Today, it’s different. After three years of squirreling around nearly incessantly in my home area of Omaha, I’m at my friend Susie’s house in northern Minnesota for a few-day visit. And one major joy? Sitting in one of my long-time favorite places. In fron
t of her living room picture window, resting in a comfortable rocker, foot on the lo
w sill, looking out over acres of land enveloped in miriad types of greenery, the occasional chipmunk, squirrel, or bird swifting through. And overall enjoying its emptiness. Can occasionally see the blip of a car down the distant highway. That’s it. The constant inward drive to go and do and be and watch and prepare has slid to the back a bit. Still there, because the two of us spend hours hashing out those topics that affect us in many ways ... personally ... and our nation ... and the Body of Christ. Not many sweetness and light, fluffy subjects. But, can’t go anywhere, do anything at this moment that will pull me back into that total mentality of “go and do and be and watch and prepare.” Overall, I’m resting, retreating, relaxing... refurbishing my inner self. Enjoying the emptiness.
I leave on Thursday, and I know it will be only a few hours until the “normality” of life strikes again... probably when I cross the Nebraska state line. But for now, in a very rare time I would ever admit it, “emptiness” is a good thing.
Go forward to fullness
13 comments:
I will not be jealous. I will not be jealous. I will not be jealous.
Caryjo, you inspire me to take a walk in the woods tomorrow morning before my day gets going. I pray I make it there, to have a taste of everything you just described.
Being. :)
Love moments like this. They are powerful and refreshing! Thanks.
I thought of the old saying, "Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits." Just sitting is a good thing, too.
Good for you! This made me think that we are really 'human beings' not 'human doings'. Thanks for the reminder! Blessings to you! Enjoy!
you look so comfortable, so peaceful there...I long for that "good" emptiness.
Guess what? I did make it to the woods this morning. What on earth are clouds of mosquitoes doing at dawn? Don't they sleep? It was a brief yet very blessed outing.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Emptiness for me will be when Thurs. comes and you leave for home and hubby ... it's such a gift to have you here.
Oh, Caryjo! You're at that Susie's house! Now I won't even try not to be jealous. I can only imagine how very peaceful it must be there.
I now have an entirely different appreciation for your emptiness. How absolutely lovely for you both.
You need more emptiness like that in your life. :)
Well, something changed last night. A pastor-couple I was going to see on Thursday evening and stay at their house about 100 miles west of here and hit the road for home the next morning having saved a couple hours off my final driving stage on Friday ... WELL, a family situation conflicted that with them... SO I'm not leaving Susie's until Friday morning. So we have one extra afternoon/ evening of the sharing/hashing/Rosenberg Epicenter DVD watching/ice cream-eating with peanut butter [a tradition since high school -- although sometimes we add hot fudge to it, too]/and only the Lord knows what else. I haven't been here all the time -- spent Saturday 100 miles north of here with a pastor-couple, and yesterday 100 miles east of here with a pastor-couple... hours and hours of joyful and intense conversation thrown into the driving stretch, so both times these visits away were in the 10-hour range. Today and tomorrow more "emptiness."
I wouldn't take so much time to write on my own site, except that I can't send emails from up here -- receive, yes; send, no -- some kind of server conflict no one has been able to figure out. So this is a summary of the last few days.
Thanks for the encouragements. AND before this visit is over, I hope you all will see something a bit unique by/about both of us... we're trying to come up with something that will make you all smile.
Blessings.... J
Sounds lovely! Enjoy your emptiness, and the extra time you've been blessed with.
Oh, that is a good kind of emptiness!
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