Tag Archives: mittonmusings

Enjoying the Peace and Quiet

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One comment I often get since we moved out to the country is “Oh, you must be enjoying the peace and quiet so much”. And I am not sure how to answer that. It certainly is quiet. A different kind of quiet. The first few days you could actually “hear” the quiet. You can’t explain it until you’ve experienced it. Like labour pains. We have gotten used to the sound now. Or what people think is quiet. Nature has its own ebb and flow. Cows don’t have a curfew. Crows and jays are early risers. School buses and diesel trucks are not exactly quiet when they travel by. But sure, I’ll give you quiet.

Throwback to December 2019…another thought on Peace

Peaceful. Now there is another muse. What exactly does that mean? I’ve written about peace before. We talk about it. Peace after war. A sense of calm. A thought process to relieve your anxiety. A tranquil moment in nature. People find it on top of a mountain or at some yoga retreat. I think the definition is slightly different for everyone. Maybe it’s different for the same person at different times. Peace. What does it mean for you?

I took this picture the other day at the top of my farmhouse stairs. It was the moment I had been dreaming about. The sun was streaming in through the widow’s balcony (I actually heard the explanation for that yesterday so it’s gonna be my new name for it), and the fluffy, pretty cat was all curled up on the antique chair at the top of the wooden Victorian staircase. A picture of perfect peace.

Or is it? How do you explain a feeling? How do you describe an emotion that may be different for each one of us? How do you capture the thought of an experience that may change depending on where you are in your life journey? Very recently I was chatting with a friend who’s loved one was in the final throws of his servant filled life here on earth. She tells me that they were praying that the Lord would take him so that he would finally be at peace. I’ve heard many prayers for the same thing. An end to suffering. I, too, have called out to God on more than one occasion, questioning why He would let this or that go on for so long? We crave peace. We crave it for ourselves. We crave it for those we love. We even crave it for those we don’t know. We watch the news or hear reports of some cruelty and we cry out for peace. For justice. For an end to suffering.

My kids tease me that I end up blubbering at movies where this emotion is stirred up within me. Usually it’s about a creature. I know, I know, human beings should take on more of a precedence than that faithful dog, but I can somehow explain away the suffering of people. Oh, they did something to deserve it. Oh, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Oh, where were their mothers? They likely had a bad upbringing. That cute puppy is innocent though! I’m wrong in my justifications, of course. God did not design suffering. He did design consequences to sin, but they shouldn’t explain away why innocent people have to endure some of the hardships we do. The whole earth is on a collision course with affliction and lack of peace because of the darkness that entered the World with Adam and Eve.

So, yeah, as I sit here with my laptop perched on a straw bale (It’s part of my sad attempt at fall porch decorations) with the dog laying at my feet, I’m tempted to say I am enjoying the peace and quiet. The crisp air is casually swaying the lilac bushes and the crickets are still humming. All too soon though, the “silence” is broken by the call of a noisy blue jay, followed by a school bus rumbling by on its way back from drop offs. The dog barks at it, my writing momentum is broken as my attention shifts and chaos resumes. Our weak and feeble minds don’t hold onto the “peace that passes all understanding” for very long.

Denali National Park Photo by Kent Miller NPS

I’m comforted to know that the anxieties and worries and the constant brain battles we face were not the original plan. We pray for peace because we know that God in His infinite wisdom made it to be the norm. We crave it and it renews us because He made it part of our being. And it will come again one day when it all gets “reset”. Until then, I promise to share little glimpses of it that I see here on Itsnotta farm and mittonmusings. There will be chaos, crazy, death, destruction and suffering too. Although, I wish you peace this week, my friend. Whatever that looks like for you, I hope you see it and take the time to thank the One who designed it that way. May it calm the mayhem in your brain and give you a glimpse of Heaven. Peace and quiet. Now there’s a concept.

You Gotta Go Through it

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Oh beloveds! It has been way too long!! I have missed you. Where were we? Since we’ve chatted, I married off a son, gained a daughter-in-law, sent another one off to University and survived a week of extroverted activities. The old house officially sold, we entered high school and struggled with some very early morning catch- the- school- bus- or- else dramas. And then, of course, I promptly got sick. That was short-lived, though. So many things have happened, the weeks have been a blur of days, one on top of the other, piled so high that it feels like I have trudged through a mound of apple pie filling. (I don’t know, I felt like I needed some turning of fall reference. Long live pumpkin spice everything!)

