Daybook
August
Outside my window: It’s dark and stormy outside at nine-thirty in the morning, and I’m writing in the warm glow of lamplight in my office. The sound of raindrops on the roof and the far-off whir of the clothes dryer are all I hear right now. I have a heavy day of writing planned, and the weather is perfect!
Clothing myself in: gray shorts, a gray Oxford t-shirt, and a blue cardigan
Reading:
The Fourth Turning is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us About How and When This Crisis Will End by Neil Howe (5 stars)
The Remarkable Ordinary: How to Stop, Look, and Listen to Life by Frederick Buechner (5 stars)
The Politics of Jesus by John Howard Yoder (still reading)
The Hobbit by Tolkien (still reading)
Thinking and thinking: about plot twists, settings, and my characters’ lives for my current work-in-progress. This story is never far from my mind, and it will continue to be this way for a long while. It’s why I have to write. The story won’t leave me until I get it out of my head and onto the page.
Pondering:
“And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22
Carefully Cultivating Rhythm: With my daughter recently moving back home, and bringing her two cats, we now have a household of three kitties, and I love watching how they have cultivated a rhythm of their own. Every day in the late afternoon, I can count on the fact that all three cats will be luxuriating amongst the sunbeams that pour in through our west-facing windows in the living room. It makes me smile, and it reminds me to appreciate the little things.
Creating By Hand:
cross-stitch puppy
Learning lessons in: letting go of control and trusting God’s plan (I’ll probably be a work-in-progress with this lesson for the rest of my life).
Keeping house: If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you might already know about the saga of the leaky tub from the upstairs bathroom into the downstairs family room. It was a whole ordeal that involved reconstruction that lasted nearly six months. We have been enjoying our construction-free home and our newly remodeled bathroom for the last three months. Would you believe it if I told you that we spotted water leaking from the ceiling into the family room again on Saturday morning? I haven’t quite wrapped my mind around it just yet. It’s too much. My hope is that we caught it early and it’s a simple problem. We’ll know more after the plumbers come and check it out.
To be fit and happy: Yoga, sauna, walking, golf.
Giving thanks: for Derek, my husband. We celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary last week with a quick trip to Kelowna B.C.
Living the Liturgy:
“Liturgy is like a strong tree whose beauty is derived from the continuous renewal of its leaves, but whose strength comes from the old trunk, with solid roots in the ground.” -Pope John Paul VI
Planning for the week ahead: a dentist appointment, writing, lunch with a friend…a simple but good week.
Book Stuff: Are you an audiobook lover? My Historic Hotels Collection is available on Audible and they’re narrated by the fabulous Ellen Quay. You can listen to samples of each book HERE. If you’re new to Audible, you can even get your first two books for free.
*Thank you to Elizabeth Foss, writer at In the Heart of My Home, for the inspiration and format behind this daybook.
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May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you; may he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm; may he bring you home rejoicing: at the wonders he has shown you: may he bring you home rejoicing: once again into our doors.