To my followers I apologize for taking such a break. I was not lacking material but the time to write about it. I am sitting here now deciding which direction to take this entry. So much has happened in our lives over the past few weeks. A lot of it gives me pause to reflect not just the past month or two but the last twenty five (and then some) years. Today is the birthday of my oldest son. He is grown and married with three children of his own now. My daughter has been married a little over a month. Our middle son engaged for almost 2 months. Our two youngest both in high school are moving full speed ahead in their lives. We have been involved over the past few weeks in everything from a wedding to a charity home build for families that lost their homes a while back: as well as all the other day to day events. I have sat with friends who have laughed, cried and also reminisced about the past, the present and the future. I have friends with new babies, friends who have sent their babies to God. I have friends who have also had marriages take place and watched sadly as some marriages did not make it. I have watched friends pray and prayed for friends who are losing loved ones and for friends who have lost their battle. I have seen joy, and watched in dismay at unexplained sadness. I have been witness to the most beautiful acts of kindness and heard about things that some should not ever be privy too. This my friends has just been since my last entry. Our world moves at such a pace that we often just keep trudging forward but seldom pause long enough to really look at where we are, at those around us and where we are heading. I work closely with an Amish community not far from my home. It is such a privilege to be counted among their friends, to help care for their families and to be included in their homes and events. Yesterday I got dressed and headed to the "community". This was the first Monday in weeks where these were my only appointments for the day (I am there most Monday afternoons). I sat with my first appointment, took care of her needs and met her sister from out of state. We visited with another friend to see her new baby and I checked in on two other mothers while there. Each time I entered their homes they stopped what they were doing and sat down in the quiet that is their world. They laughed, joked, nursed babies, chased small children, occasionally stirred or moved something around in the kitchen and even took notice of who had spent the morning doing laundry (clothes lines tell stories Lol). They talked about their lives and those of distant family and friends:they spoke of them like they lived down the street. This amazes me as they only correspond via the post office; "My goodness if we had to do such things". As we visited with one lady who was enjoying her newborn she expressed how she realized this was probably her last baby (she has some that are almost grown as well). We talked about the pace at which our families change. She commented that it made her want to slow down and savor every moment. "This quiet slow paced Amish woman thought she needed to slow down?" I was amazed. This left me in deep thought. We headed back to return my friend who had been riding along with me. As we drove at a "buggy pace" (10-15mph) down her remote dirt road, she commented that "The scholars were out" I looked over to the field and saw 3 small Amish children heading home from school running across a path through a field. They were complete with books and pails. I told my sister, they looked like a scene from "The little House Series". I dropped off my friend, her preschooler came down from his perch on the cattle gate (complete with his straw hat adorned with a funny grocery bag) to tell me good bye and I headed home. Funny thing I noticed years ago was that on the way to the Amish community I usually have my radio on in my car. I usually turn it off as I arrive (I often get stopped in my car by friends saying "hello" when they see me)I seldom turn it back on as I leave. Sometimes I have turned it on when leaving only to quickly turn it back off. It is like this everyday "thing" suddenly becomes almost distasteful or annoying. Without distraction I drove home the hour drive in deep thought. I rolled around in my mind, all that has occurred in the past few weeks. The joyous, the sad, the busy and the slow. I thought about how precious life is and how blessed I was. Somewhere in my "slow afternoon back in time" I had the moments to pause and reflect on what to be "thankful for" and why. I realized how important it is for all of us to make time to be quiet and slow down. We should all try to take a few hours this Thanks~Giving month to be quiet, to turn off the world. To maybe have a cup of tea with a friend at our kitchen counter where it is peaceful so we can listen. Take a walk deep into the woods where there are no distractions but maybe the leaves crunching under foot. We should pause to hear, to pray, to meditate, to ponder and to marvel at what we have. I know we can't all go on a retreat, spend a couple of hours or travel back in time but try to "steal" a few moments. You will feel more giving and more thankfulness. Your life will seem so much more at peace. Take the time to travel down that dirt road at a slower pace for a few minutes. What a gift to ourselves and to those around us to prepare for our coming season of Advent.
Copyright © 2011-2012 Micheline Edwards
All rights reserved to by Micheline Edwards.
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