I finished the first book last night and I believe I can hear a choir of angels celebrating for me. I have loved to read since I was a child. My first big book was in 3rd grade when I read "The Wind in the Willows" and I've been reading ever since....until the past few years. Something shut down deep inside of me while my mom was so sick and dying, my husband was having major surgeries, my son was moving to another state and getting married, and other big ole life changes. I lost the ability to sit still for any amount of time and concentrate on one thing. Instead, I have stalked social media, played mindless games on my phone and iPad, and generally walked around puzzled about the whole thing but unable to figure out how to fix it.
God and I have had some serious conversations about the this condition of mine since not reading has also included pretty much not reading my Bible in depth nor other books that would help my spiritual journey. He has been patient with me and helped me to be patient with myself and in the past few weeks, I have begun to recognize small changes and the beginning of being able to return to myself. In total honestly, I've done something else for the past several months - I've shopped. I've bought pretty much anything (within reason) that my little heart saw and wanted. I have seriously indulged in abundance - enough to make you gag. Really. Gag. Finally, I've begun to make myself uncomfortable which has been a glorious beginning of God at work in me.
On Saturday morning, I was reading "At Home in Mitford" and came upon a comment by homeless Hobbs. Homeless Hobbs is a former advertising exec from NYC who walked away from it all and moved to a little one room cabin deep in the woods outside of Mitford. He lives on next to nothing and desires nothing more than he has. When Father Tim asked him how he got to this place, he replied "sometimes you have to gag on fancy to appreciate the plain." Something broke free in my heart when I read that. My heart rewrote his comment to be "sometimes you have to gag on overabundance to appreciate simple and "enough" again". THANK.YOU.JESUS.FOR.HELPING.ME.TO.GAG.
Contentment is growing, my "things" are becoming less, my heart is healing, and my God is cheering.
More soon - I need to make sure I put the second Mitford series books on a table where I can grab it tonight!
