In the near future, wedding bells

We are getting closer to that day when we don our fancy dresses 

and watch our dear friend say 'I do' to her dear man.

We are getting so close, in fact, that on a recent Friday, 

Emily and I spent the day together,

gathering every dish we own,

and cooking up a little storm.

It was a long day, but a good one, given that our together time is considerably less these days.  

It was a good one too because--as we discovered--

this girl and I throw a great party.

The drink table sparkled with peach mimosa punch,

and the decorations sang 'wedding' through the air

as our guests chatted,

ate,

and waited for the arrival of our guest of honor

who--though she was told she was picking me up for breakfast--was not really surprised to find a gathering of her closest lady friends, thanks to the inability of yours truly to handle the cognitive difficulty of throwing a shower for Emily with Amy and a shower for Amy with Emily one week apart from each other.  (Confusion folks, has been my song...)

 We gathered her in,

 we let her rejoice over her guests (and her to-be-mother-in-law),

 we fed her,

 played some games designed by fellow bridesmaid (another) Amy,

and then drowned her in gifts.

 We spread out the desserts that (bridesmaid) Amy had brought,

 and congratulated each other on time well spent.

 We welcomed the groom when he dared to show his face,

and showed him his newly acquired apron.

We helped him understand bridal shower traditions

and practiced for wedding day photos,

 because our general state of being is:

We can't wait!

Baby Wertz is on his way!

When there's a baby nearing arrival, 

there are two things that need to happen:

a) Celebration

and

b) Preparations!

That would be why Amy is carrying this giant box of diapers:

because she and I and Emily's mother and sister 

had invited all of these lovely women

to join us in the celebration, 

and to help us bless the mama (and papa) to be

with everything they'll need for the transition of their boy into their home and life.

With yummy treats

(yummy indeed!)

and traditional baby-showering games,

we told our girl and her nearly here boy 

just how excited we are to say:

We can't wait to meet and love you!

Well-fed, Part II

In this Spring Break week, my days opened up to reveal space.
In that space I wanted: Time with the people I love, and time with God.

Time with people I love is easy: I drop in, I lounge on their couch, I eat their food and drink their coffee.  I dwell.  I am restored, revived, refreshed; I am listened to, and I listen; I am committed to and I commit.  It is intentional time, even if space allows it to be a bit spontaneous.

Intentional time with God? Sometimes takes a bit more planning.

That would be why weeks ago I reserved the prayer cabin at my church and began to pray in preparation, asking God to meet me in that time, to bless me with Himself.  Because though He is always with me, and though He is always available, I wanted to make it clear:  I want You.  I want to be listened to, and I want to listen.  I want to be reminded that you are committed to me, and I want to remind you that I am committed to you.  I want to be with you, express my confidence in you, and thank you.  And I want to know your heart, for me and for those around me.

That would also be why the beginning of this week found me fasting in expectation that He would--indeed--meet with me, and speak His truth to my 'inner parts' (see Psalm 51.6 if that strikes you as an odd request...). You see, here is an irony that I have found to be reality:  Sometimes being well-fed requires a removal of the things that typically bring life fullness, as another clear indication that I am saying:  You.  You are my ultimate fullness, you are who I need, who I want.  You are the Source of my well-fed-ness, you and no other thing.  And, I can't wait to get you to myself.

So, yesterday, my preparations took me into this nurturing space, where every need has been thought of and every blessing provided.  I walked in and immediately felt loved by the people who had prepared this little cabin with people like me in mind.

I snuggled into that chair with Bible, books, coffee, snacks, my journal, all around me.  Without reservation, I talked to God, out loud.  The smallest things on my heart, I told Him.  The simple questions and the complex ones, I asked Him. I listened as His Spirit responded, speaking truth in those inner parts, leading me to His Word, to what others have learned as they've sought Him too.  I rested in Him, and I learned more about His heart.

And I realized once again:  You cannot help but be well-fed when you rest in the fullness of such a heart.

A Retreat, Well-fed

Speaking of family intentionality, meet my sweet cousin Johanna,

who came to spend her spring break in the comfort of my familialness, my life, and my home.

Her requirements for her personal retreat were that she be quiet, and quiet is one of my specialties.

Hence, we spent much of our time 

lounging in the welcoming arms of the furniture, dwelling in peaceful reading and thoughtfully quiet togetherness.

The purpose of a personal retreat is to leave well-fed,
deep inside your soul.  Luckily for her,

I believe that a well-fed soul is helped along
by the blessing of a well-fed stomach,

which means that I have set my mind toward another specialty: food.

We were well-fed, indeed.

A well-fed soul also requires a bit of fun, 

so Friday night found us at the movies,

with a return home to another requirement for well-fed-ness: 

Hot Chocolate.

If you'd like to try this out for yourself, here's the recipe:

 Into the pan goes milk,

 chocolate,

 and [secret!] spices.

Stir, and smile, as it can only go well for you from there.

In the end, my soul was well-fed by the gentleness and easily delighted spirit of this precious girl; my darling, you are welcome to take a retreat in my life at any time!

Joined, Intentionally

There is a quote, insightful, true, and attributed to George Eliot:  

What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life--to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories.  

She was speaking about families, the vessel of jointness that occurs without your asking and lives inside of your bones, silent, unspeakable, there.  No matter how far apart you've traveled or how separate your lives have become, Eliot reminds us, your family remains a part of you.

There is a difference, however, between being a part of you and being a part of your life.  The 'of your life' variety takes time, it takes work, it takes? Intention.

Hence, I recently engaged in an intentional trip, to Rochester, to visit Dave and Kara on the weekend my parents were doing the same.

Equal parts laughing, lounging, reminiscing, and updating, we dwelt in the luxury of the time to get re-acquainted, the time to just be.

We celebrated Dave and Kara in their adorable new home,

with their equally adorable new addition.

We explored the town, 

saw the places they go to work at each day,

and ended up on the shores of Lake Ontario,

braving the cold for a bit of beauty.

We walked until our feet were frozen, 

and then returned home for some lazy lounging.  

[Do not be fooled by appearances of productiveness--

this man is sleeping!]

When we were rested up, we ventured out again for fortification at a nearby restaurant in a cool old firehouse that we'd discovered during the travels of our day.

While we chowed down on delectable fare, 

Kara led us in some 'get to know each other' questions, 

until the two hours our menu had warned us was the only time we were allowed at their table were nearly over.  We didn't need their restrictions, however, because we had big plans for our evening ahead:

Some serious gaming awaited us;

some clues to be revealed,

some categories to be scattered,

 some scattering of clues too....

[Remember the time our dear mother 

played H when the letter was G?]

A good long day of lounging and laughter behind us, 

we tucked into our beds and awoke with the promises of Dave & Kara's new church in the morning 

and Kara's beyond-amazing macaroni & cheese for lunch.

We finished our time together in prayer and thanksgiving, 

to the God who overcomes the distance of miles 

and joined-though-separated lives.

And then we left our love-birds, knowing that this phase of their journey is a phase of settling into the place that God has for them, in order to live, to love, to grow. 

We left, having said: Joined, Intentionally.