Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising, but it still is: whenever I make time for building relationships and caring for others, God gets involved with making it work. Since adopting a bit of discipline for Lent, I also found myself drawn to start taking deliberate steps to reach out to people. Thursday I added some names to contact to my to-do list, and already by yesterday things started clicking into place. Lunch with Jeremy at Murphy's, Anne called just before I was going to call her and I went to IKEA with her and Melissa. Little things, but they prove to me that there's more room for people in my life, much as busyness and fear try to tell me otherwise. The latter is such a lie, one that's selfish and isolating all at once.
That said, having some limits is also faithful and good. I'm declining on an artists' brunch and a movie night today, with the awareness that it's been a week since I had a day without church activities, and it will be another week before I have that chance again. Deliberateness is key.
If anyone's interested, my church has made available an article regarding Lent and its keeping. It can be downloaded
here.
New lamp from IKEA. Still adjusting to it; not sure if I really like it yet.
Need a shave. I'm Scruffy McScrufferson again.
relaxed
well, with all that galavanting, when would you have the time to shave?