Somewhere Beautiful

Last Updated on February 15, 2024 by Stacy Averette

FAITH

“I just wanted to remind you not to give up. I know you’re tired and life feels like a slog, but your faithfulness to carry on is leading somewhere beautiful. The things that matter most take time and perseverance. What you are working on now isn’t the point, but how God is pointing you toward fulfilling His purposes in the work, that’s what matters for all eternity.”

Shelly Miller

“I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.  For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I Corinthians 1: 4-9 

FAMILY

When our children were young I tried to imagine what my life and theirs would be like when they grew up. I had high hopes. Often I would think to myself:

“I hope they still come through the front door without knocking. I hope they head to the kitchen for a snack, find their favorite glass in the cabinet, and pour some sweet tea. I hope they wander into the living room, kick off their shoes, sink into their favorite chair, and prop their feet on the furniture. I hope they feel the weight of adulthood leave them and our unconditional love embrace them. And I hope they still feel at home enough to grab their favorite quilt and  fall asleep on the couch.”

It’s been a few years since the photo above. They’re all grown up now.

Last Saturday Maddie came over for a visit. She turned Bear and Margo (the puppies) loose in the backyard and brought Milo (the kitten) inside. We did a few projects outside, watched tv, and ate lunch (including her delicious homemade cupcakes made especially for Caleb). Her husband, John, joined us when he got off work and we ate some more! As they were getting ready to head home, she commented, “I don’t know why I always fall asleep on the couch when I come over here.”

 

These days our nest is empty most of the time. They’re out and about going on adventures and building a life.

HOME

“Does God have any rules  about Sabbath? Or did we make them all up ourselves? It turns out, God gave only broad and general prescriptions for the Sabbath–cease work, mainly–and here and there an oblique clue. The only incident where a real and actual rule is broken is in Numbers 15, and we learn about the rule in the breach, through the breaking of it. A man is caught gathering brushwood on the Sabbath. Those who catch him haul him in to see Moses and Aaron–implying that this is a serious matter, since Moses long ago established that he would handle only the weightiest rulings ( see Exodus 18).  Moses asks God what is to be done, and God invokes  the death penalty (this is likely the proof text Jesus’s opponents  were thinking of when they sought to stone him).

But such living by its very nature is deadly. Anxiety and stress are our number one killers.

It’s killing us, our worry, our hurry, our need to gather one more armload of brushwood.”

(excerpt from The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath, by Mark Buchanan)

When we hear “Sabbath,” we think of Sunday; a day of rest when we cease from our usual work. But I’ve also learned the importance of cultivating a sabbath heart—soul-restoring rest right in the middle of the workweek.

One way we do this each week is by preparing and packing a simple lunch at home each morning to take with us to the office. There are a few good lunch options near our office but the ordering and pick-up process or driving to and sitting down routine are anything but soul-restoring for us. So we hang a “closed” sign on the door and cease our work for an hour. The lunchtime ritual of sitting down together, unpacking our lunch, and enjoying unhurried, face-to-face communication strengthens our bodies and minds.

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One of our favorite packed lunches is a veggie wrap with homemade dressing.

Ingredients

1 can beans (black or kidney), drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained

1 large tomato, diced

optional: (I add whatever leftover veggies I have in the fridge)

1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced

Red onion, diced

Cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

I combine these ingredients and store them in a resealable bowl. For lunch, I pack the salad, flour tortillas, and a sandwich bag of spring mix salad. We assemble the wraps at lunch and add a drizzle of our favorite homemade dressing.

Tahini Dressing

3 T. tahini (What’s Tahini? Click here to find out. It’s a new favorite ingredient in my fridge!)

3 T. soy sauce

3 t. apple cider vinegar

3 t. water

Combine and store in a small mason jar. Shake before use.

This dressing is SOOOOOO good! We eat it on everything from salads to burgers. This dressing recipe came from Tia at Hungry Vegan Mama. You can go to her youtube channel here and watch her make this dressing as well as 2 others that we LOVE!

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe.

THRIFTING

“I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone, and how you talk. Your smile and your personality. What you believe in, and all your dreams. The way you drink your tea. How you decorate your home. Or party. Your grocery list. The food you make. How your writing looks. And the way you feel. Life is art.”

Helena Bonham Carter

I’ve done a little thrifting this summer. Here are two of the finds that need a new home (AKA They’re for sale! Email me if you’re interested.)

1. A beautiful old table with original chippy, crackled paint, wooden casters, and removable leaf.

Definitely a work of art!

2. A vintage, rolling tray cart. Rolls well and folds flat. (I hadn’t cleaned it yet in this photo but it’s still so pretty!)

A few other finds that aren’t for sale (yet)!

Chippy little table, First Reader, old frame.

 

Vintage black leather clutch.

Old photos

(Yes, she’s smoking a pipe!)

The pretty “topless” teapot

“French Quarter Nights” framed print

(Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?)

Metal architectural piece.

 

Faith, Family, Home, and Thrifting. All the things I know and love!

I’m linking up with Pieced Pasttimes Click here.