Glad to be at home. Busy day at church. Luncheon after services, a brief nap and then the kids and I went back to help with the Fall Festival. Neighborhood children decorated cookies, there was a costume competition for their dogs (yes, held inside out of the rain) and while the teenagers managed the little ones, the adults visited. Very nice for me.
Still raining. Bliss. The earth is soaking in the wet, which is wonderful. It's been so dry here.
Deeply tired, but in a good way. I'm reading a book by Barbara Brown Taylor called Learning to Walk in the Dark and just finished a part where she talks about how we fret late in the day, at night, when we're powerless to do anything to fix things. She said she'd made a list one time of things she thought of during one of those times...doctor's appointments, making a will, cleaning the refrigerator...irritating chores. And that's the way of it. For me today it's about my children's spiritual welfare (out of my hands), getting groceries (under my control), shopping for middle daughter's birthday on Saturday (also okay to manage), making more money magically appear in my mom's bank account (nope, not going there). The things that drive us nuts and keep us awake, generally speaking, are those things we can't do a darn thing about. I'll steer clear.
Will need to focus on my quiet later on tonight. Too much time spent today with others. Need my own company. Began looking at The Book of Common Worship, the Presbyterian prayer book I bought, alongside Elizabeth Goudge's Towers in the Mist, which is charming. Loving the Anglican and Catholic references.
Must go now. Ready to put it to bed after this hectic day. But even bathing with having to heat up kettles of water is soothing. Washing my hair in the kitchen sink....my husband pouring warm water over my hair, is very contenting. Quiet. You're forced to be present and attentive in a different sort of way. And while I'd prefer to not have a garden hose hanging out the attic stairs in the hallway, I'm not really minding. Perspective. It's all about that.
