For weeks, I've randomly pondered over the words that would flow from my fingertips when I (finally ever) found the time to sit down and write again. I've craved the quiet and stress relief of opening up my MacBook and tapping on various letters to create words and thoughts and express the rumblings of my heart and mind.
And here it is, on an unseasonably chilly Sunday afternoon, the kind of day where the sunshine appears deceivingly warm. I'm curled up under a fluffy new blanket (yay wedding presents!) and have a cup of tea within arms reach. The laundry is whirling in the basement, the bed is made, fridge stocked with food, kitchen (mostly) clean, Andrew Bird is streaming on Spotify, and my favorite serenity blend of essential oils is in the warmer.
After the utter chaos of getting married and the weeks upon weeks of illness before the wedding, I am slowly attempting to settle back into the daily rhythms of life. My soul has craved this for months and months. God has allowed so many huge, often very difficult, often so very good, things to happen in the past twelve months and I think I've forgotten how to do daily, normal, balanced life.
Daily, normal life with the people that I love is my favorite rhythm. I love keeping my house clean, creating frugal and yummy dinner menus, baking cookies or a batch of muffins, folding clean laundry, and watering my houseplants. I love having friends over last minute for burgers on the grill or s'mores over a bonfire. I love late night chats about life and theology and dreams with my hubby. I love creating and maintaining a space where family, friends, and strangers alike feel welcomed and loved and relaxed.
Over the past three weeks since our honeymoon, we have diligently been working to find this pace of life. It's been a crazy and difficult three weeks and we have faced many challenges and hard decisions. But we are learning to create this rhythm of life, amidst the unending challenges and curveballs that life throws at us. The challenges and curveballs and chaos are all just part of being a human living in this world. It's our choice, our responsibility, to make life beautiful and glorifying to God amidst it all.
So we are inviting people into our home, even if we're exhausted. We are making budgets and sticking to them, even if it means saying no to things we really want. We are taking time to cook dinner (almost) every night. We have caught up on loads and loads of laundry. We are running around to rummage sales and finding old treasures that we can redo, repaint, and recreate into something new and practical and pretty. I am dabbling into working out again, even though my body is screaming at me. We are slowly unpacking and organizing the remaining boxes and hanging pictures on our walls. We are reading Scripture and devotionals around our dining room table. My hubby is keeping our lawn mowed and the dog poop scooped. I'm planting tomato plants in pots on our deck. We unburied our books and are cracking them open again.
The goodness of God stands out to me each day. His love astounds me and His continual grace humbles and strengthens me. Life is harder and better than I ever thought it would be and His faithfulness is unchanging through it all. Praise Him.
And here it is, on an unseasonably chilly Sunday afternoon, the kind of day where the sunshine appears deceivingly warm. I'm curled up under a fluffy new blanket (yay wedding presents!) and have a cup of tea within arms reach. The laundry is whirling in the basement, the bed is made, fridge stocked with food, kitchen (mostly) clean, Andrew Bird is streaming on Spotify, and my favorite serenity blend of essential oils is in the warmer.
After the utter chaos of getting married and the weeks upon weeks of illness before the wedding, I am slowly attempting to settle back into the daily rhythms of life. My soul has craved this for months and months. God has allowed so many huge, often very difficult, often so very good, things to happen in the past twelve months and I think I've forgotten how to do daily, normal, balanced life.
Daily, normal life with the people that I love is my favorite rhythm. I love keeping my house clean, creating frugal and yummy dinner menus, baking cookies or a batch of muffins, folding clean laundry, and watering my houseplants. I love having friends over last minute for burgers on the grill or s'mores over a bonfire. I love late night chats about life and theology and dreams with my hubby. I love creating and maintaining a space where family, friends, and strangers alike feel welcomed and loved and relaxed.
Over the past three weeks since our honeymoon, we have diligently been working to find this pace of life. It's been a crazy and difficult three weeks and we have faced many challenges and hard decisions. But we are learning to create this rhythm of life, amidst the unending challenges and curveballs that life throws at us. The challenges and curveballs and chaos are all just part of being a human living in this world. It's our choice, our responsibility, to make life beautiful and glorifying to God amidst it all.
So we are inviting people into our home, even if we're exhausted. We are making budgets and sticking to them, even if it means saying no to things we really want. We are taking time to cook dinner (almost) every night. We have caught up on loads and loads of laundry. We are running around to rummage sales and finding old treasures that we can redo, repaint, and recreate into something new and practical and pretty. I am dabbling into working out again, even though my body is screaming at me. We are slowly unpacking and organizing the remaining boxes and hanging pictures on our walls. We are reading Scripture and devotionals around our dining room table. My hubby is keeping our lawn mowed and the dog poop scooped. I'm planting tomato plants in pots on our deck. We unburied our books and are cracking them open again.
The goodness of God stands out to me each day. His love astounds me and His continual grace humbles and strengthens me. Life is harder and better than I ever thought it would be and His faithfulness is unchanging through it all. Praise Him.
