About Travelling

I woke up this morning with this song in my head, with all these harmonies singing about travelling. 
So-  how you feel about travelling?

No matter what I am travelling for (business of pleasure) I try to seek opportunities to look afresh at the daily norms of people and places with open eyes of wonder and curiosity.  To travel is to place oneself outside of the comfortable box we have and into a world of unknowns, even if it is travels to a place already known.

You never know what kind people you might meet. Or interesting scenes you might see. Or just people-watching at the airport, or at a park. Or what about new sights of a place you may have been to before.

To me, it is an adventure. It doesn't have to be crazy, but simply taking the trip is the adventure. The journey is part of that adventure. When I travel, my imagination expands as the always-going-never-stopping-world offers endless possibilities. That means there are observations to be had around every corner. Then, surely thoughts and musings will follow. Sometimes I will watch someone and think about how much God loves them, and I wonder if that person knows it.

God is present everywhere. At the airport, on the train, at the baggage claim, and at the car rental counter. I like to look for signs, or fingerprints, of God's presence in these normally mundane places. Pass-through spots can hold a lot of moments of beauty. Oftentimes, in our daily lives so full of routine, we miss seeing God's fingerprints on something small or simple. Travelling helps reopen my eyes to these things.

With that said- see you soon St. Louis!

Pink Doughnut

(In lieu of a photo of a pink doughnut, I have a photo of a pink plant. Not the same thing, I know. I get it.)

I had a dream about a doughnut last night. More specifically, a chocolate cake doughnut with pink frosting. I gave it to a little girl (was it my niece Elliott? I do not know) and it was such a delicious treat I could almost taste it, but I didn't because the little girl ate it. And there weren't any doughnuts left. So, I didn't get one.

Sad story. The loss of a colourful, tasty doughnut. It is interesting because I would not normally want a pink frosted doughnut. When it comes to food, I am all about the simple things. When it comes to colours, I am an earth-toned girl. The bright colours do not fit me as well, even in doughnut form.  I wouldn't select something pink to eat. Those who know me well would say I am probably "mustard yellow".  Pink is not my colour, but can I appreciate pink? That made me think of a passage I had just read from The Little White Horse, by Elizabeth Goudge.

After all, though pink was not her favourite colour it was a colour, and, as Sir Benjamin had said, all colour is of the sun, and good. And pink is the colour of dawn and sunset, the link between day and night. Sun and moon alike ought both to love pink because when one is rising and the other setting they so often greet each other across an expanse of rosy sky.

I am changed. Perhaps now I may appreciate other colours much more deeply, especially pink.

Three Sorts of People

Humanity can be roughly divided into three sorts of people - those who find comfort in literature, those who find comfort in personal adornment, and those who find comfort in food.
- Elizabeth Goudge

I think I fall into all three categories. However, the literature one is where my heart is. I can deal without the others, but without literature? No. I cannot.

I just finished reading the most delightful book, The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge (my mum got it for my birthday!), which is a young adult story, or you could call it a fairy tale. I would place it in the same charming realm of C.S. Lewis' Narnia books and Madeleine L'Engle's young adult books.

I am just getting to know Elizabeth Goudge. She wrote mostly in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. She lived in England and her writings possess the most detailed loveliness of my favourite place. She encapsulates the beauty and depth of England, and in this book, the details of the landscapes, buildings, outfits, and characters was so rich. For the imaginative reader like myself, this book is a dream in book form.

The trees did not grow too close together. Between them opened the glades that last night had been silver and now were clothed in the tawny grass of very early spring. Soon, Maria guessed, the grass would be green and full of primroses. The gorse was already in flower, glorious clumps of gold that shone almost as triumphantly as the flowers in the formal garden.

Maria is an orphan who finds herself moving from London to the country to live with her uncle at Moonacre Manor, which was more like a little castle. Sir Benjamin wears the most vibrant, bright coloured clothes, and always wears his best vests and classy outfits. She learns that she is the heiress of the land and the surrounding village, but there is a sad story regarding her heritage that she means to reverse. With her goodness and kindness she sets out to know the village and the people, learn her story, and figure out how she can change it.

The names on the map, quite ordinary names through they were, sounded in her head like the notes of some beloved familiar piece of music.

It is the kind of story I cannot put down. An air of mystery, a little adventure, and good characters who are important to various aspects of her life. And the unraveling of it all to the reader. And of course, the English countryside, to me, is the loveliest place on earth, so I will be dreaming about the rolling hills and flowers blooming for quite awhile.

