Re-Discovering Sabbath Time

I wasn't sure I could stand myself for a quiet week out in the middle of nowhere, dog with me or not, but something inside me yearned for a change--immersion in sabbath, for lack of a better description.  It took me a good day to release the tension and monkey-mind thoughts, but in a new routine with no looming deadlines or phone/email intrusions, I experienced a new peace and serenity unlike any I've had before.

I'm way too old to have waited so long for such bliss.

What a terrific, generous gift to have five days and four nights in a 100-year-old modernized home, up on a hill surrounded by yard, clover, hay meadows, complete with stable and pond.  Forest embraced the clearing within the 140 acres, and I could feel the tightness melting away when I traversed the winding road.  I'd have to arm-wrestle the judgment as to who was happier--Bella bounding over the rises chasing befuddled deer, stopping just short of the woods, or me watching her running leash-free.  She always stayed within eyesight. "Well, are you coming, or do I have to come back to get you?"  I could not wipe the smile off my face if I had tried.  By week's end, she was walking by my side, and we trusted that neither of us would leave the other for long.

In this great freedom, words and word-playfulness bubbled up so fast I had to stop trying to form them in lieu of simply capturing them on paper, so I wouldn't forget.  When the words eased up, the peacefulness seeped in.  I cherished the embroidered quote in the kitchen:  Isn't it beautiful to do nothing, then take a rest afterwards. 

What a beautiful, productive time sabbath is!  God knew exactly what we need at least once a week when the commandment was put forth to remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.  It's so good and joyful to re-create those moments on my patio, in my study--and so necessary for my soul.  A chunk of a gift for a week may not come along very often, but I've re-discovered how vital it is to listen to God's admonition to take that 24-hour, restful, reflective, playful time.  It saves our lives and souls!

Grace and joy,
Julie