Fab Friday: an Oasis of Loveliness

We are decluttering, refreshing, and cleaning our houses this month here at In My Kitchen, In My Life. Because it is Friday, and because here in PA it is supposed to reach 54 every-lovin' degrees today (It's only 22 now, but we live in hope.), and because I am the blog writer and I want to do it, let's all try to create an oasis of loveliness today.

An oasis is a spot of refreshment surrounded by more rugged terrain. I love almost everything about my life and am among the most blessed of women, but I still have my struggles and meet many of them daily. You, too? There are big and little things that can be hard to bear -- illness in ourselves and loved ones, leave-takings, our own and others' failings, and just the vagaries of life in this fallen old world. Sometimes we can get weighed down and need a boost. The best and most important thing is to know that one is at peace with God. The second, I think, may be to know one is at peace with one's responsibilities, that one is keeping up reasonably with one's tasks. (Do you agree with that?) If these are out of kilter, no amount of fun or Me Time will make up for the lack of them. However, if those more lofty necessities are in place, there are littler things that can give me a welcome additional lift. I think of these as oases of loveliness -- a nourishing conversation with a wise friend, a nap if I need one, a walk alone to think and pray and take in my surroundings, or a little time spent doing something creative. Whatever it is, it should leave me feeling refreshed and content.

(If it doesn't, the fault may be any of these:

•  I am not at peace with God.
• I am not at peace with my responsibilities.
• The activity meant to be satisfying is unsatisfying because I don't enjoy doing it, because it is too big or too hard, or because it causes me to feel discontented with my circumstances or myself.

The first two are serious and must be addressed. The third is easy -- I need to stop doing what I am doing and do something I like better.)

Anyway, an oasis of loveliness. Your assignment: Do something today that will be an oasis of loveliness for you. Let yourself be fully present in those moments -- absorb their worth. It doesn't have to cost money or take much time. What will you do? Please share with us here.

(Blog-reading 101 Tip: For those new to blogs, commenting is easy. If there is no comment form immediately below the "You might also like" links, then you should see "____comments." Click on that and you will be taken to a page with a comment form. If you scroll up a bit, you will see any comments already posted by others. Once you have arrived at the comment form, type your comment in the large box, then click "select profile." You can choose "Anonymous" or as "Name/url" and just leave the url blank if none of the other choices apply to you. Finally, you can choose to preview your comment as it will appear and then publish it, or just publish it. Occasionally on other people's blogs I have to click the "publish" button more than one time to get it to work, so don't be afraid to try that if necessary. So, try it now -- it's fun!)