living loved

Be still and know that I am God… – Psalm 46:10

Nothing. Nothing to report here. In fact, I struggled all week to get started on blogging. I thought about my youngest accidently (and magically) flushing her favorite most prized plastic ring down the toilet – nah. I thought about how I started the school year in a boot for my foot – nah. I thought about all the changes for my kiddos and the ups and downs to the start of a new year and new school – nah. I thought about how I showed up at a church to speak on Sunday only to find they accidentally overbooked and in the message I was so excited to share on Psalm 19 just wasn’t to be delivered – nah. Or how the message that was shared was definitely delivered for me – nah.

And in all the nah, I realized that in the stillness there is just so much to be grateful for. This week in school we discussed a memoir by Annie Dillard. The memoir is beautiful but also has chunks that ebb and flow with the everyday mundane tasks of life or the less than interesting passions of Annie Dillard as a child verses our own more exciting passions that we could talk endlessly about.

The mundane. The simple. This week was filled with beautiful simple moments: A boy excited to turn 13, a little sister filled with joy and anticipation to ride the bus, an older sibling growing in her independence and courage, jubilation over a sink NOT filled with dishes but washed by a loving spouse. There were beautiful simple moments captured within our hearts that can’t be reflected in a “candid” photo op or highlight reel. In the stillness, we had great joy.

So, while I assumed I was just running on empty this week as I waited for God to deliver some eloquent or funny or quirky blog, He took the simple and reminded me to cherish the stillness of these moments. Even this blog – right now – is different than the one written earlier this morning after the internet crashed and only saved and sent the first paragraph – EEK, I could have had a moment, but instead, I embraced new words. I patiently waited to place all this together in between the youngest talking to me (endlessly) about babysitting, and unicorns, and pillows, and so much more.

Running on empty – nah. Just filled with the joy of the simple stillness in this moment, this day, this week…thank you, Lord.

XOXO, Loni