Rest and Be Refreshed

I wish I could run outside and snap a picture of our neighborhood,

but Ben is napping and I don't want to leave him alone.

So I snapped this shot from our front door...

As you may know, we moved to a new house in November,

but what you may not know is,

WE ARE LIVING IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE!!

Our little cottage is surrounded by the construction of new homes,

all in various stages and various noises. This photo just shows one of 6 homes being built

right by our home, and it has been fun to see the process of house-building.

These men have been working day after day,

and they all have a specific job to do.

Some do the initial digging of the hole for the house,

 and others drive the dump trucks to haul it away.

Others ready the earth for the forms, and then they pour the cement

from the cement mixer with the help of Big Red.

(Okay, I am getting into dangerous territory here,

as I really know nothing about the specifics of building a house.

Just pretend I do!!)

Foundations and basements are poured,

walls go up,

and I hear lots and lots of hammering,

trucks,

and

all that goes with this process of labor.

Yes,

it is quite noisy, and yes,

 Lucy our golden retriever really dislikes it,

but that is a story for another time.

Some days, the noise is more than I can take,

but I remind myself that our home went through the same process

and the existing neighbors lived through the noise

of our home being built.

The noise is essential to the 3-month it takes to

build a home that will last a lifetime,

so I am learning patience.

This is how Ben handles it...

This is a bit out of focus,

but I took it from across the room so that I didn't wake him from his nap.

He sleeps,

he swings and sleeps to the rhythm of the swing.

He sleeps,

snuggled in his Snuggly cocoon in his bassinet,

listening to soft lullabies to drown out the outside,

the quiet rhythm of the songs and his breath

lulling him to sleep, not a care in the world.

No loud truck bothers him

no hammer wakes him.

He sleeps in the middle of the construction zone

and he trusts me to take good care of him.

It is like this with God, isn't it?

Our lives are surrounded by the stuff of life,

the noise and the hustle and bustle of carving out a living, raising a family,

driving to work, running to the doctor, mowing the lawn,

running the vacuum, and on and on it goes.

Sometimes the noise and activity are too much,

and we need to retreat to a quiet place,

a place where we can get alone with our thoughts and our prayers

and spend time with the Father who cares for us.

(Heartlight)

"Come with Me by yourselves

to a quiet place

and get some rest."

Mark 6:31

Think on These Things

@ With a Grateful Prayer and a Thankful Heart blog