Friends - Day 27

The day stretching before me was scattered at best.  Other than a plan to visit my mom and feed my family, there was no plan.

In recent weeks, my regular day-to-day at home has been returned back to the haphazard chaos of not getting things done.  Although I had expected it, knowing I would be gone almost daily to help my mom as she recuperated, my dislike of the disharmony once again has surprised me.  I have put a lot of energy into making over some of my habits and instilling workable routines and structure into our home over the last number of months.  The changes had been needed for a very long time and I relied on them heavily.

Putting some of the new habits and routines on hold temporarily has left me feeling a bit lost at times.  I know what needs to be done, I know what I should do.  But fitting in any extras above meal-making, laundry, basic care needs of my family, and work doesn't give me much time to tackle anything of significance.  When I have a block of time without a plan, I flounder.

In typical fashion when I feel at loose ends, I began cooking.  As most meals have been my go-to easy meals lately, I settled in happily to make a lovely mushroom soup from scratch for lunch.   My phone rang just as I was about to add the last ingredients.  A thoughtful friend was inviting me to visit a local craft sale with her.  Again, I floundered.  Indecision about how to use my time most effectively is a true struggle for me these days.  I wanted to go with her, not because of the local event which hadn't even made it onto my radar, but because I realized as soon as she invited me that I am craving time with my friends.  How did she know?

Pulling myself together, I quickly checked that Luke hadn't made plans to go anywhere.  I put the finishing touches on the soup and set it to simmer so it would be ready for the boys.  Then I made as short of work as possible of making myself presentable to the world beyond my door.  In other words, I got out of my yoga pants and brushed my hair into a more controlled pony-tail.  She still had to wait a few minutes before I was ready to go.

We were together for only a little more than an hour, but it was a rejuvenating hour.  We wandered around the small craft show together with her daughter.  We talked about the things on the tables, things we've bought before, or use regularly.  We admired artwork and handwork.  We bought a few things.  We ran into people we knew and chatted with them.  We laughed.  We were just...friends.  She was a bit of refreshment for my soul.

Click here to see the rest of my Write 31 Days series:  Simple Gems

Connecting - Day 21

Surrounded by a crowd buzzing with excitement, we stood in the midst, sharing our stories.  Merrymaking all around us; laughter in abundance, stories being told, children run yelling.  And yet all the noise and commotion was simply a murmur in my ears.

Together we bent ever so slightly forward, bodies comfortably angled.  Intent.  Listening.  Straining close enough to hear every word. Our raised voices absorbed by the throng beyond the knot we formed.

We've known each other awhile now, talked and laughed many times before this.  But it wasn't until this time, standing together among the crowd, that I learned of life experiences that have shaped her.  I also had the chance to share some similar stories that make me who I am.  Stories filled with different circumstances and people involved.  Yet stories so similar because of how they have shaped us.

And even in that moment, I didn't feel the full weight of it.  I was simply in the moment, hearing a story I didn't know, filling in details that hadn't made it to my attention before.  I began to view my friend with new respect knowing now what she's lived.  Our stories unite us for I saw a glimpse of me, in her.


Click here to see the rest of my Write 31 Days series:  Simple Gems

On Teacups and Friendships

Life's busyness doesn't always leave room to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.  Drinking tea from a proper teacup and saucer.  Enjoying dainty treats made by hands other than your own.  Laughing.  Savouring the moments with friends made special through shared life-stories, hurts, triumphs, fears, laughter and joy.  Deepening friendships newly made.

With the many to-dos waiting to be done and the varied lists of needs yet to be fulfilled, it's too easy to get caught up in the getting-it-all-done.  It's too easy to be caught up in bearing daily life burdens alone.  It's too easy to mistakenly think we are each the only one with these many demands on our abilities, on our resources of inner strength, on our oh-so-precious time.

But it was in the enjoyment of a tea party amidst a roomful of women of all ages and stages of life where I was reminded that I am not so alone as I sometimes delude myself into believing.  It was in sitting with my dear friends that I was refreshed after a day made long by my own unkind, unprompted emotions.  It was in the sharing of burdens when I was nudged to remember I am not the only one facing these daily struggles of motherhood and cooking and loving and cleaning and dreaming and praying for these families we are entrusted with.

It was a tea party with fancy hats, delicate teacups and saucers, a fun photo booth and friendships.  We smiled.  We laughed.  We talked.  We shared.  A few of us even shed a tear as we listened to the life story of a woman made wise with embracing life as it unraveled before her.  A story permeated with her trust that God would see her through both difficult and joyful times.

The day began with bearing emotional encumbrances alone.  The day ended with a hot cup of tea infused with gentle reminders that I am not alone, that I am not the only one traversing this road of motherhood and womanhood.  

Enjoying a cup of tea is all about slowing down the hurry's and the have-tos of the day to enjoy the moment.  It is savouring the delicate aroma wafting from the warm amber liquid before that first lovely sip of infused flavour.  Mingling our hearts and time with our friends infuses our joys so the harshness of life is lessened.