All in a Day's Work

Last Friday was a busy day. Aaron has some flexibility with his work schedule, so he drove up to Fayetteville to help Olivia and Connor move into their new apartment.

With the help of both dads, they were able to not only move everything into their new home but also clean and turn in the keys for their former home. 

While he was in NW Arkansas, I attended professional development, learned about emotional poverty, and made connections with other books I've read. My local educational co-op always offers various topics that help teachers be well-rounded in their classroom and in their personal lives.

When I got home, I had just enough time to pick the veggies from our little garden, water the raised beds, and bring the clothes inside before my mom picked up Katherine and me to go to Stoby's for supper.

Not only did Aaron meet us there, but so did my brother, John, his family, my dad, and some old family friends. So many good things crammed into a single day!

Sweet Sabbath

"Sabbath rest is radical because it means putting rest -- and delight, and flourishing -- first rather than last."

~Travis West, "The Sabbath Way: Making Room in Your Life for Rest, Connection, and Delight"

What a week it has been. A glorious, pouring out, nurturing our community kind of week. A time to say thank you for the care Aaron's mom received when she had a stroke, a time to help multiple families move, a time to provide food and fellowship for tender hearts. Physical rest has been elusive, but delight has been abundant.

Small ones who experienced the thrill of dandelions for the first time. Many meals provided for extras. Extra local food gifted by my favorite farmer when I helped just a wee bit.

The first long bean of the season. Kind people to help Katherine when her car broke down, and we were all in different places. And so much more.

Recapture, Refocus, Redirect

"I need to put my heart in a place where it can once again be in awe of the grandeur of God that reaches far beyond the bounds of the most expressive words in the human vocabulary. I need awe of him to recapture, refocus, and redirect my heart again and again. And I need to remember that the war for the awe of my heart still wages inside me." 

~Paul David Tripp, "Awe: Why it Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do"

Growing things is good for my heart in so many ways. Trying to coax food from seed to sprout to transplant to fruit takes endless perseverance and a reliance on the One who makes things grow. I also learn many new things along the way, like the need to add calcium nitrate to the soil when blossom end rot rears its ugly head. Trying new seeds every year brings colors and tastes into my home. These lovely "blush tiger" tomatoes have grown better than anything else so far!

Growing things also reveals idols in my heart and shows me where my awe is placed. When I pick raspberries or colorful beans, my heart is recaptured and refocused, and I definitely need those constant reminders! My little raised beds are quickly growing into a place where my awe for the Lord is refreshed and strengthened.

Time to Move

Olivia and Connor have completed a year in the "newlywed, we work four jobs and go to school full time budget" apartment. Finally, they are upgrading just a wee bit. We took a weekend to help them pack and to enjoy some time together.

Our hotel housed a cute little gym with all of the basics, so that's where I began each day. Until cancer caused me to stay in America longer than anticipated, we had moved often. Very often. Mucho moving.

Which means we have a stash of boxes and packing material we have accumulated over the years. Newspapers ten plus years old, boxes with all sorts of things written on them from various moves.

So many memories were lying hidden among the layers of cardboard, I kept snapping pictures and sending them to the family group chat.

We made time to visit Olivia at work, the Beautiful Lives Thrift Outlet, and we picked up some coffee on the way for Olivia and her coworkers.

Church together was the cherry on top. Filling up a pew happens so infrequently that it's an extra special treat.

 

Ikigai and Community

"If I am disconnected from community and isolated, my walk with God gets harder." 

~Marcus Warner, "A Deeper Walk"

I recently got to cheer for several of my string students as they performed in "Bye Bye Birdie" with Red Curtain Theater. So proud of this bunch! Just before the show began, the woman sitting next to me gushed about how her small granddaughter had been welcomed and included by the theater family, despite the granddaughter's inexperience and young age.

 

Katherine and I continue to chip away at "sewing school" with my mom. I'm really grateful for her investment of time, energy, and patience. We've had all sorts of sweet conversations as we picked out seams and talked about our spiritual walks and ironed and made quick trips to Hobby Lobby for the things we forgot to buy earlier.

