Author Ruth Smith Meyer

After a busy three weeks, I woke on our July holiday morning with nothing urgent that needed attention. My head knew that, but my inner self was still on fast forward. I felt that my head was still at least a foot ahead of my feet and I was afraid to slow down lest I fall flat on my face.

When my husband asked if I wanted to accompany him on an hour’s drive to his daughter’s where he wanted to work on a truck he’s been restoring. My mind went into a whirl. I have writing I need to do, calls to make, catch-up from the busy schedule of the past few weeks.

My husband often tells me, “You’re retired, you know!”

I ‘m apt to jokingly reply, “If I am re-tired, that must mean I’ve been equipped with new tires, and ready to keep travelling.”

I was about to do so this morning, then I heard the echo of my first husband’s frequent observation, “You have trouble in being content to just be. You seem to feel that every moment you have to do.”

Abruptly, I hushed those voices that bid me Do, do, do! I decided on this holiday Monday that I would have a Be Day! With determination, I let go of my to-do list and turned my face the other way. I happily busied myself making a lunch for the two of us, gathered up my camera, a book to read and joined my husband.

As we drove, the glare of the computer screen I had anticipated was gently exchanged by the clouds and the sun in seeming competition to see who would win. The interaction produced beautiful light and shadow patterns on the fresh spring growth. The smell of the rain-washed earth replaced the odour of the burning-rubber of my active mind. The rolling countryside stretched out inviting my tightly focused mind to enlarge the borders of my vista, to relax and see the bigger picture.

I vacuumed the inside of the truck on which my husband was working and not only found pleasure working near him but also satisfaction in changing the appearance of the carpet. That work reminded me of the neglected corners of my life where little bits of litter gather when I am too focused on one thing. I prayed that God would help me take the time to clean out those corners.

The book I had picked up happened to be Pressing into the Thin Places, Encouraging the Heart toward God by Margaret Harrell Wills. That’s exactly what it did for me this morning. After reading awhile, I picked up my camera and strolled around the beautiful grounds and flowerbeds around our daughter’s home, capturing pictures of the beauty. There’s something about looking through a camera lens that forces one to see through different eyes. Some shots were of the larger scene, some focused on a bird house nestled among the shrubs or a single flower. Each opened a different outlook in my increasingly thankful heart.

Back on my chair, I was pleasantly interrupted to visit, first with a daughter, then with a granddaughter, both of whom have brought much joy to my life in the past few years. It was a pleasant addition to my Be Day.

The afternoon finished with my husband and I working together to build two birdhouses to add to the ones already on the property. On our drive back home, we drove through a driving rain that seemed to just finish the cleansing of my cluttered mind. At one point in that driving rain we could see the clear blue sky to the right with the sun almost peeking through the clouds.

Ah-hh, that is life. Sunshine and shadow; a time for intense focus, a time for stepping back to see the broader picture; a time for a thorough washing away of the cob webs in our brains: a time to recognize that the sun is always ready to shine through the clouds: a satisfying Be Day.