inspired: Notes about my sabbath

Saturdays are my sabbath. Somebody came up with the idea that people should take a break from work and rest on Saturdays. I think it's a great idea too many of us overlook in this hustle-bustle society. Okay, I know this audience never worries themselves with busy-ness, but some people do *wink.

With the computer and TV turned off, I spent much of my day outside my apartment savoring the wysteria across the walk. The solitude was wonderful. Princess (my Lhasa Apso) and I listened to birds, watched bees, and visited neighbors who passed by.

The most amazing part of the day was that wysteria. Oh, to bottle up that fragrance and share it with you all. Its blossoms were a soft sweetness that complimented the delicate purple flowers. Insects hurried about enjoying the nectar, surely returning to the university nearby with its honeybee boxes.

I need a day of rest. It inspires me with the simpler things. I revert to pen and paper to write out ideas and paint the natural world around me. I listen to the songs of the birds and the breeze in the trees. I am revived and ready to face another week.

There's a lot more about creativity at Water Cooler Wednesdays. Join the conversation at http://randyelrod.typepad.com/ethos/2008/04/watercooler-wed.html.

Spring Cleaning

This week has been the annual (if I'm so inclined) spring cleaning around my house. Going through boxes, sweeping cobwebs, and sanitizing the bathroom has been very rewarding. With my physical limitations come huge blessings; friends have helped sort (and dispose) and do the hard-core scrubbing and dusting. Working together (my job is to keep up with where everything goes) we are almost finished. All that's left are the odds and ends.

Ecumenical churches have a kind of spring cleaning: Lent. Growing up Baptist, all I knew of this strange ceremony was folks living it up on "Fat Tuesday" at Mardi Gras then giving up a bad habit for the forty days before Easter. Honestly, a lot of church traditions didn't make sense to me back then. I thought it was hypocritical to give up something you know is bad for forty days, then pick it back up. Doesn't the Bible warn us about doing naughty things and presuming on God's grace?

In my enlightened thirties, some of the old rituals make more sense. Lent, like other church holidays, is a commemoration of significant Biblical events or principles in tangible human ways that help us identify with our spiritual heritage. We recognize the significance of Jesus' imminent suffering at the hands of those he came to redeem. Before the celebration of Easter Sunday (in the western tradition) the believer solemnly ponders our own sin. Lent, like spring cleaning, offers believers the opportunity to get rid of spiritual clutter let the Lord renew us.

With Easter around the corner, it's not too late to participate in the observance of Lent. Let the Spirit lead you how you should respond, but find some way to reflect on the significance of the season and address those dusty, cluttered corners you've neglected the past year (or so). We could all use a little spring cleaning every year in our houses and hearts.