Time For A Lazy Saturday Morning

This lazy Saturday morning I decided to have my breakfast outside on the deck. There are a couple of things about that statement that surprise me. First of all, most Saturday mornings are not lazy. I’m either running errands, doing chores, out of town, or spending time with guests in our home. Secondly, I ALWAYS eat my breakfast at the kitchen table in the same seat at around the same time. Creature of habit I guess. 

Today was finally warm enough for me to consider eating outside in the a.m. without bugs, clouds, gusty wind, and a laundry list of things to do on my mind. Looked like a very peaceful and sunny day with a nice breeze so I took my bagel, strawberries, and tea out the slider to sit and read, listen, pray, and watch. And to see if having “coffee on the deck/patio/porch” is really as great as people write about. 

The first thing I noticed was the beauty around me. The freshly cut grass (thanks, E). The flowers blooming in the flower beds I often curse when weeding. The trees full of leaves. The sun shining through the hazy clouds. Birds flying all over my viewing space. Neighbors enjoying the morning as they take their kids out for the day or going for a motorcycle ride.

Then the sounds. So many birds! I’m not very knowledgeable about birds, but I do recognize the sound of a woodpecker behind me. Other sounds I hear are chirping, whooing, whistling, cawing, and others that I cannot find a word for. I heard a bird calling to others who I then watched fly to the tree he (or she) was in. On a side note, from my home office window this spring I have noticed many different types and colors of birds. Does this new found awareness of birds mean I’m old or that I finally took the time (or have the time) to stop, see, and listen?

I also hear a lawn mower in the distance (someone who is not having a lazy Saturday morning), a plane flying overhead, someone’s air conditioner, and neighbors leaving for work. All those sounds that go along with living in a neighborhood and our modern society. These I have always been attuned to. 

The coffee people are right. It’s been pretty relaxing to sit on the deck with my cup of tea, eating my breakfast and taking in the world around me. (And writing this blog.) I’m not the type of person who is going to do this every Saturday (those who know me well are surprised I did it today), but I will definitely take advantage of it again when I can. I hope you do too.

It’s been so enjoyable I could almost talk myself out of going for a run. But I did that last weekend (for a different reason than sitting on my deck) so I better get to it. 

Peace at Home

About this time every summer life gets overly busy. I over-fill our evenings and weekends with very little time to relax at home. Maybe subconsciously I think summer is almost over and try to cram in as much as possible. Honestly though, I think it’s just me. I like being busy. Whether it is exercising, hanging out with family and friends, or just going somewhere, count me in! (With all this fun, where do I find time to do house chores?)  😉

I used to blame the busyness on the kids and their schedules. But the boys have cars so I can’t blame it on driving them around. They also have summer jobs where they work just as much as me. Their free time is spent with friends (and they don’t usually invite me). And to top it off, this summer our oldest stayed at college. There’s no one to blame for the schedule but myself. “What’s so bad about being busy anyway?” says our 18-year old who does the same thing as me.

I love weeks like this.

The problem with not controlling my schedule is I can get cranky, ignore my family, and become short-tempered. I don’t eat as well, exercise as hard, or think as clearly as when I “schedule” rest. Another problem is it leads to a frustrated husband because I over-scheduled myself, or us, again. When my/our schedule is overbooked, there is a shortage of peace in our home.

In June, I read a daily devotion titled “Love Lives Here.” It was about being intentional about creating peace in your own home. The author shared three ways (bolded below) to create that peace.

• Speak words that build peace. My mouth is probably the biggest culprit when it comes to a peace-less home environment. Yes, I tell my family that I love them or am proud of them or even that I forgive them. And I mean it when I say it. Yet I have to continually work to keep from nagging them, snapping at them, or saying hurtful things to them especially when I overschedule our lives.
• Create a home that promotes peace. If this was the only item the author suggested, we should have plenty of peace in our home. We eat healthy meals together and often invite others to join us. I control the clutter (at least when I “let go” of the boys’ bedrooms) and I stick to our budget. Helping each other with projects and tasks, taking family vacations, and communicating shows that we care about one another. We’ve even developed systems that keep chaos at bay like the last one to empty the Kool-Aid pitcher makes more. When the boys were little I instituted a system for breakfast or dinner so planning would be easier (e.g., Personal Pizza Sunday, Toast or Taco Tuesday, Waffle Wednesday, Find-your-own-food Friday, etc.). Tending a garden was also suggested to promote peace, but I find little peace in my flower beds.
• Be a woman who promotes peace. To promote peace in our home, my response to those I love needs to be peaceful, especially in times when I feel taken for granted, left out, or hurt in some way. My initial knee-jerk reaction is to use my words to tell them how I feel (see first bullet). When I take the time to clench my mouth shut and think through the issue, my actual response is much more loving and peaceful.

