A landslide, a fallen oak and some much needed time alone

I took a Sabbath rest from people yesterday. That meant skipping church and missing out on one of the highlights of each week -- worshiping with my church family. But after a tumultuous and busy week, I really needed time alone to regroup. And quite honestly, I didn't have it in me to deal with anyone else's problems. I knew that if I went to church, inevitably someone would've needed something from me, and I just couldn't meet anyone else's needs... there was nothing left for me to give. Do you ever feel that way?

While my husband has been visiting friends in Virginia, I've been here trying to navigate through storms... physical and emotional. The physical storms started off by taking down branches and stealing away my electricity for an evening. That was minor, and only the beginning. On Thursday night, the rain also took out half of the street a couple doors down from me. It's not only gone, but so is the hillside it was resting on. Mud, trees, rocks and even a telephone pole couldn't withstand the mini-river of water rushing down my road. Unfortunately, there at the bottom of the hill was a home... a home now filled with 4' of mud and debris. A home so severely damaged by the landslide, that it is uninhabitable. So sad. Subsequent storms continued their assault on the home. And on Saturday morning, I woke up to discover one of our oak trees down in our yard. 

At first, this just seemed to be one more problem to deal with without my husband. But on further examination, I realized this is not so bad. First of all, the top of the tree was taken out by another storm several years ago, which killed the tree. So, we had the issue of a dead oak in our yard that would be costly to remove. Recently, we were actually talking about the need to have someone come take it down. Problem solved. It's down. Secondly, and amazingly (thank you, God), the tree didn't hit anything other than some bushes and a small pine tree. It stopped 3' to 4' away from a neighbor's wall. The only one affected by all of this, really, is the poor displaced raccoon that lived in the tree and wandered around the yard on Saturday morning with a stunned, and sad, look on its face. I watched it make a slow climb high into the branches of another oak. I'm guessing it will be fine.

Now, we just have to get rid of the dead tree that is sprawled across the lawn, and I'm leaving that for my retired husband to deal with when he returns. After all, he has lots of time on his hands.

Being alone... something I craved, I needed, and I was looking forward to. I didn't count on these, and other, problems to dominate my time and emotional energy. By Saturday night, I was starting to enjoy the quiet and time to myself. That's when I decided I needed Sunday as a day of recharging. I made coffee and turned on praise music in the morning. It was a good start to a good day. Then I tackled the mess in a spare bedroom that has become a dumping ground. Surely some of you can identify. Hours and hours later, I have more of a mess than I bargained for. Piles of stuff sorted according to consignment, Goodwill, garage sale and basement. Today, in between trying to get actual work done, I'll be neatening up things and preparing for my husband's return home tomorrow. I could use a few more days, but am making the best of the time I have. 

Thanks for bearing with me during my brief hiatus last week. Hoping to be back on track now with the blog and looking forward to spending next Sunday with both my church family, and my nuclear one.

Sharing my Sabbath experience,

Hana

Some blessed time alone

I am not a fan of sleepless nights. Or of extreme heat. Which is why I ended up climbing out of bed and into the shower before the sun was barely over the horizon. It's going to be a long day.


Saturday, on the other hand, was a too short, marvelously wonderful day. You see, I finally had a day to myself. My husband, who retired 38 days ago and has rarely left the house without me since then, volunteered to help at our church's flea market. I was beside myself with joy! He left around 7:45 and did not return until 4:30 or so. It was the best day ever. You know we don't appreciate what we have until it's gone and looking back, I never truly appreciated my time alone ... until I no longer had any!

Now, I recognize that people are all different. Some of you might hate the thought of solitude. However, I thrive on it. That is not a reflection on my husband. He's wonderful. It's a reflection on me ... my disposition. I do not enjoy being with anyone 24/7. I just don't. But, let's get back to Saturday.

The biggest issue I faced on Saturday was what to do with my time. Part of me was screaming "Get thee to Writerhead," while another part was longing to just sit in the sun and read. Still another side was prompting me to do laundry, clean the fish bowl, make potato salad clean the kitchen, etc. That side won.

Were these things I could do with Bill around? Of course. But did I enjoy doing them in solitude. Oh yeah. I turned on my Singers and Swing music station and listened to it all day long. The volume was turned up loud enough to be heard in the basement, and upstairs, and out on the patio, but not loud enough to be annoying.

I never did get around to doing any personal writing, but I did sit in the sun and work on drafting the first chapter of a book on finances that I'm writing with a client. That's what I was working on when I heard Bill's car in the driveway.

Even though I didn't forsake work for the day, I still considered the day to be a Sabbath rest. Why? Because it was pure refreshment for my spirit. Resting doesn't necessarily mean sitting around doing nothing. Sometimes activity can be exactly what we need. In my case, it was activity with no agenda, no schedule, no to-do list ... and no one to interrupt. That was the divine.

Yesterday, I spent time in worship with my church family. Then I attended a baby shower, finally making it home around 3:30. And then I did what any Sabbath-loving person would do ... I laid down and took a 2 1/2 hour nap! What a luxury!

But then, since I hadn't pushed myself on deadlines on Saturday, I admit, I did sit down at my desk and work for a few hours in the evening. I was rewarded with a delicious dinner Bill planned and prepared himself. We sat outside and ate and then topped off the weekend with a competitive game of Bananagrams. When it comes to weekends ... this one gets high ratings.

Now if I could only figure out how to survive these menopausal night issues ...

Sharing my Sabbath experience,

Han