Tulips and a London Guidebook

Rainy morning, wind-swept dew
A day to start off slow
With grass dark, rain-soaked through
A cup of tea is ready now

I woke up to the sounds of rain drops and some wind. Morning rose, but a greyness still covered the land in the quickness of a cold front, the wind-swept clouds burst with their rains, passed through, and departed. The wind gusted extravagantly, then suddenly the air was still. The cold air that is behind the clouds pushes them southwards, eager to fill the air and stretch out along our lakes and land. And the sun came, and is shining brightly. I am thrilled by this cold and excited that it will stick around for the week, and beyond. Though, to most others, this cold weather I speak of would seem like a warm welcomed change from their frigid air. 

It feels like the weekend just began and now we are already beginning the next week. Where did this weekend time go? Where did last week go? Do you feel like that, too?
If you had a day with nothing on your list, no chores, no emails to reply to, no places to go, what would be the number one thing you would do?

I found this little London guidebook, first published in 1967, at the library, and spent the morning reading the old-fashioned ways of travel to and around one of my favourite cities. I made a pot of Yorkshire tea and drank it as I read. In case you were wondering, in Yorkshire (a large county in Northeast England) they make the very best tea. I know, because the best tea I ever had was in York, a darling town in that region. I discovered that my grocery store carries said Yorkshire tea, and it is far superior than any other black tea. If you'd like to try, just stop by and I will make a pot of tea.

It is tulip-o-clock! And my tulips are bloomed and looking lovely. This is the only time of year I get to have tulips live and in-person, so it is delightful to have these in my home. They are my favourite flower. Since my weekend seemed to disappear, I'll just conclude these rambling musings with the appreciation of the weekend, and sleeping in a little bit, and drinking delicious coffee and tea, and reading a few books.

Today is a Beauty

I may be hitting the snooze button a few times these mornings, but when I do wake up, I stretch and take a deep breath. Today is a good day. Full of beauty. I like to lay there on my back for a few minutes and say a morning prayer of thanks. Simple thoughts wake up my mind and center my heart on the goodness of the Lord within minutes of opening my eyes.

What do you do when you wake up? How do you begin your day?

I know that this day has so much potential.
Yesterday is over. A new day dawns. Old things of the past can be forgotten and forgiven.

As I plug in my electric kettle and my coffee grinder, I think about how I love the mornings. Especially when I can move slow. Especially when I can smell the coffee. If I hit the snooze button a few times I may not be able to be as slow as I wish, but I still complete these same rituals. I am extremely thankful that my boss does not require me to be there at a certain time on the dot each day. Plus or minus a few minutes isn't a big deal. While the coffee is brewing in the french press, I pick up my Bible and read another chapter.

I try to keep myself from reading more than a chapter. The wispy thin pages need not turn. I don't want to rush through the words so that my eyes glance over and forget them a moment later. I want the words to take root and sink in deep. I meander over the verses with a clear mind in the morning. I pay attention to the words and who is speaking. What is the situation? What are the questions being asked? What does this mean for today? So many dots have been connected in my morning routine of reading Scripture slowly while the world is quiet, and my mind is quiet.

Use Up Creativity

You can't use up creativity. The more you use it, the more you have.
-Maya Angelou

Every single day. Even when I am tired or not feeling like I am inspired. Most of the best creating is done when you must dig deep for the right word. The very best is worth digging for. It is worth a little bit of creative sweat. But really, there are times where I just want to be lazy, you know? Kick back with the remote control and spend hours watching television. Actually, no. That's not true. I don't watch television. I don't even have cable.

It's about not being lazy. But it is about being purposeful and not letting the creativity stop. It is about always creating. Always thinking. Always practicing. Always learning.

Sometimes all it takes is me sitting down with my journal open, and if I can muster the strength to pick up a pen, something happens and the words come out as I put that pen to the page. Something emerges in ink scribbles after a few minutes, and as I let my eyes read it when the thoughts are translated to the page, sometimes I see potential. Sometimes I turn the page and keep writing. More practice. You can't use up creativity. 

Birthday Thankfulness

On my birthday, I woke up to a text message from my dear friend, Jen, which had this verse:

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you.
- Isaiah 26.3

These words were in my mind for several hours. It was a perfect way to wake up on my birthday.

Family was in town over the weekend, so I got to spend some time with them going out to breakfast, going to a movie (The Imitation Game!), and opening some presents. I have some new coffee roasted in Gainesville to try, a new mug that is so cool, some lovely tulips that are blooming, a fancy gold spoon for my tea or coffee, a glass bowl shaped like the mad hatter's hat, a couple of new books, several new teas to try, an apple slicer, a darling Cath Kidston tote with gifts inside, and many other special things.

