Sorry that posting has been sparse. I have a huge writing deadline next Friday, that is keeping most of my creative brain cells busy. I promise that things will pick back up in November 😉
 A few weekends ago, before Camp Lovely, before my Grandaddy left us, Sweet Man and I retreated to a lakeside cabin for our birthday weekend.
We needed this weekend. I needed this weekend.
One of my all time favorite authors – Barbara Brown Taylor said this
Salvation is a word for the divine spaciousness that comes to human beings in all the tight places where their lives are at risk, regardless of how they got there…
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To say that I had some “tight spaces” where my life and heart was at risk, is an understatement.
So we ran away.
To our favorite sort of place. Someplace quiet, someplace lo-fi, someplace with water, and trees, and a whole lot of calm.
We sat on the porch in the still twilight listening to the rain.
We read books, and went to bed early, and listened to the ducks chatting and enjoyed the comfort of being together, just the two of us.
On Saturday we went fishing. Well, Sweet Man went fishing.
I road along in the boat and soaked up the sun and read to him from the book Free.
And we talked about things.
About our family life, our financial life, our house, our work, our dreams, our future.
We talked about stewardship.
About being good stewards of all of it – the time we have with our kids, the talents we have been blessed with, our money, our time, and our energy.
Some of the conversations were hard.
But mostly they were good. Really good.
They were salvation.
They “opened(sic) Â a door in what looked for all the world like a wall.” Â (BBT)Â
Which is pretty much how God works.Â
We came home from that weekend with some very clear directions for our life as a couple and a family.
We came home with a filter of heart-rooted priorities (not agendas) which we are doing our very best to run most of our decisions through. Even (or perhaps especially) some rather big decisions.
I cannot express how freeing this has all been.
Not that things are perfect, or that I have all the answers, or that I don’t still freak out from time to time. (In fact I had a little meltdown just yesterday.)
But there is a rootedness in my heart that wasn’t there before.
There is a peace and a settledness that is new and refreshing and so very welcomed.
And that is so very good.
Right now, it is life.
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Next week I am going to share some more with about the book Free, I think you will love it as much as I do.
Till then,
Have a lovely weekend.
J
A MUCH belated happy birthday to you and sweet man! I love getaways with just Taido and me. Though rare, they are treasures!
Here's to being free! (and hearing more down the road…)