Quietly Catching Up

 Well... hello, friends.  It's been a little while... things have been quiet here.  I mean in this space - on this blog - of course, lest you think I mean things have been quiet at my house.  I think you probably know better than that (wink).

I did, enjoy some quiet moments today while I was hanging up the clothes outside.  (I escaped outdoors alone, telling the kids they mustn't come out during "school hours" lest someone in the neighborhood think we don't educate our children -wink). 

Thus, I was able to hang the clothes on the line in the quiet of my own thoughts. This is a source of utter joy to me - hanging clothes on the line on a breezy, day when the sun is strong but the air is light and cool.  And then the fragrance of clothes dried in the sunshine?  Therapy. 

I'm a firm believer that everyone should ditch their chemically-fragranced detergents and fabric softeners, and hang their clothes on the line.  I really think the world would be a happier place. No kidding.

And for the record, I try to let the kids have as much outside time as possible, and if we lived in the country, that would basically be from sun-up to sun-down.  But for now.... well I'll just be content with what we have. 

Anyway... so this space has been quiet, but - other than my rendezvous with the laundry - it hasn't been quiet at our home.

This is my favorite time of year.

September was birthday month for five of us Hazies.  But that's not even the highlight of the year for us! October ushered in the Fall moedim (Biblical holy days), culminating in the one we look forward to all year: sukkot! (Feast of Tabernacles)

We were blessed to spend it with friends in East Texas this year, camping somewhere in the 100-acre Wood.  (for real) We set up our food, clothes, and other supplies in a cabin, (our friends were in another cabin, facing ours) and pitched our tents beneath the trees.  It was beautiful.

On the way out of town, at the beginning of our trip, I realized that this year during Sukkot there wouldn't be a swing set for my youngest kids to play on, or anything, actually, to play with.  I shouldn't have been concerned.  They were outside from sun-up until long after the stars were out... then we would swipe a few layers of dirt off them before we would make our way down to the tents to sleep.

During our entire camping trip, there was almost no bickering between siblings.  And no one told me they were bored. They literally had sticks, rocks, the woods, dirt, and some rip-sticks / scooters (there was a cement courtyard in the midst of the cabins and community kitchen.)

And you know what there has been a lot of since we've come back to toys, amenities, and episodes of Curious George?  Yes- lots of bickering between siblings, and kids telling me they're bored.  You do the math.

This is one of the things I love about Sukkot.  

It's an appointment the Father makes with His people, and says "come away with me"... we're told in Scripture to dwell in tents so every generation will remember that He called His people out of Egypt - out of the hustle and bustle... out of the back-breaking work... out from under the oppression - and caused them to dwell quietly in tents in the wilderness.... and there He dwelled with them.

Sukkot reminds me I don't really care about stuff... or social media... 

It reminds me that I'm happier outside.  I'm happier when I have less stuff to manage... I'm happier when I have less "noise" of the world, and I can listen for Him.

It's also the time of year where those of us who do Bible readings based on the weekly Torah portions of scripture begin again.  The Hebrew calendar begins a new year, and it's another opportunity to reflect on the past year and pray about what's really important as we re-evaluate how we are spending our time.

So this is what I do in the quiet moments I can manage to create in the midst of a large family bubbling with life and energy - I ask the Father to help us let go of all the things we don't need. Both the mental / spiritual things, and the material things.  I ask Him to help us discern and let go of the "good" pursuits that take up our time and have value, but aren't the things He wants us to pursue in this season.

Any time our family goes somewhere, we collect rocks.  It's just something in most of us we can't help.  (I've actually had a few go through the washing machine, snuggled in the pockets of clothing, since we've come home from camping.). But with the younger family members, it takes some convincing that we don't need to hold onto every rock that looks special and beautiful. We choose just the few that are the ones we know deep down we need to keep.

And that's what I'm doing as I am quietly catching up after coming home from our appointed time with the Father... closing out the Biblical feasts for 2022...  I'm quietly opening my hands to the Father and asking him which gems in my life are the few I can hold onto, ... and letting go of the rest.

Maybe we all have some quiet catching up to do?  I highly recommend it... and don't forget to hang your clothes on the line.