The Fast Lane

I feel like I've been living in the fast lane lately and that's not where my "happy place" is. It sounds odd, but I really don't like summer very much. It's too busy. Because North Dakota winters are so long and frigid, I feel the need to catch every last available ray of sun in the summer and do something productive with it. I've also been working more shifts to fill in for nurses taking vacations. All of this makes me tired. I'm actually longing for the fall and winter evenings. I like to light candles, make a pot of soup and work on a quilt or a hardanger piece or read a book. And of course have a cup of hot tea. Winter is my comfort zone. I was born in North Dakota in February during a snow storm, not on the beaches of Florida in July!

Anyway, I've been reading a book (I find time!), A Tree Full of Angels; Seeing the Holy in the Ordinary by Macrina Wiederkehr. This is how she begins her story:
"This is a book about seeing and harvesting. Seeing the holy in the ordinary! Harvesting angels out of crumbs! Spending your days in the fast lane of life impairs the quality of your seeing. If you want to see to the depths, you will need to slow down. You live in a world of theophanies. Holiness comes wrapped in the ordinary. There are burning bushes all around you. Every tree is full of angels. Hidden beauty is waiting in every crumb. Life wants to lead you from crumbs to angels, but this can happen only if you are willing to unwrap the ordinary by staying with it long enough to harvest its treasure. "


First of all, I had to look up the word, theophany, in the dictionary. It means an appearance or showing of God to humans. Most likely the fact that I happened to pick up this book to read is a "theophany" of sorts for me. It's time to be reminded to slow down. I've been having trouble thinking of "sweet, simple" things for my blog. Sweet, simple things are just that, and most often they don't show up in the fast lane. Tomorrow would be a good day to take a Sunday drive on a country lane. I'll take my time and not rush. Look for photos on my next blog!