The peace-meter in our home may have reached the yellow zone last week. I saw the warning signs and realized I need to make intentional decisions to say no to additional commitments or at minimum, check my words and actions. I like a peaceful home (Who wouldn’t?!) and when I feel peace here, it’s easier to bring that peace to those outside my home.

Note to our family and friends: I don’t want this message to be misconstrued. We love to get together with you. The scheduling issue is more of an attitude check for me. Keep asking us to do things with you!

Importance of Relationships in Battles

Have you ever had a friend, family member, or yourself go through a trying time? Maybe it was a situation or circumstance that was difficult, and in turn, strained a relationship or relationships. If you haven’t, you should feel blessed because for the most part, we all have them at some point in our lives.

When I look back at times in my life where I have felt the weight of something that was happening at a particular time, I think, how did I ever get out of that (or over it)? At these times, I see a battlefield. A line drawn in the sand where two camps are set up on either side. On one side is Satan/Evil/The Dark Side with his minions. On the other is me, or whoever I see is struggling. Satan is constantly sending fiery darts, things like lies, insults, situations, temptations, etc. at me. While I begin standing tall, I do get hurt. Over time I start to focus on where it hurts and take my eyes off the battle. I continue to get attacked and soon am bent over, finally falling to my knees and then on the ground. Sometimes it’s like I can’t fight any longer.

This is where relationships come in. I see others on my side. There are family members and friends who are there to fight for and with me, supporting me, encouraging me, praying for me. And over time (everything takes time) my wounds heal and I can begin to stand again. Maybe weakly at first, but I become stronger with their support. There may be times that I get hit again and fall, but I can get back up. That’s why relationships are so important in our lives. We cannot fight life’s battles all on our own. We need people there to be in our corner, to fight on our behalf.

One of the ways in which I feel I have strength to stand, not that I am always strong, is from my upbringing. Ephesians 6:10-18 discusses putting on God’s complete armor. This is a song we sang when I was a kid.

Put on God’s complete armor, so that you can successfully resist…all of the Devil’s methods of attack. You must wear truth as your belt, righteousness as your breastplate. The gospel of peace, firmly on your feet, salvation as your helmet. And in your hand the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Lift up over all, faith as your shield, lift up over all, faith as your shield, for it shall quench any flaming arrow the enemy fires at you.

Whether you are a Christian or not, many of these pieces of armor are good to have to fight the battles in your life.

Truth. Who doesn’t want truth in their lives? We want people to be truthful with us, we want to know the truth, and we want people to believe us. Often times when we are attacked, we question the truth. We believe lies, whether they are about us or others in our lives. In turn, it brings us down. It hurts us. By wearing truth as your belt, you are seeking the truth instead of believing everything that is hurled at you.

Peace. Don’t we all want peace at home, at work, and within ourselves? I find it interesting that in the song above, peace is on your feet. Wherever we walk, we should be bringing peace and finding peace. What is peace? According to Wikipedia, peace is an absence of hostility. Peace also means healthy interpersonal relationships. That sounds like something we could all use.

Faith. It’s interesting that faith is a shield. When singing this song, I see myself holding up my shield to stop a fiery dart that may be coming at me. But when I am weak, I cannot hold up that shield any longer. I may even be crouched on the ground, hiding under it, but I still have faith. Faith that things will get better. Faith that I can win this battle.  We can all use a little faith.

Along with truth, peace, and faith, we also need people on the battlefield with us. Often times we fight amongst ourselves on this side of the battlefield. If we view life as a battlefield and focus on supporting one another to fight off whatever it is that attacks us, we can be stronger. If you look at the bigger picture, we are not enemies. The enemy is the lies, deception, etc. that infiltrate our lives. By fighting together and supporting one another, we can help each other to overcome those difficult situations and circumstances we all encounter.