),
and afterward you will take me into glory (my ultimate home).
Whom have I in heaven but You? (I mean, really!)
And earth has nothing I desire besides You (truly),
My flesh and my heart may fail (because I'm human after all),
but God is the strength of my heart (again, not my strength but Yours),
and my portion (my inheritance, my security) forever."
Psalm 73:23-26

That's a picture I can hold on to.
Stay cozy today, friends.

Authentically in this Space

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 91:1

Sign went up on the lawn today, and I'm having a little cry here.

This is big.

And I think I've just been so focused on prepping the house for listing, 

that I really haven't given myself too much space to let it be as big as it is.

Concentration is poor right now.

Tried to start the day writing out some emails and getting some desk work done.

But it was futility.

I had to get myself outside and start on the lawn.

If it let it, things feel unsettled.

You will keep in perfect peace

those whose minds are steadfast,

because they trust in You.

Trust in the LORD forever,

for the LORD, the LORD Himself 

is the Rock eternal.

Isaiah 26:4-5

Raking and dethatching.

Then off to get some mulch and spreading that around for a bit.

Then out the back patio and sweeping 

and weeding between the stones

to be able to set up the umbrella 

and put the pillows on the swing 

and make it look like we have a patio.

My watch says I've put in 16,770 steps.

Better be careful.

Then I heard the guy hammering in the spike to hang the sign.

Went out front to watch him.

The name of the LORD is a strong a mighty tower;

the righteous run into it and are safe.

Proverbs 18:10

If I'm not careful I can forget that I'm okay.

Big changes.

Bigger God.

Finding ways to authentically be in this space.

Letting it be as big as it is.

Letting myself be held.

Resting in His promises.

And I will be okay.

And I was outside so much today!! 

Gotta love that.

Smiling Outside

 

Yesterday being Wednesday I was gone from the house most of the day. But I did manage to sneak in some time out in the back yard just before, and then just after supper.

Everything right now is about tidying up and preparing to show the property. With a listing day in sight (April 18) the push is on. And I'll admit I'm feeling it.

It's an odd kind of stress, the sporadic chirps of the tyrannically urgent, mixed with the dull but draining background noise of big-change-coming. I feel it weighing on me, collecting mostly at the back of my neck and shoulders.

But when I'm outside in the sunshine I don't feel the angst of it quite so much. All the newly growing things cheer me. Except the blackberry bushes. Those long gnarly prickly vines are nasty! Still, there's satisfaction in getting them snipped back before they get out of control. And then I just stand over the bag and snip the longer whips into lengths that shake down better. More in each bag that way.

I need this. The warm sunshine. The tug of the rake on the grass. The snip of the shears. The filling up of large paper bags. A fleeting visit from one of the northern flickers that have joined our backyard community of late. Taking deep breaths once in a while. And, oh yeah, smiling.

And I find that with the odd kind of stress there is also an odd kind of rest. A place I find when I remember why we're doing this move, Who's in charge of everything, and how incredibly inundated I am with all the things that make life real and big and wondrous.

"Truly my soul finds rest in God;

my salvation comes from him.

Truly is is my rock and my salvation;

he is my fortress,

I will never be shaken."

Psalm 62:1-2

So happy smiling Thursday, friends.

Yes, even in all the rain.

Today I'm indoors anyways.

So many lovely things to do and be.

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