Dear Candace,
Everything has been chilly this week. The political climate, the weather, the man who didn’t hold open the door for me when my arms were full at the UPS office.
We have had a bit of sunshine, but only enough to raise one’s hopes before they are crushed down again. I think I need more vitamin D. I’m beyond Irish girl white now, I’m vampire flesh white. Do you think scrubbing with sugar scrub and applying some sunless tanner would help or no?
It’s possible I’m Winter Exaggerating again but I doubt it. How can one be thankful for the gift of each day and also beg for it to be over? This is my paradox.
I started the book Simply Tuesday. My eyes were welling up just reading the introduction.* Me, the non-crier. {It’s Winter Crying.} Anyway, I haven’t even made it to the first chapter yet I’m completely in love with Emily’s lyrical words (we’re friends now, her and I) and gentle offering of sweet water in days which feel dry, dull, listless.
“Someone once pointed out to me how, even though we always think of heaven as up-beyond the clouds, above the weather, and over the rainbow-it may actually not be far up.
‘What if,’ this person wondered, ‘heaven is simply one inch above the ground?’
It’s still up, but it’s not so far away. Instead the kingdom of God exists right here in the moments where we live.”
The kingdom of God exists even in the grayest Midwest.
All my love and some cheerful red lipstick,
Rachel
P.S. Our Christmas tree did not come down when I declared it would. It was almost a full week later before it got put away, and that mere moments before Edward arrived. In fact, he watched me organize and pack away the ornaments. Then I saw a friend post a picture of her cozy tree on Instagram-she leaves it up all of January and enjoys the lights, it’s very hygge-and I stopped feeling irritated at myself. Bless that tree (it’s now stuffed unceremoniously under the basement steps).
*Do you read Introductions? I feel obligated to do so, and usually enjoy them very much.
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Dear Rachel,
I know what you mean about the gray Midwest. This grayness wears and frays you. It’s making everyone cranky around here. The kids have been reminding me of overly caffeinated, unreasonable drunkards. Five of them cooped up together in this little house.
Yesterday I asked Dan if we could take out a loan for boarding school, but he must have been adversely affected by the gray, because he barely even looked up, and I’m pretty sure he didn’t really consider my suggestion.
Anyway. The Kingdom of heaven, right here, in our daily lives. It’s a perspective changing thought! Actually, it reminded me of Jesus telling us that the Kingdom is for such as these, as He hugged the kids closer all around him.
Thing is, those were outside kids. I mean, it says right the in the Bible that those kids were collected from the banks of the Jordan. Also, I bet the Jordan is sunnier than the Midwest.