Study Break 2011:1

This blog has been quiet lately. I have been so busy lately.

And I've not been so healthy lately. Too busy to process makes Beth a grumpy girl. The older I get, the more I discover my powerful need for space around me. When it doesn't come with intentionality, I tend to steal it from other things, and the result is a mess, frankly. Chaos.

I've been there for longer than I'd like to admit.

So today, post-Easter services, begins Study Break 2011. I have to be crafty and careful, because my heart is tugged towards home this week. I will not be away from my family for the week; I just can't. But I will seek a few days of solitude and make the most of them.

I will formulate a plan for reading - I can't possibly crawl through the stack of nine books that I have with me. But I can take a stab at that pile. At the top of the heap are two Eugene Peterson books; I do believe they'll get the first look.

I will write. I have several ideas for blog posts jotted down, along with a few pictures. I have a lot of words stored up. I'll get them out of my head and onto paper, and relish the freedom of their release.

I will walk and walk and walk, and hear the Voice that always speaks but is only heard when I shut up. When I walk, I shut up.

I will stand in the sun and let it's warmth bring healing the bruised parts of my heart.

I'll be better for all of this, for sure. I am thankful for a boss who understands how essential this time is, thankful for a place of employment that gives me room to breathe. Thankful to serve my community in a way that brings hope and healing.

Thankful for a husband whose generous spirit offers me a blessing that is impossible to articulate, but obvious when I look in his eyes.

Wonderfully blessed, breathing the breath of mercy and grace; I am grateful to be in this place.