Appreciating Simple

Well I spent the weekend moving into my bedroom. As you recall, I moved into this house in early January. It’s taken this long to do a little remodeling and cleanup. There’s still painting to be done and the plumbing, but all is well and I’m very settled now. I even have some pictures on the tables and the walls (I think you’re in one of them).

As I’ve mentioned before, it’s not really a house (or any material thing) that brings peace and meaning to my life these days (or yours either). It’s easing deeper and deeper into the vast ocean of Christ’s love and finding how miraculously I stay afloat, even as my arms often flail about and I gulp water. It would be so much easier if I just relaxed and let the waves carry me out to sea, but there’s still the fear that the Loch Ness monster is lurking out there and God won’t see it. Still, on most days I put my trust in Him and bob along smoothly (can one bob smoothly, or is that an oxymoron?)

So today was my typical, single woman, between careers, almost past menopause type of day. I got up early and colored my hair (remember in Alaska when I accidentally colored my toenail)?  Anyway, I then turned on my computer to check my email and “NOOOOOO!”, not only was I not connected,  but my network did not appear in the network list. Now that might not be such a big deal except I know I have a virus that I’ve been trying to delete. I was afraid it had eaten up my network or something. I don’t know how these things work. I really did pray over my modem (not the first time) and YAY! When I unplugged it then plugged it back again I was in business. In my email was a note from a cute guy from Match.com. Things were looking up!

Then off to run errands, mainly Home Depot.  Outside I noticed a piece of my palm tree fell in the night. It broke off right at the ground. Hmmmm. What causes that?  Well, later.

On the way to Home Depot, I “needed” to stop at Starbucks because I always like to reward myself for doing anything productive and besides, it’s on the way (It’s always on the way everywhere. It’s right by my house). But there was NO parking anywhere at all. I guess this cool, fresh weather has inspired people to drink. Now once “latte” is in my head, there’s no turning back. So I drove back home, parked, and walked to Starbucks. Then back home to my car and off I go.

The most wonderful thing happened in Home Depot. When I pulled out my Kleenex and handed it to the man at the paint counter and sheepishly, batting my eyelashes asked, “Can you match this?”, he replied with a hearty, “No problem, Ma‘am!” Woohoo!  My bathroom walls are going to be Kleenex green (and that’s before the Kleenex has been used, for all you funny people out there).  It’s perfect!

While the paint was being mixed I cruised the store, picked up a light fixture, then got my paint and headed for checkout. The line was long so I thumbed through a kitchen decorating book.  On about page 6, where I noticed they had stolen my idea for two-toned walls, it was time for another sip of latte and, “NOOOOOOO….”,  it went missing! I double checked the cart (and my hand) and it was gone. I didn’t know where to look first. I started back to the paint counter and there it was, waiting for me beside the free paddles, like a lost child. A lady gave me the eye as I desperately snatched it up from in front of her and moved away.  Another tragedy averted in my simple life.

And a simple life it is right now. And I’m so thankful. I was at a funeral for a friend my age on Saturday. She’d had a long battle with colon cancer, and I felt the heaviness, the loss, and the disorientation of her family. The grief journey is just beginning for them. Nothing will ever be the same and, for a while, nothing will be simple… or happy.

“Weeping may endure for a night , but joy comes in the morning……..Oh Lord, My God, I will give you thanks forever.”