A Sacred Space

Every year, I seem to engage in three periods of reflection and evaluation:  the launch of a new school year, the celebration of a new calendar year, and the transition into summer.  There are always fresh ideas, new goals, renewed resolutions, and unbridled determination (which may or may not last but a few days.)  The allure is that I love fresh starts and second chances.  These times remind me that I can make a choice to break out of unhealthy or unproductive patterns. I can give a worthwhile goal another GO. I can reprioritize to include a project I've long kept on the back-burner. And I have an excuse to go splurge on new office supplies. Because who doesn't feel better after buying a pretty new notebook and fancy colored pens and nifty paperclips?? Nothing makes me want to get organized like gorgeous, patterned filing folders.  Surely I have some soul sisters out there who feel the same way. So the 2016-17 school year is wrapping up, and I'm making my summer wish lists, bucket lists, and project lists.  As I look back at my 2017 New Year's goals, I see one resolution in particular that I did not make good on.... updating my blog.   I kept putting it off because I wasn't sure where to start, or if anyone actually reads blogs anymore, or if I even remembered how to sign in to the dashboard! Alas, five months into 2017, I'm adding it to my summer goals and giving it a try.

I've always loved to write, and this blog was such a great forum to sift through my thoughts. It's a space where jumbled emotions transformed into words and coherent ideas. It's a space where I often had big revelations in the midst of typing about mundane happenings. And most importantly, this blog became a "stone of remembrance" for me where I could look back at posts and recall the many times God demonstrated His faithfulness. Because I certainly can't rely on my memory anymore!  In the limitless world wide web, I found a small sacred space where I learned more about God, myself and others.  I made connections with incredible people whom I never would have met otherwise, and I was left the better for it.

Let me clarify, I'm not calling this blog itself "sacred." What I mean, is that I have found that when I take a few moments to quiet myself before Jesus, He can bring some sort of order to the haphazard impressions and feelings that emanate from this crazy life. In fact, when I set apart these moments to reflect and look for His hand at work in my daily life, I find myself humbled, encouraged, inspired, and changed.  And I was much more likely to reflect on daily life when I was blogging and writing.  Sometimes these moments were just a few seconds and sometimes they were much more. No matter their length, the key is that they were moments I set apart - and when I do so God makes them sacred. He does that for us all whenever we come before Him.  I look forward to sharing the silly, the serious, and yes, the sacred, as I continue this journey as wife, mother, and friend.