Yet, here we are!! I guess I am not a very good blogger. True social media influencers would have documented all of the above, with flair. Sorry, you get me and my little piece of the internet. I’m hoping you still feel me. I am sure I am not alone in these crazy seasons of life where you just feel like it’s a bowl of chocolate pudding. Have you been there, my friend? I hear ya. Shout out to the tired momma of little ones. Shout out to the worried mom of teenagers. Hats off to the grandparents who juggle their own mortality with the lives of their adult children and the prayers for the next generation. It’s hard. Really hard.

Many moons ago, I wrote about a similar season (check it out here). I was reminded then, as I am now, that everyone needs a break now and then. What I didn’t know then was Covid was about to hit, my kids would grow and grow up, my home would be sold, and I would leave everything I know for a new adventure. Oh beloveds, I don’t even know how to express it on paper. The emotional rollercoaster of life. And I really have no excuse to complain. Many, oh so many others have struggled much deeper than I through life. We have been blessed in abundance. I count those blessings often. Sometimes you just gotta get it out though. So… I am back with this week’s musings after a short hiatus to gather content. 😉

I read something somewhere about these “recoup” moments and they referenced Elijah in 1st Kings. His enemies surrounded him, he’d been trying hard to live for God, doing good work, but life and the world seemed to be closing in on him like a thick coating of toffee on an old fashioned Christmas pudding. So what did he do? He took a nap. Had a snack. Had one more snack for good measure, and then he was ready for the next long journey ahead. He walked in the wilderness and had a quiet moment alone with God. We are allowed moments of refreshment, by God’s design. I’m comforted to know that God’s got our backs in these seasons of busyness. He knows that sometimes we just need a nap and a snack and a quiet moment with Jesus. I’m here for it. And for some reason, I’m craving a good sticky pudding…

Blessings to you!

Blessings!

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Oh, beloveds! What a week it has been! What a few weeks it has been! Apologies if I haven’t been keeping up. There has just been no time to do regular things like keeping a Blog. I’m jumping ahead of myself. Rewind. We bought a house! Not just any house…. an old-century farmhouse on 4 acres of land! That dream of chickens you’ve heard me talk about 100 times… it’s coming true! I’m trying to convince the hubby we also may need a small goat. That may take some time. He’s a work in progress. Anywhoo… I am super excited. But terrified.

The emotions have run high. We raised our kids in this house. Our first house. Twenty-one years in this house. So. Many. Memories. And a whole lot of clutter. I’ve just begun to unearth and box up “stuff”. Some things hold dear memories. Some do not. Some hold memories for others and I’m not allowed to cut out those things because of their thoughts. It’s a learning experience for all of us! I ask myself, “Does this hold emotional attachment for me?” Marie Kondo would be so proud. So. Many. Memories.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska

I’m asking myself “Why?” “How can things contain emotion?” Or how can other things contain absolutely no attachment? I don’t have the answer. I am sure there is some deep psychology behind emotional attachment to inanimate objects. I’m sure those who work with hoarding and OCD behaviours have all the answers. I’m sure there are psychologists and therapies for the stress of moving and how to communicate appropriately to your grown children that they need to get rid of Legos. Or why I can’t throw away a rubber band (because I may need to it wrap something — and safety pins cost money?) Choices need to be made.

Now don’t get me wrong… I love a good purge and clean. Still… thinking about the whole house at once is overwhelming. Slowly, like eating an elephant, we take one bite, and then another, and another… until eventually all will be packed in a box and neatly loaded on a truck. It will be big big changes for all of us. And I count it as a blessing.

I have begun to see the blessing in memories. I have begun to see the blessing of time and how God has allowed this season of life to shape and mould each of our children to life beyond the nest. To see the hubby and I embrace, dare I say, retirement planning? To see the blessings in our finances to be able to carry mortgages and costs and know He holds our future. To see Hope where many do not. To wonder in excitement about a new, quieter lifestyle in the country. To learn new skills. To make mistakes and work through them.

The Bible tells us not to store up treasures on Earth and to not put our trust in Earthly measures. Yet Jesus witnessed life here among people and “stuff”. Maybe he didn’t have Lego to pack, but I am sure there were precious “things” that belonged to Him. Did Mary save a piece of “useless” straw from the manger because she was emotionally attached to it? Maybe not.

I’ve convinced myself that God gives us things. Tangeable, hold in your hand, physical things, because He knows we need them as practical reminders of all that He has given us. Peace, Hope, Comfort, Joy, and Pain. Emotions that are stuck on stuff. I have no other words. I know you know what I mean. So, beloveds, humour me in the next few months. mittonmusings.com may morph into my personal journal of sorts as we make these transitions to “country life”. Will you stick with me? Will you share a post or two? Besides, who’s gonna listen to me talk about my new chickens? I’ll keep you updated about the goat.