Dreich and Grey

 

Dreich and grey
Straight away
Sets my day
Into beautiful sway

The sky hangs low on this weekend day, settling a misty cold over the land. I hold my mug of coffee in my hands to warm them. The chill is wonderfully seasonal. Autumnal atmosphere is perfection of the comforts we have inside our cosy homes.

This kind of day embodies the perfect time to be tucked away at home packing packing packing. Except when I make a sandwich, and when I write this. Maybe I will even grab my book later to read. But first I must pack my teacups. The weather is too perfect not to take a few minutes to write. I can't help it. Weather inspires me. The cold, grey, misty day gives me the mental energy to feel like I could write a novel.

Today has been a perfectly lovely British weather day. Grey, but gentle. Chilly and drizzly. Dreich (a Scottish word meaning dull, dreary, gloomy, rainy) all day. It's a special treat for me, and I feel like I should indulge in the rarity of it, as much as I can in between boxes. If I disappear for awhile, come check on me. I might have fallen into a big box and into another realm.

I am moving in a little over a week. Not far, just a few minutes down the road, but it's a fresh start that will be inspiring. It's just this in-between bit that is difficult. Distractions come in all kinds of shapes and deadlines loom without wavering. I am focused on the packing so I can move as planned. It pains me to put other creative and reading things on hold, but I shall get back to those deeper creative things once I move and unpack. I know I need to give the space these days need to get organized and ready. Fit in the reading and writing in short snippets.

It is very chilly in here. Of course I don't turn on the unit with heat. I will pack instead and quickly forget that I am chilly. I made a cup of jasmine green tea, added some oat milk, and sipping on it now is bliss.

I rest in thankfulness I feel about each day and its gifts. In the week of Thanksgiving the opportunity to reflect is abundant, even amidst other things. Unexpected, unasked for things come that grace my life and I wonder how and why I should ever deserve it. I don't. It's humbling because I know this is the kind of love and grace the Lord shows us everyday. We don't deserve that love. Yet we have it and can accept it, or reject it. I dwell in the thankfulness that arises within me, and thank the Lord for that which is beyond me, which graces me, and offers me the reminder of God's goodness and love.

A Certain Truth in Uncertain Times

 

...the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 

John 3.19

Each day we are given the gift of a sunrise and a fresh start to awaken in the world. We might make some coffee with the hope and prayer that the day might bring joy. We remember what struggle yesterday might have brought. It comes wafting back to us with the rising steam of coffee. 

We have the choices before us every day, whether we work, volunteer, meet with others, or travel. Each day presents us with hours of time that we get to choose how each minute is used. Are we making the choice to do something good in each minute of the day?

We might feel inundated by constant reminders of disarray and suffering. Of division and selfishness. One cannot turn to any website or social media platform and not see it. We might feel it personally in different ways too. A disconnected feeling from what is true and good.

This all leads us to feel rather alone in the world. Nobody else could possibly feel the disconnectedness we feel, as our minds swirl into the chaos these are the words we listen to. If we focus on them long enough, they become our reality. We think we are alone with nobody to listen to us or care. We think we have to figure it out ourselves, as we have no one to turn to. Or we turn the wrong way because it seems to fill the need.

We try to fit puzzle pieces together and only feel bereft of any real answer. We seek happiness wherever it feels good for the moment, not thinking about if that's actually what God desires for us. The best goodness might be waiting for us while we busy ourselves with distractions that we cling to to avoid anything real.

I am one tiny person who leads a quiet life, and yet I see this all around me. I hear this. I feel this. 

That must mean I am not the only one. You're not the only one.

In the Gospel of John, the end of chapter 2 says "for he (Jesus) knew what was in man."

How does Jesus know? He was a man - living and breathing. Eating and laughing. Hugging and walking. He knows the heart of man, because he was one. 

God as Creator of the universe might seem elusive sometimes - as Spirit which we cannot see. God is spirit, life, breath, wind. He goes where He pleases because He is everywhere at all times. He is beyond time. There are no restrictions for God. But we humans like tangible things. We like some image or example. God as spirit can be hard to grasp in our earthly limitations.

The dark haired, tanned skin man called Jesus walked the earth in leather sandals. His feet got dusty. He shared meals with people. He told stories. He came down from heaven to draw closer to us. To show us how to live and love. To share examples of what the Kingdom of God is to set our imaginations on fire. We had always resisted. We still do. He was reaching for us then. He still is now. We are never alone.

This is what I cling to. Whether times are calm or uncertain. It's the only thing that was certain then, and will always be certain forever.

Cosy Autumn Mysteries

 

Intuition is like reading a word without having to spell it out. A child can't do that because it has had so little experience. A grown-up person knows the word because they've seen it often before.
- Agatha Christie

It might not feel like Autumn here, with temperatures still climbing into the mid-upper 80s, but it feels very atmospheric in the book world anytime. It is the time of year when I crave the mysteries and Autumnal vibes. With the season sprouting up everywhere around us, apples, pumpkins, leaves, and spices, I pretend we are in a new season with some decor, candles, and books. I buy apples. And I cook some dishes with butternut squash. 

I recently picked up a couple of Agatha Christie mysteries at the library, which were enjoyable reads, doing well to impart those mysterious vibes of solving puzzles. One was a spy thriller (Passenger to Frankfurt) and one was a murder mystery (Sad Cypress). Both were fun, puzzle solving adventures.

Life is full of mystery. We have seen much of these things before in perhaps smaller ways. Mystery seems to be swallowing the time around us, with questions and wonderings. I think part of why some of us enjoy murder mysteries so much is that they are a kind of fantasy, meaning, they are rather dramatic and unrealistic, so it's an escape from our own problems. It's not likely that kind of murder mystery would happen to us. All the while it is a fascinating exploration of human nature, personality, and crime. Why do people do what they do? What are the motives behind crime? Is there some past occurrence that deeply wounded a character? Is there another way to solve the puzzle of the murder? Did you catch that missing piece which broke the alibi? 

Using pieces of clues and observation, one does solve the mystery and/or murder. It's a cosy thing, with these books, that there is a mystery solved, and the reasons are brought to light. It reminds me that sometimes we think we can hide our selfish or bad behavior and it not be found out, it usually comes to light at some point. Not that we are committing crimes, of course, it's usually small things with us in real life. But that's what makes these kinds of golden age mysteries so enjoyable. They are at the same time relatable (we can sometimes put ourselves in the shoes of the characters and either feel the same or feel strongly opposed) and also provide us with an encounter of an outlandish fantasy kind of mystery that won't happen in your life that makes it an exciting read to puzzle the brain around. Don't mind me whilst I dip into many mysteries this season.