Tripping Over Typeset

In a little over a week, my world will consist of highways, cooler-food and hours of time with five people I love.  We are venturing out for time away and dropping off our first-born at college.

I’m practicing grace.

I have lists of to-do… to-pack… and don’t-forget.  These lists, if allowed, can fill my days because I’m a list-completer.  I like marking it off and checking the box.  There’s a sense of accomplishment in the check mark and line drawn through, yet that is where I’m learning grace.

Grace found in being more than doing.

Grace in learning I don’t have to do it all.

Yes, we have packing.  And yes, I have things to organize, delegate and file away.  But it’s not in checking all the boxes or marking through the lines that I find grace.  I find grace in checking what’s important and marking out time.  Some things on the list can wait and others don’t need to be done.

This place, where I lay out thoughts and pound out words on the keyboard, this place waits.  Because the place where I lay my head and live day-to-day, that place needs me.

That place…

• Where books from one school year are put away and the next year’s brought out.
• Where clothes are given away and boxes are packed.
• Where we dunk Oreo’s with forks and eat Cheetos by the bag-full.
• Where we’re smacking the ball across the court and learning “Love All” together.

In that place, roles are shifting and one is packing up.  That place needs my attention and I crave that attention, too.  We are checking what’s important and marking out moments, packing them away in our memory bank.

And because I’m there with them, I’m not here with you and time with them can’t wait.

So don’t worry about this writing thing.  I’m writing — It’s how God wired me.  Journals are filling and ink is spilling out all over…it’s just not here where all of you can see… because sometimes it’s good to be quiet and pack moments in just for us… just for our family right now.

I’ll be back and I’ll pound away with thoughts that I’ve pondered and grace that I’ve practiced but for right now I’m practicing grace with myself and grace with this place. I haven’t forgotten this place or forgotten you, instead I’m finding grace in the being and not in the doing.

I’ll keep practicing grace and catching up with you soon!