To Savor the Seasons, To Savor Each Day

It can come so silently that we don't recognize it,

crowding it's way into our minds and our lives.

And gradually it takes over,

dictating our days, occupying our every moment.

It happens over and over again.

And we need to be rescued over and over again.

A pre-occupation with tasks, a busy hurried mindset, a focus on the urgent. 

A missing out on seeing, really seeing, all the beauty around us, in the eyes and hearts of those we love, in what we hold in our hands, in the every day of our lives.

Sometimes all it takes is a silent prayer, a cry for help, 

and the quieting of our hearts -

to draw us back into really seeing ...

Our summer, and especially our 18-day Pacific Coast Trip were just what we needed after a very, very busy six months. When we arrived back home, we were completely refreshed, filled up in heart and soul. And we purposed to hang on to that sense of rest, even in the midst of work and responsibilities.

But the busy, the rush, and the urgent have a way of slowly and surely creeping back into our lives again, don't they? 

And there is a need to push the pause button, 

to purposely slow down. Again.

I am not alone in this. I see it everywhere I go. 

I love how Shauna Niequist describes this longing in each of us for the ability to savor our moments, our time with those we love, our every day.

"What I want to do is savor this life - my life, my children, my community, this gorgeous world God created. That's what we all want, right? To soak up the goodness all around us, to be aware of holy fingerprints everywhere, to walk through each day expecting and noticing those glints and shimmers of the divine right in the daily - in a hug. a tomato sandwich, a quiet moment, a text from someone we love.

That's what I want, and so often I miss it. I lay in bed at night frustrated with myself that I allowed the minor annoyances of life to obscure the rich melody underneath it. I rush and push and don't even see the beauty all around me. I let my fear about the unknowns in our future or my desire to control everything and everyone around cover over the deep beauty and grace and peace that are playing like a drumbeat under everything." (Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are)

What if we paused to notice,

quieted our hearts to listen,

opened our eyes to really see

what is happening all around us -

the glimpses into another's heart,

the traces of God's love, 

everywhere, everyday.

I am thanking God for showing me, again, how easy it is for me to become wrapped up in tasks, in responsibilities and accomplishments. All good things, and worthy callings. But drawing me ever so slowly away from what is most important ... to take time to sit quietly, to notice the beauty in the every day, to listen and to care deeply, to soak in the gifts of His Presence, and His Love.

Good reminders ... each day.

And on this first day of Beautiful Fall.

(Giving credit - and my thanks -  
for the free printout in photo frame above: amberhousley.com)