it's a lovely day

"...And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer..."

F. Scott Fitzgerald ~ The Great Gatsby

For some much needed inspiration - in my closet, and home! - I went to the thrift store the other morning, in hopes of finding some treasures.  I found this cute kid's vintage book (circa 1950s...for $.90!), a $5 skirt to wear for the next month, and a steal of a deal on a blazer that fits me now at 8 months pregnant and will fit me after.  I didn't give myself a ton of time there, which was probably for good reason...there were a lot of other things that I just may need to go back to "look at"... !!

I not only loved the fact that this vintage little book was in mint condition and oh-so-cute, but I was especially drawn to it's title.  It's simple reminder to view the day as lovely [lovely: highly pleasing or enjoyable].

It may very well be because summer is right around the corner, or that I am getting proper rest now, or due to the fact that I am TOTALLY ecstatic that baby is only a month away(!), but each and every morning, I am being reminded that I have the opportunity to view the approaching day as a new beginning.  In my eyes, lovely or not, it's all in how I choose to undertake it.

Sometimes, we allow our life circumstances, tasks, disappointments, responsibilities, emotions, pains, etc. to cloud our ability to see and make fresh a new dawn.  Before you know it, the day is gone and we haven't been able to snap out of it.  Being thankful is one way to overcome discouragement and charge it into a new perspective ... as is realizing that God has promised us that we will experience new mercies each and every morning:

"...Sing praise to the Lord, all you who belong to Him.  Give thanks to His holy name....Crying may last for a night, but joy comes with the new day..."
Psalm 30:4-5

There's nothing new about this message...quite honestly, in my own life, I've visited and revisited this thought time and time again.  It's merely another reminder for us not to lose sight and/or get stuck into thinking that we live in a desperate cycle of drab with no way out.  Today, regardless of where you are physically, emotionally, or spiritually, you have the choice to see "the lovely" that's right in front of you.

In Calgary, it's not supposed to be the "most delightful" of days (weather-wise, forecasted rain, rain, rain) ... but the way I see it,

It's a Lovely Day.

pix pic: my "new" vintage find, Calgary, AB, 23.April.2012

new growth

Spring is nearly here!  Grass is slowly creeping into new shades of fresh green, birds are waking me up every morning with their song, even the tulips are poking their way up out of the winter soil!  Talking to some friends down in South Carolina, they were already experiencing spring over a month ago, so I can imagine for some of you it may not seem as exciting(!).  The spring season doesn't last long up here, as we usually get an unexpected dump of snow (or two!) before the end of May.  By then ... we're pretty much in summer anyway.  So, every bit of spring that comes our way, I savor.

I decided to put my green thumb to the test this year and start some plants right from the seed.  This was all new "ground" for me.  In the past, I've diligently tended to my store bought patio plants, but I've never started from the "root" of things like this.  According to the plant lady at the greenhouse, I started the seeds about a week and a half too late for our short season, but I'm determined to try it anyway.  Because our little place faces north/northeast, the total amount of sun we get is limited, so I stuck with the leafy vegetables this year (kale, 3 different types of lettuce, etc...).

Much like my own life right now, new things are sprouting and coming to the surface.  Yes ... the baby of course is getting bigger (only 6 weeks to go!), as are some other areas in my life that have needed new growth.

I've been an independent person most of my life, always finding ways to make things happen.  And by that, I pretty much mean, working hard!  My jobs (even though I haven't always loved them) have always been the main reason for my daily routine and working hard at them have proven to give me productive, purposeful "meaning".  I always dreamt of the day when I wouldn't have my job(s) roadblocking and distracting me from doing things that needed to get done or that I really wanted to be doing - housework, sleep, creativity, personal time, running, etc...

Since I've been on maternity leave (March 23), I've felt lost in my own skin.  It's wonderful that Matt can work and I don't have to.  Trust me ... I'm not complaining here!  But it is quite the shift to have a feeling of daily satisfaction because of those career/work goals, to now, completely freeing my mind from them and pursuing a purposeful day from my personal objectives (with the evident new factors of being pregnant! - another blog post heh heh).  I've been asking myself again, "what do I really want to accomplish?". 

The beauty of having moments of realization like this, is that I don't have to prove anything ... to myself, to God, or to others.  Often, I've felt the need to push the normal standard just to feel validated in the work I do.  Sometimes missing moments because I've given into pursuing the goals others give me instead of own.  Obviously, working for someone, you have to(!), but I'm the type of person that won't let it rest unless I've proven something.  


I've been trying to curb that with the very truth ... that my value is not in what I prove.

The law of Your mouth is better to me

Than thousands of coins and silver ...

Your hands have made and fashioned me

Give me understanding that I may learn your commandments ...

Psalm 119:73-74

We've all been made and fashioned, way before we ever had those moments of "discovering ourselves" and "learning who are".  Why then, would I have to do things to authenticate who I am?

We are all fearfully and wonderfully made ... with no expectation to prove who or what we can do.

I pray you, as well, would find freedom in that promise today.   

 

pic pix: the sprouts, my studio - Calgary, AB, 16.Apr.2012