Most of all, spending time with the people in my life who mean the most to me has been warming my heart for several days. On my actual birthday, yesterday, I got to go to lunch with Ryan, and to dinner with Colin & Cayla. 

I am a big celebrator of birthdays, because I think we should celebrate others. Focus on the good. Think about how glad we are for that person in our lives. Show them how we love them by doing kind things. I am so thankful for every note, every card with handwritten thoughts, every text message, every email, every present, every thoughtful thing.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Another Year

Another year older today.

Another year to learn and grow.
To absorb as much knowledge as possible. To always be a sponge.
Another year to fill pages of journals exploring thoughts, travels, musings, and life.
To never grow weary of doing what I love but to keep practicing.
Another year to grow closer to those people who are so dear to me.
To cherish all the time spent with them.
Another year to travel.
To take off to new places and old places.
Another year to try new things.
Sometimes it is good to switch it up.
Another year to read lots and lots of books.
That might make me even more bookish.
Another year to take on new challenges.
It is good to stretch myself.
Another year to gain wisdom.
To learn through experiences.
Another year to appreciate all the little things.
There is so much to appreciate every single day.
Another year to do good in all the ways that I can.
Most importantly, to thank God everyday for everyday. Each one is a gift.

No good work is done anywhere without aid from the Father of Lights.
- C.S. Lewis

Do Not Be Anxious

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

- Philippians 4.6

A few people close to me have lately been full of anxious and worrisome thoughts regarding certain things going on in their lives. As I listen to them and lift up prayers, these thoughts came to mind, so I jotted them down in my journal. It is all something I also need to remember.

God is BIGGER than our biggest, most difficult problems. He can handle anything we throw His way. In fact, He wants us to throw it His way.
Do not be anxious.
The Lord tells us.
Instead, He says, offer up prayers of thanksgiving.

Well, if being anxious isn't helping you feel better about a situation, then you might want to try the opposite of that. To pray prayers full of thankfulness.
For, a lot of times the Lord tells is to do the opposite of what we automatically lean toward:
- Love your neighbor as yourself
- Blessed are the meek
- Turn the other cheek
- Do not judge others

These are all things we probably have to pay great attention to, isn't it? They don't come naturally. I certainly need some help with loving my neighbor, not being judgmental, etc..
So it makes sense that we need to be told to not be anxious. It is obviously an age-old problem that we all have. And God is age-old, in fact without age. He is before time. So, I think God knows how to take care of us and our anxious thoughts, don't you?

I like to believe that our Creator, who is above all things, and who is bigger than any mountain of anxious thoughts we may have piled up. And at the same time, He loves me as an individual, every ounce of my being.

I like to rest each night in the comfort and the arms of the Lord who is gentle and loving, but who can also fight battles for me.
You don't have to carry that weight around.
Set it down, and let go of it.
Then thank God for taking the weight off. He will take care of it.

Collecting and Sharing Words

Let's talk about words for a minute. If you give me a minute, I might take an hour on this topic. If you tire of my word-speak, I do apologize, but it won't stop.

I have this need of words. This un-containable need to collect words, to write, and to share words. In cases such as these it is impossible to restrict, for the next thing would be an explosion of verbiage. This feeling of being enamored by words and the ebb a flow of how they form form sentences.

A pretty lamp sits on my piano, lit to a soft setting. The warm light casts a vintage glow that cascades to my lace valance hanging just behind it. I don't usually notice that lace valance; it sort of fades to the background of my living room, but when the lamp is on, even a soft light, my eye is drawn to something right in front of me that I barely saw before. I notice how pretty the little lace details are.

Words are light; the warm glow that draws our attention to something we may not notice much. Words bring light to the details we miss. They add description and feeling of something that is being relayed to a reader who is not in that place. In a letter they can say something deeper than what might be said in conversation. There is thought behind the written word. The power of words lie in the ideas they enable. They are powerful, and should be chosen with care and thought.

For some reason, I am drawn to words, to writing, to stories, to books. Like a moth to a light. I am drawn without even thinking about it. I cannot be parted from words even for a short time, or I feel deprived. No matter where I go, I never leave my house without a book and my journal in my bag. And when I read, I often come to sentences that I must underline, and read again. Saying the words in my head, writing them in my journal, and sometimes speaking them out loud to give them space.

I collect them in my head and write them on paper. I am always collecting words. My journals are scattered with new words and their definitions. I gather from sources like reading the dictionary, literature, listening to lectures, talking with other people who use a myriad of verbiage.

The wonderful thing about collecting words is there is always more to collect. Our English language is robust, and have plenty of interesting, seldom used words that may just need to be learned and revived. Watch out! I might just share them with you.