[what's brewing: it's not what's in the cup that matters]
The start to my day this morning was ruled by routine. I woke up, walked the dog, checked in with the world through email and the usual morning news broadcast, ate my oatmeal and packed my bag – laptop, notebook, letters to mail and a few snacks to keep me going. I washed several dishes, picked up the most visible areas of the house, and started a list of things to do when I return in the evening. Lastly, I filled my travel mug with my daily portion of coffee and jumped into the Jeep to head out for the day. Jason’s not much of a morning person, so if I’m in a somewhat sedated mood and simply operating according to routine, our first real words of the day are sometimes exchanged in the car, as they were this morning.
As we pulled out of our neighborhood, a little girl passed in front of us, skipping along a dusty path with her dog by her side. Her hair was not pulled back, so it danced wildly in the wind created by her movement. Her skirt matched that same movement, dancing back and forth across her legs as she jumped nearly as high as she was going forward. Her feet were fitted with black dress shoes, tattered and scuffed on every surface. Her dog, unleashed and scruffy as could be, ran alongside her, looking up to watch her movements as they moved along the street. Her eyes flitted back and forth between the puppy at her side and the perfectly blue skies above her, all the while stricken with a beautiful smile across her face.
I was captivated by the pure bliss that was captured in the little girl’s face. Almost instantly my heart was seized with a deep desire to experience that same feeling of bliss through such a simple means. The contrast of this scene with the way my morning had started was stark, and I was convicted by the lack of celebration and thankfulness in my heart for simply the start of another day. The demands of life had taken over, and the significance of simply another day had been overlooked.
This image is now saved in my mind and serves as a great metaphor of how I want to live, no matter my circumstances. What a beautiful depiction of the Psalmists words:
The start to my day this morning was ruled by routine. I woke up, walked the dog, checked in with the world through email and the usual morning news broadcast, ate my oatmeal and packed my bag – laptop, notebook, letters to mail and a few snacks to keep me going. I washed several dishes, picked up the most visible areas of the house, and started a list of things to do when I return in the evening. Lastly, I filled my travel mug with my daily portion of coffee and jumped into the Jeep to head out for the day. Jason’s not much of a morning person, so if I’m in a somewhat sedated mood and simply operating according to routine, our first real words of the day are sometimes exchanged in the car, as they were this morning.
As we pulled out of our neighborhood, a little girl passed in front of us, skipping along a dusty path with her dog by her side. Her hair was not pulled back, so it danced wildly in the wind created by her movement. Her skirt matched that same movement, dancing back and forth across her legs as she jumped nearly as high as she was going forward. Her feet were fitted with black dress shoes, tattered and scuffed on every surface. Her dog, unleashed and scruffy as could be, ran alongside her, looking up to watch her movements as they moved along the street. Her eyes flitted back and forth between the puppy at her side and the perfectly blue skies above her, all the while stricken with a beautiful smile across her face.
I was captivated by the pure bliss that was captured in the little girl’s face. Almost instantly my heart was seized with a deep desire to experience that same feeling of bliss through such a simple means. The contrast of this scene with the way my morning had started was stark, and I was convicted by the lack of celebration and thankfulness in my heart for simply the start of another day. The demands of life had taken over, and the significance of simply another day had been overlooked.
This image is now saved in my mind and serves as a great metaphor of how I want to live, no matter my circumstances. What a beautiful depiction of the Psalmists words:
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
Do you have an experience or an image like this that reminds you of God’s truth about this life?
10 comments:
I love small kids skipping. I love playing in the wind. I'm probably so old now that people will think I have gone crazy if I do, so I only do it when no one is watching.
Still, a sunny day with warm wind blowing or a not-too-cold rainy fall day makes me want to go out and dance with the wind and rain.... I don't... not often... but I do in my heart. Taking joy in the little things - that is what gets me through the tough things. God puts so many delightful things in even the worst of days, and I enjoy noticing them and laughing with Him.
I love being anywhere outside enjoying God's creation...my latest favorite is our green, private backyard with rose bushes and blooming lilac trees. I can sit and rock in our swing for hours on our home assignment. I think I really miss the privacy of just sitting in God's big earth in Japan...and praying each day that God will bless our family with a little patch of green (park or bike path or anything!!!) in busy Tokyo where we will be moving to soon. Sigh.
Seeing a dad cuddle with their child, something so absent in the culture I now call home - so when I see it, it just lights up my face.
Watching the rain cross a lake toward me. We used to stand as a family and watch out the window and the clouds/rain/lightning moved across the lake. The place we were staying was warm and comfortable and safe. My dad would stand with us and talk about nature and God's preeminence. When the rain hit, we'd sit by the fire and read together.
To this day rain always makes me feel safe and loved. It reminds me of God's care.
Dancing in the rain,
with a baby in my arms,
with children,
to crazy music making a meal, cleaning house etc.
and smelling the flowers
God showed me this picture of me twirling in an orchard with a ridiculously fun twirly dress on one time. That image is my goal. Not having a care in the world.
thanks for sharing.
I had an experience back in the fall that I will never forget, just because of the beauty of it. It makes me think of the beginning of some movie and I could not believe I had actually had the privilege of seeing it happen naturally.
As I was backing out of my driveway to pick my girls up for lunch, a lone leaf fluttered above the windshield, then was caught by the wind and taken up high. But then, as I turned out onto the road the leaf kept flying ahead of my van, doing its wild dips and then catching the wind once again, flipping this way and that.
It must have only taken two minutes or so, but it was a beautiful dance of nature. It's a really good thing that there was no traffic, because I was completely focused on watching that leaf!
Seeing the beauty of God's creation in such a simple way lifted my spirit and gave my a wonderful memory that is difficult even to put into words.
Ah Lovely--took me back into time. Thank you for sharing, you are a wonderful writer.
When we were in Taiwan, I went to pick up my then 4 year old son from nursery school after attending language lessons. It was raining hard and we were wet, slogging home through the mud and water. My son is skipping along and starts shouting, "Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus." I snarled, "What are you thanking Jesus for." His reply: "He is filling up my mud puddles."
I realized it all depends on your point of view.
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