Discover the Moment

Big Brother must be reading my FB, blog and email because on almost every site I go to has Biltmore advertising on it.  In some ways it is kind of scary that social media has this much information to personally design advertising to size just for us.  This morning I looked at Nordstrom, no surprise, and Coldwater Creek trying to find a coral color short jacket.  To get a closer look I clicked on a few jackets on the Coldwater Creek site and now for the next few days I am going to see those kind of ugly jackets in advertising personally designed, for me.  Bless my heart.  The weeks before leaving for Biltmore, I loved seeing those advertisements but now I experience a little bit of nostalgia and sadness knowing it will be awhile before returning.  Roy and I are making some fall plans to go back but first we must endure the hot, humid summer here before returning to the coolness of the mountains. 

Laundry never ends and it seems like maybe today it will be done for just a while.  I'm also cleaning out a few dresser drawers.  While I was gone, a small turquoise chest we had ordered arrived.  Sunday afternoon Roy and I unboxed it, cleaned off the stray Styrofoam pieces and letting the drawers air out from the heavy duty paint smell.  So today, I am moving a few smaller things into the new chest and hopefully will be able to empty out a couple of storage drawers stacked in the closet.  We gave so much away before moving, it is difficult to believe there is still so much stuff.  I haven't read 7 or any of those other books but I have felt the need to declutter and get rid of things for over a year now, not with a spiritual reason to do so but it has been a nice side benefit.  I probably will always have more t-shirts than I can wear but t-shirts are my love language. 

Roy also put together the potting table we had ordered about a month ago.  Let's just say the instructions were a bit convoluted and it took several attempts to put the thing together, but he did it!  The back patio is looking rather nice.  He did great with the flower beds and keeping up watering the plants in the courtyard.  He even got one plant to bloom, I had just about given up all hope on it. 

Dena brought her copy of Jesus Calling and read it out loud every morning.  That devotional is one of the best ever and no matter the circumstance, each day's word speaks to each and every life.  We even experienced it in action, practicing what we had read that day, whether it be to trust or be thankful and to cast anxiety aside.  We met a brother in Christ who worked the morning shift in the dinning room.  That story deserves a post in itself.  Dena kept a journal of those whom we met along the way and she kept up with the funny phrases we heard along our way.  You know you can't get through Louisiana without hearing a few fun ones. 

The spring ad for the Biltmore is, "Springtime at Biltmore, discover the moment you've been waiting for."  Thankfully, I experienced several moments and they had more to do with the Lord but being in such beauty probably prepared my heart even more so.  Basically, my prayer was for rest and respite from the grind life has taken in the past several months and the effects and decisions resulting from such a surprising turn of events.  I do feel like I got that "word" I needed to hear and experience.  It came in the quiet moments and it came in the fun we had.  Every night, sleep came easily.  Even being over-tired from driving didn't affect the deep and restorative sleep each night.  That is until Thursday.  Dena and I came  in from Mount Pisgah and had dinner at Cedric's in Antler Hill.  Once we returned to the room, we turned to packing up everything and hoping for an early start Friday morning.  My mind would not settle down.  I was thinking of everything we would need to take care of in the morning.  Then it would be the route we decided on.  Soon my thoughts had turned to what needed to be done once I got home and then preparing for our next trip in about a week.  Instead of relaxing and enjoying one last night in the mountains, my thoughts had turned to the routine and daily chaos of life that may be real or maybe even imagined.  Not a restful, peaceful, sleeping night.  It took some time to finally fall asleep and then from 4:00 am and beyond, I woke up every 30 minutes to check the clock, you know just in case the alarm didn't go off.  

Well I need to go and wake up Buddy because she was rather nocturnal last night and interrupted our sleep a whole lot.  So today as she takes her 57 naps, I am making sure she doesn't get a full restful nap time.  She's got to be good and tired tonight.