Tranquility

Today I am thankful to be able to sit on the porch with my mother-in-law and have all my children attended to by other family members for a few minutes. I am amazed to see her up and around and functioning so well without bending or twisting her new spine. She is adapting beautifully.

I am thankful for my sweet father-in-law and his organization of all of Jane's meds.

I am thankful for my husband for taking kids on jet ski rides. Thanks Aunt Nee Nee for going off shopping somewhere with L. Thanks Uncle Haden for hopping in the lake water with those not on the jet ski. Thanks Granddaddy for firing up the pontoon and whisking the other three off for a boat ride.

Being quiet for just a few minutes restores my soul. It's a team effort to create a little tranquility, and I am a happy recipient.

It's almost hard not to be doing something when you are in production mode all the time. It seems as if there is always something else to attend to. Last night while the girls were whipping up a happy birthday carrot cake, I worked on recylcing papers that had been in a bin on our office desk since we moved...in 2008! It was fun to run across various things and see what changes had occurred since MJ was 2 and is now almost 7. I was a little disheartening to realize that I had passed by that stack for 4 years and not made much progress in cleaning up. It had become a part of the scenery!

Here at the family's lake house, I do not have to be folding the laundry (though there's a load waiting for me at home). We had barbecue to celebrate Uncle Haden's birthday and Labor Day while we're all up here together....so I didn't have to think up what was for lunch. Two great girls are coming to stay with our kids tonight so I won't be reading the stories or reminding someone to brush their teeth tonight when I go on another Groupon date with my husband (Tapas night).

I hear the bunch pulling up to the dock now, and as Aunt Nee Nee noted, they definitely make their presence known. This is the point of Labor Day, to enjoy rest after one's labors. And yet, it almost feels strange. Can I learn to hear the lapping of the waves upon the shore while there are squeals and motors running? It's a matter of focus to have Sabbath rest and find tranquility in the midst of the noise. The lapping water is still there if I can concentrate on hearing it.

 

Be at rest O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. Psalm 116:7