PeaceMoms Blog

Today, the sun is shining in Michigan.
A welcome visitor because she stays hidden most of the time, at least in February. I'm not complaining though. I always get more done in my house and in my soul when the weather isn't 75 and sunny all the time.
And cloud covers bring out the contemplation and reflection that showcase the pain and the art and the creativity. Clouds invite the introspection that new dreams are made of. Clouds give me time to think and slow down, at least for awhile.
Then I get sick of 'em.
So, welcome sunshine.
I've been expecting you.

I have a wide open Saturday. No plans of any significance.
Before my husband's eyes rolled open or our little girl's footsteps came creeping down the hall, a slim ray of light shining through the bedroom window, nudged me out of bed.
The crisp white snow on the sleepy oaks lay in a smooth, white sparkle - soft enough to drink, or so it seemed. Felt good knowing I had nowhere to be; no one to be.

I got a call - one of my girlfriends asking me to hang out downtown. Maybe have lunch, go for a walk, window shop, and certainly enjoy rich conversation and a cup of tea.

She's a high school teacher. So passionate about impacting young lives with eternal purpose. Such a daunting task, but she is up for it.
I'd say she's crazy, but I'm too much like her to make that claim.
She's pulled in a lot of directions. She carries mental weight like few people I know. She juggles her schedule between writing curriculum, counseling wayward teens, teaching kids (some of whom have no regard or respect for authority, let alone the will and desire to learn anything), keeping up with her house as a single woman, tending to a large extended family, and listening to people - whatever their need. Her life is taxing, but she is almost always cheerful and present and available and kind. She's sure of foot and carries herself with confidence. She's sturdy in a stream of inconsistent and unreliable friends, who mostly seem too consumed by their own lives to make room for anyone else's.
There's lots of space in her heart, even if her head is a little bit crowded.

So today, we met. We took a long walk through quaint neighborhoods and wooded parks. We talked about everything from how God makes up His mind on who goes to heaven, to will we ever grow out of adult acne and wanting someone to be proud of us. We pontificated about how we could build a new world if teens would just come to class with an attitude of wonderment, and if husbands would really pursue their wives. As we walked - well into the second hour - we rounded a corner and discovered a devilishly cute boy walking a dog, hoping the dog would want to meet us, so we could meet the boy. Darn, he was wearing gloves so we couldn't tell if he was married and might want to take my friend on a date sometime - seeing as how he obviously lived in the neighborhood and loved Saturday strolls like we did. We admired paint colors and brick shades and landscaping and yard trinkets. We walked in silence too. Just allowing the winter fresh air and the comfort of knowing someone well to be the voice.

And, in the midst of all this, I never looked at my watch, cuz I didn't want to. It's rare to find a person with whom I feel that way... okay with the swift ticking of hours because all the other things I have to do don't matter that much.
I was happy. I've missed that feeling.

We finished our walk.
I needed to get home, but I wanted to prolong our visit just a bit more.
We snagged a quick lunch in a cozy vegetarian cafe.
And after opening the menu and wishing I could go there often enough to order everything on the menu - at least once - I picked something quick and relished in the precious time we had left. Just enough to scarf down some soup and a hearty glass of very pink beet, carrot, and apple juice. My friend and I shared a couple more stories with a lovely combination of mutual listening and speaking, not too much of either, but just enough of both, and we headed out.

My heart smiled all the way home.
I haven't felt like that in awhile.
Safe. Heard. Seen. Loved.

Thanks Krista.