As the bush beans wane in the summer heat, my long beans are taking off. Soon we will have these reminders of the Solomon Islands on our plates. I'm surprised at how much joy my little garden brings me. I've been thinking about Ikigai lately, a term I learned at some of my professional development. It's a Japanese term that goes beyond answering the question of what gets you up each morning. The term encompasses "the intersection of passion, talent, and benefit to others", and finding a diagram with overlapping spheres to determine one's own ikigai is easy. Information about this way to approach life abounds and encourages me to be intentional about how I spend my time and energy to build my community.

Days 11 and 12 of 40

We're not making much headway on our 40 days of friendship goals, but we are definitely having fun together and we are thankful for all of the opportunities to love our community with our time and energy.

Day 11 was a movie, which is a rarity for us, Aaron saw that "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" was being shown again in theaters, so he asked me out on a date :) Day 12 was our impromptu breakfast date on Father's Day.

 

A Good, but Inconvenient, Life

"A meaningful life is often inconvenient—and that’s what makes it good. It asks for effort, for presence, for staying when things aren’t easy. If we want to feel rooted, purposeful, and less alone, we need to reclaim a little inconvenience." ~Israa Nasir

If you have a few thoughtful minutes today, might you click on the link above and read this well written article? Nasir puts my thoughts into words on a page. I'm also beginning to wonder how these concepts connect to and support the idea of a Sabbath lifestyle.

"This is the culture we’ve built, one that tells us convenience is king, that needing people is weak, and that time is only valuable if it is optimized. But this cult of convenience carries a cost: our relational muscles have atrophied, and our tolerance for the messy, beautiful work of being in community has all but disappeared." This summer, I'm seeking to build community by inviting friends to take a walk with me. Sometimes it's a 6:30 a.m. before work walk, sometimes it's a middle of the day "walk on the trail to a coffee shop" kind of walk. 

Growing my own food and buying from local farmers isn't convenient or efficient, but the results are worth it. My little raised beds take time and energy as I sprinkle diatomaceous earth to ward off aphids and avoid pesticides. My farmer buddies get up early and work hard all day, depending on the Lord to provide the right weather conditions. Their food tastes better than anything we can buy at the grocery store, and the way these farmers care for their animals and plants is good stewardship of our earth.

I'm tossing Nasir's words about time and relationships into the pot on the backburner of my mind to let them simmer for a while.

Raspberries Galore

Our raspberries produce abundantly, but briefly. I made these Raspberry Oat Crumble Squares for a church women's dessert night, and they were delicious! We have a couple of ladies with Alpha Gal Syndrome, and a few more who are gluten free, so whenever we have gatherings with food, I try to bring something they can eat.

More often, I layer our raspberries in jars for overnight oatmeal, one of my favorite summer breakfasts:

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup raw milk

1 tsp chia seeds

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (or vanilla)

1/2 cup raspberries

Refrigerate overnight, stir and eat for a yummy start to the day!

 

Marriage Monday

"People need to know we have weaknesses. Nobody wins when we pretend we have it all together. Heart-focused communities are characterized by transparency. The strong members of the group use their strength to help the weak, not ignore them. If people learn that sharing their weakness will get them in trouble, they learn to wear masks and hide what they fear is unacceptable to others. This is a big problem because people who conceal their weaknesses can't grow." 

~Marcus Warner, "A Deeper Walk"

At 6:45 a.m. on Father's Day, I got a wild and crazy idea. I love my routines and schedules, spontaneous outings are not really my things. But I had a coupon for a local restaurant we hadn't tried, and I thought walking to breakfast sounded like a great way to celebrate this guy.

We quickly donned our walking shoes and walked the 1 1/4 miles downtown. Our waiter was fabulous and helped us pick food that delighted our taste buds. We even had plenty of time to walk back home and get ready for church.

 

On the way home, Aaron brought up a recent conversation that hadn't gone so well. He gently and thoughtfully pointed out some areas for growth in my life. And he was exactly right. 

The above quote was written about communities, but I think it applies to marriages, too. Transparency and safety with each other provide a foundation for growth. We can share our weaknesses with each other instead of trying to hide them. Mine have a way of popping to the surface unannounced. I just discovered "The Art of Spousing" on social media and Apple Podcasts, and I'm looking forward to exploring their topics and resources more. Another tool to go into our marriage toolbox! 

