“This life is not a state of …of being, but becoming;

We are not yet what we shall be,
but we grow toward it;

The process is not yet finished,
but it is still going on;

This life is not the end,
it is the way to a better.

All does not yet shine with glory;
nevertheless, all is being purified.” –Martin Luther

My, but that’s a difficult concept for me to grasp! Not intellectually — I have pages of written thoughts on the subject! — but in each moment. How do I actively understand that these five minutes of washing dishes, these make up my life? This list of chores isn’t something to be blindly rushed through, as though the bold line I’ll slash through each duty marks the beginning of my real day. If nothing more, these 24 hours are another gift-from-God opportunity to reaffirm in a thousand ways my love for Him — and to stop now and then and hear Him rejoicing over me with singing. Yes, He wants to spend this day, this gray and unexciting day, with me.

And at the end of it, He wants my love and faith and perspective to have grown.

Oh, Lord, whisper to my heart. Call to me, while I wash, while I cook, while I live. Help me to cherish this process of living and recognize that You are in the becoming and not just the being, the experience and not just the ending.

Bounding (carefully) up the porch steps in nothing less than a deluge, and standing in the middle of the kitchen floor while water puddled beneath me, all I could think was,

“I said drrrenched, and I meant drrrenched.”

Oh, I love that movie!

P.S. Speaking of movies, thanks to our lack of television, and the fact that we currently have no movies at the house, I am forced to read and quilt on this rainy afternoon. What lovely things to be forced into!

Waking up before my alarm to raindrops and cool breeze…
Propping my pillow and reading another chapter of Anne of Windy Poplars…
Dozing off again…
Sipping coffee, reading my favorite Book…
Cleaning in my pajamas…
Enjoying a sparkling kitchen sink…
Eating peaches and blueberries in cream for breakfast…

These are a few of my favorite things.

One year.

Hard to believe it’s almost been an entire year. The First Year was so thought through, so talked about, so focused on. And now it’s almost over. On June 26th, we’ll officially have moved into the rest of Forever. (…Forever, of course, being a slight exaggeration, and only meaning the rest of our finite lives.)

I’m thinking this week, and for the last little bit, about this year that we have under our belts. What did we learn? How have we changed? What made it a successful year? So many questions I really don’t have a clear answer to. I simply know that the bride I was twelve months ago is not the same wife I am today. Can I put my finger on the lessons learned? Well, maybe, when revelation strikes and I suddenly understand the subtle mysteries of transformation. But mostly, the progress was made below the surface. Like any structure that is built to last, there must be digging and strengthening far beneath what will eventually be visible. A foundation, laid carefully, intentionally, ready to carry the weight of what will one day rise.

All very poetic for something that seems anything BUT on a daily basis. But days string together, and, when each is surrendered to the Master’s hands, become something none of us, living from moment to moment, could have foreseen.

So, we’ll celebrate one year this weekend. There was the hemming and hawing and leaving it until the last minute, but at last we decided.

We’ll spend the whole weekend here, strolling and eating and enjoying the things that I’ve never really taken time for. This lovely spot will be home for three days. There won’t be any of these (maybe next time around), but there will be him, him, and all the rest. And of course, plenty of this. Gotta make sure we support the local roasters!

I’m excited. I’ll take the camera and savor every sight, taste, and note.

And look forward to the rest of our Forever.