Pause and Enjoy the Sunshine

Thank you to everyone who came out last weekend for my book signing. I couldn’t have asked for a more lovely location (Artful Possibilities) and a friendlier crowd. I felt blessed to see so many friends come and was excited to meet some new people taking interest in my series. (And another book signing will be just around the corner! Stay tuned.)

However, after last weekend, the week itself has left me feeling deflated. We all have weeks like that, right? I’ve been like a hamster on a wheel, running in circles and not getting much done. It started with a late night class, migrated into a frustrating day on Wednesday and then topped off with someone hacking my email password, which in turn affected the email on my phone. After spending over half an hour on the phone with my service provider, I finally had the chance to speak with a “specialist”… who hung up on me.

Yes, that’s the way life goes sometimes.

I live outside the city, on dirt roads, in an area where rabbits feel at home in my backyard, birds of all kinds visit the birdfeeder, and the gopher tortoise has a hole in the lot next door. The tortoise was sunning himself on our front lawn the other day and permitted me to snap a picture.

When I think of tortoises, the first thing that comes to mind is the story of the tortoise and the hare.  And this week has left me feeling more like the hare – running but not finishing well. The tortoise may take his time, but he finishes – and he enjoys the sunshine along the way.

So that’s my challenge to myself – and to any other “harried” friends out there. Stop and enjoy the sunshine once in a while.

Remember, we are to run with patience (Hebrews 12:1). Obviously, we can’t quit when life gets frustrating. We must persevere. And I think that pausing to appreciate the blessings we have helps make tough races and rough weeks a little more bearable.