Category Archives: Inspiration

It’s All in the Details…

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My goodness! Where has the time gone?! With a family vacation, and an upcoming wedding, and moving in and adjusting to “all the new” it’s a good thing I am currently unemployed… there’s been no time to work! Some days I feel like I have been juggling a thousand things but none have been accomplished. It can be frustrating. How does one manage it all without getting stressed? As I age, I have been learning to write all the details down. Anyone else? Often, it’s all in the details… and so the muse for the week.

Despite the busyness, I have noticed how many little things are ever-so-present in life. One of the big ones out here in the country are the insects! We are fighting the wasps and house flies constantly. The hubby is repeatedly complaining about the mosquitoes. Seriously. All. The. Time. Mosquitos. We also have a resident spider on the front porch which has been a unique source of entertainment. She lives in our Yucca plant and is huge.

Our Reminder of “the little things”

We think she’s a she because she is big and bold. Apparently, these common yellow garden spiders are also known as zipper spiders because they have these thick zipper patterns at the base of their webs. (You can’t see it in my bad photo but it’s there!) I have had the unique opportunity to watch her capture and devour several prey… including one of those pesky wasps! Fascinating. Even if you are not a fan of spiders… one must appreciate their ability to paralyze their prey and wrap them for later use – a process that takes about 30 seconds flat. I wish my grocery shopping was that quick. Like I said: detailed.

I’ve also had the pleasure of being attacked by several plant species in our brush. One must respect a creature who cannot move and yet is able to defend itself with thorns, stinging nettles or “share” their wealth with sticky little burrs. Nature is cool. God is super creative and thought of every little detail.

My sweater after a little walk outside… tiny details!

And so I muse. Not only about the tiniest of details I see around me, but about what kind of little things am I doing to enrich the world I live in? Some of ya’ll are good at those little details… the party has just the right amount of fine details to make it perfect: a place card, a flower vase, a touch of this or that. That cute garden gnome tucked in among the wildflowers. A painted rock with inspiration left on the beach during lockdown. An encouraging note for someone who needs it. A never ending prayer list of names and their individual needs.

You and I both know how important the fine details are. Sometimes they are absolutely needed… like in a recipe or pattern. If the details are lost, your final product just won’t turn out right. Your efforts will be in vain. Other times the details make things just a bit nicer. A dab of whipped cream. A scented candle. Little things just because you care. Other times being aware of the little things save you from trouble. Topping up on fuel – or bug spray, makes all the difference!

Have you tapped in to all the richness of the fine details God has blessed us with lately? Do we take the time to add them in to our plans or are we too busy to care? Would they make your life easier? Would they enrich someone else’s soul? Trust me, it takes effort. Disciplines often do. Yet, I think God gave us nature’s little quirks to remind us that He’s all about the details. And we should be too. I’ll miss my little spider come winter, but for now I will cherish her company. And her prowess. And take the cue to be all about the little things.

Choose your Identity

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Oh, beloveds! I’m back! I’ve missed you! It’s beeen a long time! So much has happened! Our current house has sold, and we’ve got the keys to our new one! We haven’t “officially” moved in yet, so we are bouncing between the two locations. We are in transition. Homeless with two homes. Camping out at the new house, and on bare essentials at the old house. Boxes are everywhere. I’m feeling a little lost when it comes to my identity. I’m not sure if I am still a city girl or a country bumpkin in the making. We haven’t had a “summer” yet because we are still doing all the things required for transitions… so no relaxation for us! It’s coming. When we get there.

We got the keys!

I suppose the world we live in talks a lot about transitions. Jobs. Moving. Identity based on where you see yourself. Gender identity – now there’s a hot one. Goal setting. Personal achievements. Past achievements. At the risk of sounding philosophical, identity is very complex. I’m not sure it is all simple DNA. Even from a science girl. I don’t think it’s about your skillset either. I’m not sure it’s as easy as picking your character on a video game. Can we choose our identity? What does that mean? No simple answer was found for that muse, my friends. As I said, I think we humans are too complex for such a simple, one-time choice. Our identity ebbs and flows — I think. Or does it have a clear direction? Okay – enough of that musing, my brain hurts and it’s not the direction I wanted this post to go.

