Day 2,285

Growth:

What a difference stillness can make in our lives.

With all of the busy-ness of the holidays be sure to create some space for yourself. Not time sitting in front of a screen, but actual space to have quiet and think.

Some of the greatest moments of healing I had after the death of Dad were when I took time to pause in silence with my thoughts. I found great joy and relief in talking with Dad, even though he wasn’t physically with me. One in particular still makes me chuckle when I think about it.

The day after Dad passed I was making the three hour drive up to northern Wisconsin to help make his funeral arrangements. As I drove I kept the radio off and was silent in thought. After a while I started talking to Dad, it helped me work out some thoughts and emotions.

As I was driving on the highway a sign warned me of a “Bump” up ahead. I was going a little fast so I slowed just a tad for the “Bump.” The “Bump” was more like a sudden three inch vertical that I was hurtling towards. My only reaction was to grimace I hit the “Bump” with a solid impact. Just like in a cartoon I was launched into the air and I swear I could feel when all four tires made contact with the pavement again.

After shaking the rust out of my neck I started laughing and looked to the passenger seat. Without taking time to realize Dad wasn’t really there I had tears of laughter streaming down my face and I said, “Dad? Seriously? We’ve got to talk about this guardian angel stuff! You really suck at it!” In that moment I swear I heard him laughing right along with me. What an awesome moment!

About a half an hour later I was about to crest a hill and I felt like tapping the brakes for some reason. There wasn’t anything wrong, no sign, or anything like that, but I felt compelled to slow down a bit. Just as I tapped my brakes a deer jumped out and crossed the road right in front of me. Had I not started slowing down beforehand I would have totally plowed into it.

“That was much better Dad! Thanks for having my back.”

Remember to create space for yourself this holiday season, take time to be still and think. Who knows, you may have an awesome moment waiting around the corner for you if you choose to pause and listen.

Appreciation:

Becky was asked to do a presentation on some of our travels and vacations. This evening we started pulling some ideas together for it and were blessed with an awesome bonus vacation – a trip down memory lane!

We cruised through so many pictures, vacation notes, and state parks maps in a little over an hour. What a wonderful gift to give ourselves, sharing the memories of past experiences!

Presence:

Running outside today felt borderline glorious! The weather has warmed way up without getting too hot and was in a very sweet spot. One other thing that I was very cognizant of that I really enjoyed was the feeling of running on snow. The steps all feel a little different, a little softer surface, and a little less stability. All in all it caused me to pay much closer attention ti each footfall this morning – forced presence!

Thanks!!!