I must have not been listening to God very well this week, because He had to use three completely different sources coming together as one for me to finally go, “Oh, I get it!” One of the first things I do in the morning, as I’m just waking up, is roll over in bed, grab my phone and read the Velvet Ashes blog post for the day. I always look forward to Fridays because the post on this day wraps up the week’s theme, stretches my thinking about it, and lingers with me throughout the weekend. This week’s theme is on Personality, and I was especially looking forward to learning more about the nine Enneagram types. Kimberly Todd did a great job of giving an overview of each type, and how they are connected to others, and my appetite was wet. I immediately began to speculate what number I was and even clicked on a link to help me find out, but because it directed me to a site where I needed to pay money, I gave up and moved on to my next morning activity....
Before leaving Egypt, I met with a dear friend and pastoral counselor to discuss my plans for the future. I appreciated her honesty, and will never forget her words. She said, “Once you arrive in your home country and the girls go to school and your husband starts his classes, then you will realize how tired you are. Rest. Give yourself time.” In the midst of the craziness of moving internationally and trying to finish well, I relished the thought. I was being given permission to rest! I longed for it, and wondered, “Maybe this is why the Lord gave me the word Sabbath for this year.” And yet, on the other hand, I fought against it, letting my insecurities and fears push me to secure a teaching license. Just in case. Could I really just rest? And then we arrived in the United States. Almost immediately, it seemed everyone’s number one concern for me was, “What will you do?” What will I do? Here I’d be...
Richard surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of roses! I love this picture of us! (In case you're wondering, the white stuff on Richard's shirt and pants is wax. He was the only one tall enough to bump into the Chinese lanterns.)
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