So today has been the first day in what seems like a long time to go at a relaxed pace - no schedule commitment, no guests to host, just doing things at a pace that I want to work at. So I slept in a bit, washed some dishes, made some scones for breakfast, hung out with the girls as they each got up, mixed up some bread, listened to music, talked more with the girls, played a little volleyball. I'm looking forward to a bike ride, picking things in the garden, watching Em's scrimmage. Maybe I'll work at the tomatoes that are covering the table from the last two days, maybe it'll wait until tomorrow. Anya is with a friend, Kate and Em are outside reading/writing and Monika is at Sauder Village. So now it's just me with the silence and the smell of freshly baked whole wheat flax bread.
What a gift to just enjoy the silence. I remember longing for the silence of the mornings when milking cows when I was working full-time. This past winter I fought that silence, longing for something meaningful to engage in. This summer I have fully enjoyed the gift to be home with the girls but I realize that I was gone a lot these past six weeks, I have offered to help with a variety of projects on top of keeping up (well not really, but attempting to) with the garden. I recognize that when the busy times come it's so easy to lose focus and not be aware of God's presence. So I'm trying to take some deep breaths and listen again, to be attentive to God's voice and remind myself that I do not walk this journey alone.
"When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Isreal, will never forsake them. I will open up rivers for them on high plateaus, I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. In the deserts they will find pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the dry, parched ground. I will plant trees--cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine--on barren land. Everyone will see this miracle and understand that it is the Lord, the Holy One of Isreal, who did it." Isaiah 41:17-20
