Time and a Sunday afternoon

Preacher's Regret:

"Being in a hurry.  Getting to the next thing

without fully entering the thing in front of me.

I cannot think of a single advantage

I've ever gained from being in a hurry.

But a thousand broken and missed things,

tens of thousands,

lie in the wake of all the rushing . . . .

Through all that haste

I thought I was making up time.

It turns out I was throwing it away!"

This is an excerpt from AnnVoskamp's book

one thousand gifts.

Her footnote tells us that it's from

Mark Buchanan:The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by

Restoring Your Sabbath (Nashville: Nelson, 2007), 45, emphasis added.

I have been reading her book slowly, carefully, underlining and then journaling

as I journey through it.

Much to reflect upon.

This section dealt on the busyness of life.

One comment of hers really struck me:

". . . the busyness of your life leaving little room for the source of your life."

The source she refers to is God.

Busyness in every day responsibilites can mislead us.

We need to start looking around us

and seeing new out of old--

beauty out of every day tasks--

turning drudgery into discovery.

(These are my thoughts.)

With that in mind, I went for a drive with my husband this afternoon.

We took the hauling trailer out to his dad's barn

and then he took me out to show me the work he and other men

had been doing on one of the men's barn.

After that, he took me on a driving tour,

pointing out where people from our high school days now lived,

the old reservoir, and so on.

At the barn, which is now ours as is the acre it's on,

I went exploring with my camera.

Below are some of what I found.

(click on any to get full page enlargement--will really show the deer)

I liked the iron gate and also the long one just resting there.

His aunt came over and pointed up on the hill.

My eyes and my camera followed.

The little one on the right was getting nervous and wanting Mama to leave.

It had already flicked its white tail several times,

communicating its concern about possible danger.

Mama and friend were in no hurry.

But they did eventually leave

and I went exploring again.

This is just one of many discoveries.

There are lots of things hidden in this bush: old machinery, tools, car parts, wood,

and "Who knows what else?"

That's part of this place.  It's the mystery, the attraction, and the irritation too.

Junk or treasure?

I guess the answer depends on the perspective of the person answering.

It was a great few hours away from books and the computer.

Time apart.

Time to look, discover, and enjoy time with my husband.

We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.

Psalm 39:6

I wanted to be more than a moving shadow today and to savor the gift of time

and of sharing life with a wonderful man.

Blessings as you begin your new week.