Living-Deliberately.com

Yesterday was the last of our “big days in Maryville”, namely, driving in for homeschool co-op for the day. Nestled within the day was a sweet visit to a friend and her newest baby, dinner, fun and comfortable with a friend who blesses me with her openness, hospitality, and care, and the annual christmas program, in which one child took part in a Latin prayer and another had a small speaking part in a little play.

It was a marathon of an extroverted day for this red-headed introvert and right after daughter dear’s lines, I took my Giant Baby to a darkened classroom for some quiet time. He, who has stubbornly refused every suggestion on my part that we need to give some hefty consideration to this idea of “weaning”, nursed happily in the hush, giving me thanks in his own little way for removing him from the lights and noise for a little respite before rejoining the fun, happy friends, and festivities of the reception below.

I patted his bottom and thanked the heavens yet again that day for the blessing of having, as of that time, no emergencies like last week, and a short phrase came to mind:

Be Where You Are.

I sat thinking about that….being content. Not bemoaning what I’m missing elsewhere or fretting about where I need to go next. Just Be.

This morning, after sleeping in as much as one can with a toddler who doesn’t value the concept, I sipped my coffee (thank you again C!) and caught up on yesterday’s emails and blogs. Father Stephen had this to say:

“But, in the simple words of Elder Sophrony, the Church thinks that the true nature of life is to live. It almost sounds silly to say such a thing, but it is our lack of living that is the greatest symptom of our fall from God. St. Irenaeus of Lyons said, “The Glory of God is a man fully alive.”

In the winter, I’ve found that I tend to create a kind of cocoon for myself. I pull back on outside activities, I make lists and plans of action that actually get accomplished, I listen more, I think more (maybe too much!). In the past weeks I’m aware that I crave this while we move towards it…it is really what the garden plans, the goat pen drawings, the curriculum choices are all about. A sort of “regrouping” of life that enables the rest of the year.

I’m going to Be Where I Am. I’m going to work on really living. Living Deliberately, because I don’t always do that, nor do I often do it well, gets it’s invigoration on the hearth and earth of where God’s planted us.

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