Health Update

My one-year checkups are all complete! Just a little different from my March appointments, this round consisted of a mammogram, a visit with my surgeon's office, bloodwork, a visit with my oncologist, and a lymphedema scan. I took flowers to my little hometown branch where I've received most of my treatments.

The wait to see my oncologist was longer than usual. I always take snacks and a book, but after two hours, I was hungry and tired of sitting. I started walking laps around the parking lot and eventually asked Aaron if he would bring me some food on his lunch break. He thoughtfully cut up my pork chop and included a love note on a napkin. That's real romance!

All scans are clear, I'm gaining muscle, and bloodwork is holding steady. My oncologist is going to look into a few things to help remedy my fatigue, and I'll make the next round of appointments in three months.

Garden Abundance

So many things are growing right now! The lilies, hydrangeas, and the very first of the zinnias made a lovely bouquet to take to my surgeon's office.

The beans are trying to grow. But we're not the only ones who like to eat them.

The tomatoes are struggling mightily with aphids, the zucchini are succumbing to who knows what, and my purple teepee beans have real life "very hungry (purple) caterpillars".

But the raspberries from my former math teacher are prolifically producing.

Stepping into the tunnel feels like traveling to Narnia through the wardrobe. Plus mosquitoes. 

So we're giving away berries to my cello students, neighbors, family, and friends. And eating all things raspberry.

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Grandma

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." 

Proverbs 31:30

We finally gathered to celebrate my beautiful grandmother's birthday, only a couple of weeks late.

My cousin found an old picture of Grandma and had it printed onto the cake. She was lovely at 17, and she is still lovely at 94.

Multiple generations filled the house, shared stories I've never heard, and praised Grandma's faithfulness and good stewardship. Watching and listening made me think about how I want to be living when I'm her age and what I need to be doing now to reach those goals.

Summer School

"So your job is simply this: Focus on doing your best to honor God with whatever He has given you. The Bible calls this stewardship, and it's how we keep it light while pursuing a vision for our lives."

~Joel Malm, "Keep it Light: The Freedom of Priorities in Life, Work, and Love"

Katherine took concurrent college classes throughout her junior year, and during the spring semester she had a forty-five-minute commute. She knew her capacity and chose to delay Advanced Biology until summer. We got started her first day by walking to a nearby coffee shop and splurging on drinks to celebrate the beginning of summer school.

She and I chose patterns and materials for the other portion of summer school, sewing school with my mom. It's been way too long since I pulled out my little sewing machine, and I need to polish up my skills. I'm looking forward to creating beautiful clothes with Katherine this summer.

My portion of summer school is to continue taking professional development courses to keep my Arkansas teacher's license current. I haven't needed that license in several years, but part of my good stewardship is to stay as sharp and prepared as possible.

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Our local co-op provides a wide variety of options. Recently, my time learning has included everything from information about the Blue Zones to suicide prevention training.

Happy Birthday, Joanna

What a day jam packed with good things. Our original plans included a morning hike with a picnic for lunch, but the rain caused us to defer that hike. 

Instead, we invited some friends over for a birthday brunch. The husband of this sweet family was Benjamin's best man and is also Connor's mentor. They are in town for a while, maybe for even longer, so we jumped at the chance to spend some time with them

Their kiddos are super fun, and I now have another garden buddy. Charlotte picked our first beans of the season.

Katherine made me a beautiful and delicious strawberry trifle "birthday/cancerversary cake" with local strawberries and homemade pudding and angel food cake. Olivia and Connor couldn't stay very long, so we snapped a quick picture in the rain before they left.

And then we decided to tackle that hike. The weather looked like it might cooperate, so we chose Longpool Falls, a little more than an hour away and an easy hike. 

Last time we were here, the weather was clear and cold. This time, the rain kept things cool and wet, but spirits were high, and laughter abounded.

The girls came prepared to play in the water,

while I wore my rainboots and raincoat :) The hike was absolutely beautiful, and the water was running at full speed.

Sarah stayed for a few more days to raise support for her return to the Solomon Islands, but I snuck in some walks and some visits with this beauty.