Tuesday

I enjoyed one of those evenings I am saddened to see end - due to the anticipation that led up to it, the joy in living it, and the realization that once over it would be but a memory. Just seven short hours of my life that began with dinner and ended with a kiss. I got to dress up, eat out, enjoy conversation with Paul, and great seats at the theatre. But as is typical of The Phantom of the Opera, the mask is illuminated, the music fades, and the curtain falls; as applause erupts, the thought once again crosses my mind: "It always ends too soon."

Hope and excitement are wondrous things, but the expected eventually comes and while it took ages to get here, passes by in what seems an instant, making way for yet another age to come. All I can do is have fun with the anticipation, enjoy the moments I am living as I live them, and remember fondly the "days gone by," praising God with each new morning and thanking Him for special evenings, even if (and perhaps especially if) they leave me with a touch of longing.

Glorious

Nothing beats this time of year! The sun is shining with all its might and the breeze is cool. The leaves are turning and falling. The air is crisp. There are days like today and evenings like last night - the former is good for walks and the latter for a nice fire, a long hug, or a mug the size of your face full of something warm and yummy.
I am vastly contented and always happy to enjoy those quietly perfect moments that don't seem to last long enough :)

Living for...

So often in our culture we find we are "living for the weekend." I do so try to not make this true in my life, but one thing I have learned this week is that the weekends help me live the rest of the week. It's not that I'm not at work or that I get to sleep-in - because sometimes I can't do that - but it's the opportunity to slow down a bit and enjoy the small "perfect" moments that keep me running.

Then they remind me that there are moments throughout the week that fill me up too.

This morning I was able to sit and write a letter while listening to quiet music and enjoying the very English looking morning. Wednesday nights I hang out with students. Thursdays are traditionally Bible Study and a chance to learn and fellowship with my peers. And always there are notes and calls from friends, moments spent with P., and those times I can sit still and simply be that remind me that people are important, the Lord is with me, and life is worth living.

So no matter what anyone says about weekends, I think it's important to remember that each day has joys and sorrows of its own. You just have to live for those "perfect" moments - like strolling around a lake, laughing with a student over dinner, a friend over a movie, or wandering aimlessly but blissfully through the zoo.

"All joy reminds. It is never a possession,

always a desire for something longer ago or further away

or still 'about to be.'"

~C. S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy