Five Things…

One of the things I love most about my local thrift stores is how reasonably they sell books. I love books, don’t you? I can’t seem to resist them, though I’ve been trying to show restraint as I seem to have amassed quite a collection! One of my recent purchases is The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom. I’m sure many of you have read this charming book – I’m a little late to the party! I haven’t finished it yet and though it’s quite different from what I normally read, I’m really enjoying it.

Reading and Summer go hand-in-hand and I must confess that over the last several years, I’ve been too busy to indulge in a good read. It’s hard to believe it’s almost two years that I’ve been here in the cottage-by-the-creek — she’s kept me busy! But since there’s no projects afoot and since I’ve been operating at a slower pace of late, I decided to make a concerted effort to read every day – for pleasure, that is. I’ve been doing a lot of reading on thyroid health lately and though the subject is very interesting to me, it’s not like losing yourself in a good novel.

This Summer I’m also doing a little Bible study with some dear, long-time friends and I’m finding our time together very refreshing. Like a cold glass of water on a hot July day, meeting on Monday mornings with the girls is proving to be very satisfying. I didn’t realize how “thirsty” I was!
The third thing that’s on my Summer “to do” list is to enjoy more family time and to “unplug” on Sunday, as God intends for us to do. I confess I’m not very good at this. Last Sunday I spent the day at the Chautauqua Institute taking pictures and reading under a big ol’ tree. I savored a beer-battered fish fry lunch overlooking the lake, got a little sunburn on my shoulders, and paused for a few minutes outside the amphitheater to enjoy the angelic-voiced chorus serenade the large Sunday-afternoon crowd. I’m pretty confident God was beaming and so was I.
Learning to take better photographs is also one of the things I intend to accomplish this Summer. My sister and brothers are all photography enthusiasts and when I was growing up, we had a dark room in our basement. My mom called it the “fruit closet,” but to my dad, it was the Dark Room – a dual purpose room that smelled of developing chemicals and canned peaches. Because of my dad, we all have a strong desire to express our creativity through the lens of a camera. I just need a little practice …
This Summer has seen a big change in my eating habits. I’ll admit I caused my mother much angst when I was a girl as I always seemed to turn up my nose at most things she put before me. So No. 5 on my list of Five Things is to implement a diet rich in whole foods, little dairy, more protein, less sugar … you get the idea!  I’m well on my way and feel better for it.
This was my supper tonight – organic chicken, baby spinach, organic strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, a little goat cheese, and Ken’s Raspberry Walnut Low-Fat Dressing – YUM!

So to recap the Five Things I’m doing this Summer:
1.  Reading for pleasure
2.  Participating in Bible study
3.  Keeping the Sabbath holy and having fun while doing it!
4.  Mastering my camera
5.  Nourishing my body

How about you? What’s filling your Summer schedule?  I’d love to hear. Thanks for stopping by, friends. It’s always a pleasure.

Lynn

Originally posted on Cottage and Creek.