I really needed today.

I’m a nester at heart and absolutely love to spend time at home. I never, ever seem to get bored and since organizing is kind of like a hobby, there’s always a drawer or closet to dig into and give a makeover! Then, pass me a steamy cup of honey lavender tea, a fluffy, soft throw blanket and anything to read or watch and I’m perfectly content to settle in for the night in the cozy sanctuary I call home.

A long streak of busy weekends and evenings had left me feeling kind of like a passing guest in my own home, and I had to check my calendars twice to believe I actually had a whole day to spend anyway I chose, which, of course was to be at home!

I don’t recall the last time I didn’t set an alarm, but you betcha I didn’t last night, and slept the best I have in weeks. After a leisurely morning of coffee, devotions and talking with my fella, I thought about how I wanted to spend my day. Lots of things came to mind, but the thing I really just wanted to do more than anything (and I already sense the eyerolling ) ….was to clean house.

I shall now explain said desire to clean said house on my first day off in a very long time. =)

First of all, it needed it! But that’s not the real reason – I can procrastinate with the best of ’em.

I honestly think I just wanted to get reacquainted with my nest again. I needed to ground myself in the things that haven’t changed when so many areas of life seem to keep changing at breakneck speed. I needed to do simple, mundane tasks that would quiet my mind and settle my spirit in a way that its been longing for.

So, as I went through rooms, I remembered the special times we’ve shared here, and the laughter that has so often filled the air. I picked up photos to dust and lingered over memories that grow deeper and sweeter with time. I cleaned out the fridge and thought of all the meals we’ve shared, and the abundance that I so often take for granted. I even felt grateful as I swept the floors, remembering the love and labor that went into this remodeled house that has now become our home.

OK, so I really don’t get nostalgic or sentimental every time I dust and purge the fridge! It’s just that for some reason I am feeling particularly thankful, not only for my home but for the ways that God has sustained us through the long, hard, dark days of grief and reorienting ourselves to a new way of being.

So, if it seems a little silly that I would find such peace and comfort in the ordinary tasks of cleaning my house, I guess it’s because today I found the ordinary to be sacred, and my home to be a place of worship as I spent a beautifully uneventful day where I found rest for my mind and heart.

As we continue through this Lenten journey together, we will soon begin to focus in on what Jesus was doing, where he was going and how he was feeling as his journey led him closer and closer to the cross. I like to think he took comfort in the simple things, like cooking fish for his friends on the beach and feeling the sun on his face. I know he set aside time to care for his heart and spirit, and he taught us to do the same!

It’s been an extraordinarily ordinary day…..and, though it’s only Saturday, I feel like I’ve been to church.

Praying you find your own sacred moments nestled among the ordinary.

Love,

Shellie