Still, I do want to chat about identity a little. Perhaps we need to break it down from human identity into a simpler innate object: like our new house. A few weeks ago, I wrote about giving our new property a name. A name, because names are important. They are part of that bigger identity assemblage of thoughts. You’re welcome to read about that post here. So, what did we name our new place? It’s just over 4 acres of land. About an acre and a half of that is forest. We have a chicken coop, a barn/garage/outbuilding with a loft. A pond and a pool and a garden. The house was built in the 1900s with a big ol’ wrap-around porch. It has character and I love it. It’s exceptionally quiet and I feel like I am at a retreat when I am there. It’s going to have work – for sure. It’s going to be part of mittonmusings.com – undoubtedly.

It has a Barn!

So the name? Oh. Well. As I dragged my dear husband from property to property over the last few months, this one checked all my boxes (see above). I’d been praying. The hubby kept me balanced. He reminds me that we are not farmers. I cannot have a goat (yet). I can have a few chickens but “it is not a farm”. When the purchase agreement went through, I was telling everyone we bought a farm. He reminded me “It was not a farm”. It was an old house with some property. Therefore, I can say that my hubby actually chose the name, based on the diverse identity of our land. We hereby dubb the new house:

“ITSNOTTA” Farm

Do you love it? Quirky? Dumb? Different? Not very original? All are part of the identity. You can judge. Go ahead. People judge identity all the time. They can because of that complexity we mused about in paragraph two. The apostle Paul also had to defend his identity… and the identity of those he was trying to serve. In Ephesians 3 (one of my favourite chapters by the way!) he reminds us that not only God’s chosen people are to be part of the family of God. Jews and Gentiles alike are “allowed” to be joint heirs with Christ based on their beliefs, not on their heritage. That’s one part of my identity I don’t have to question: I am a child of God. Am I a farmer? I don’t think so. Is our new property going to have a garden and some animals? Yes. But, “it’s not a” farm. And Paul was an apostle, but not a Jew. Choose your identity? That’s complex. But you can choose the next step you make in this journey. And maybe, just maybe, your steps will lead you on a path to “enjoy the promise of blessings because you belong to Christ Jesus”. Ephesians 3:6b. Then come on over to “Itsnotta” and we can chat about choosing identity over lemonade on the porch.

The rocking chair is waiting for you!

Anticipation

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Definition: anticipation (noun) “a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen in the near future”

Cambridge Dictionary

You’ve all been there. Christmas Eve. Job interview. Wedding day. Those butterflies in the stomach that keep you up at night. A mix of unknown fears and hopes for the future. Plans to do this or that. Expectations. For me, right now, it’s 10 days till we get the farmhouse keys!! And I am full of anticipation. I lie awake thinking about paint and plans and occasionally wander into the “oh my what have we done?” thoughts. Emotions are funny that way.

I’m sure the hubby is questioning his sanity and life choices right now. His wife is googling “best goats for first-time pets” and Pinterest boards on what colours to paint chicken coops. We are chatting about “rural” internet towers, cell phone services, and figuring out what the purpose of a sump pump is. I love it. The hubby? Lamenting about our current neighbourhood and the dog-walking route that he won’t be taking in the near future. And his bank account dwindled away like chicken feed. Literally for chicken feed perhaps.

Anticipating can be scary though. Our human nature wants to know. We want to be ready. No one likes being thrown into a situation they were unprepared for. I suppose because of this we tend to do our homework – well – at least some of us do. Some of ya’ll thrive on the adventure of the unknown. Fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants people love the adrenaline rush of anticipatory feelings. It’s “fun” to you to take the risk. To jump in with both feet. Others try to research all about future endeavours so we know what might happen when. Can you identify what kind of person you are? Your partners? Family?

Today is the last day of high school for our middle son. He’s been challenging for me because he’s one of those fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants guys. And he’s good at it. Two days before post-secondary applications are due, he scrolls and accepts a program and applies. Volunteer hours are due at the end of this week. Four long years he’s had to collect signatures. We signed off on them today. One on behalf of some other leader. God makes us all unique, and we must learn to deal with people. But, oh, my mother’s heart.

I guess the fact remains that no matter what kind of person you are there are no guarantees. We will all face our Maker one day. I don’t know of anyone who’s cheated death yet. We don’t like to think about that one, do we? Have you prepared yourself for that conversation? That’s gonna bring up some feelings, isn’t it? Oh friend, I hope you seek wisdom when regarding your eternal home. Ask the hard questions. Do your research. The Bible tells us that if we seek wisdom, it will be given to us. Time to do some research! You won’t get the chance to sign off on behalf of someone else. It’s work we have to do on our own. Be confident that your future anticipation is one of true excitement. That you know your heart is right with God and others. Only then can you dream about your “many mansions”. Mine’s gonna have a cute painted chicken coop.

Photo via : Backyard Chickens.com