
Playing At The River Summer 2017
I was reading a blog post a few weeks back about how much work it takes to be able to rest. I felt such relief when I read this because I thought it was just me. It’s not that the work is bad, I enjoy preparing the pizza for our friends who come over on Friday nights and I like meal planning for camping trips and gathering up all the supplies needed to bring it all together. The pizza and the supply gathering are what make these events special and memorable but it’s not easy.
It’s kind of funny if you think about it. There is twice as much work to be done while you are getting ready to rest. Not only is there the everyday tasks of keeping home and work life running smoothly, there is also all the extra work of trying to have all your bases covered while you rest. If you are leaving town, there is extra budgeting, meal planning, packing, laundry and lists and lists of items written down you are praying you don’t leave behind.
When you get to your resting spot, whether it’s camping or around your table, there is still work happening. Dishes need to be cleared, tents need to be pitched, dirty clothes and clutter always seem to need to be gathered. But you know what? It’s all worth it. My son has stolen a phrase from Uncle Si of Duck Dynasty. Bridger says it’s his life’s motto, “Work Hard, Nap Hard.” Truth be told, he’s 11 and naps don’t occur all that often but he says it to make people laugh and most of the time he succeeds. I think it describes perfectly what Christ wants us to do with our lives… Work Hard, Nap Hard.
- Bridger Showing His Sheep. Coos County Fair 2017 (The face road rash was due to a bicycle collision with the neighbor boy earlier in the week, who just so happens to be sitting on the ground in the background…. HA!)
- Bridger, “Resting”
Genesis 2:2-3 says:
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Rest looks different for each one of us. For me, rest is plopping down with a good book or spending time around the table with a bottle of red wine and my besties. Mr. Wonderful would rather saddle up for a root canal than sit down and read a book. His idea of rest is puttering. When his hands are busy, his mind is at ease which is why when we are with our friends, he does most of the cooking. (Yes, this is one of the reasons he is Wonderful… ) While I was in chemo he designed and built a bistro set for our front porch. When he rests, he creates. When I rest, I grow. Books and people are my thing, projects and puttering are his.

The Bistro Set
Rest takes effort but it’s always worth it. It’s summer, the perfect season to find some time to rest. Build it into your calendar. It doesn’t have to be huge, take an evening, have some friends over and just hang… okay, hang while your husband cooks. If the hubs doesn’t cook or you are single get Papa Murphy’s, we do this All the time. If you are a putterer like Mr. Wonderful, plan some time to hang in your garden, get the weeds pulled and the veggies harvested. Do whatever you need to do to find the time to decompress and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Have A Fabulous Day My Friends!
Tiffany