Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Cinderella Mom

If you think Jesus would have come into your home that day and not issued a strong rebuke to the head of household, you are mistaken. These words of condemnation have been haunting me for days now. They aren’t all that different than the soundtrack I play in my head on an almost-daily basis. It’s…

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This is 40

I am nesting. On Saturday I emptied the refrigerator. Last summer’s homemade pickles in their jars. The bread ends that seem to multiply on every shelf. The eggs. The milk. The fruit and veggies. All of it sat on the floor or the counter as I carefully removed the shelves and wiped them down with…

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Beauty on the Backroads {or Why I Changed the Name of my Blog}

I’ve heard that life is like a highway. And it definitely seems like that sometimes. The pace of life swirls around me at dizzying speeds. We’re all so busy. In such a hurry. Always somewhere to be, something else to do. I’m a get-to-the-point, get-there-quick kind of girl. I don’t like to waste time on…

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Never laugh alone

Day 12. I love Thursdays. Best night of TV in the whole week. I’m usually guaranteed at least one good out loud laugh from the NBC lineup of shows. No matter what else happens on Thursdays, I know I’ll have a time of rest and refreshing after Isabelle goes to bed.

Watching our Thursday shows without my husband just isn’t the same. My parents don’t laugh at the same things I do. Maybe it’s a generation thing. Or a sense of humor thing. There’s something about laughing with other people. I’m not a drinker, but there’s an adage about never drinking alone. The same rule should apply to laughing.

I just don’t know what to do with myself

Day 11. I forget how unscheduled we are without Phil. Even though he’s not terribly organized, our days revolve around him. On the days he has class, I have small windows of opportunity to do housework. When he works, I know I don’t have to plan anything special for supper, unless I’m really bored with eating leftovers and want to give Isabelle and myself a treat. I can’t say I miss finals week, though. Usually even when he’s in the house, he’s inaccessible because of needing to work on projects or papers.

The days without him are passing fast enough … sometimes too fast … with visits to friends and family, and opportunities like we had this morning to go to a moms’ Bible study at church. Still, I don’t know exactly what to do with the days. I don’t have the usual amount of errands, cooking, dishes and laundry to deal with, so I find myself looking for things to do. This morning, that meant spending money. Can’t afford to do that every day.

I’m a doer, so maybe this is a chance to learn to “be” more. With summer coming, and the probability that my husband won’t have any classes, just work, maybe this is an early adjustment for that transition.

As it is, I can’t believe we’re halfway through our separation. We always run out of time to visit those we love, and I can already sense the days slipping away. Better make the most of them while we have them.