Share Four Somethings: June 2020

I haven’t made it an official goal or anything, but it seems 2020 has gradually become The Year of Trying New Things for me.

I’ve written about some of that here, and I hope to continue the conversation in the coming months.

This week, though, I’m trying something new in this space—I’m joining a linkup hosted by blogger Heather Gerwing that encourages writers to share “Four Somethings” from the past month.

I don’t know if this will become a regular feature or something I post only when the mood hits. Either way, it’s been fun to come up with this first list of something loved, something read, something treasured and something ahead.

• Something loved

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time at all, you know that gardening is my happy place. It’s past prime planting season where I live, but a few weeks ago, I bought a pair of “Pink Chiffon” Rose of Sharon bushes for the west side of my house.

Although the new bushes are less than two feet tall, they should climb to a height of eight to 12 feet eventually. As much as I love them now, I can’t wait to see what they look like against the backdrop of our bluish-gray siding when they’re fully grown and covered in beautiful pink blooms.

• Something read

I recently finished Hope Heals: A True Story of Overwhelming Loss and an Overcoming Love by Katherine and Jay Wolf. Chronological memoirs written from two points of view are sometimes a bit disjointed, but this one—which tells the story of Katherine’s miraculous-yet-grueling recovery from a massive brain stem stroke—was both powerful and cohesive.

Especially now, when more and more Christian artists and influencers seem to be “deconstructing” or even abandoning the faith entirely, it’s incredibly refreshing to hear from a husband and wife who have chosen to remain steadfast and hope-filled, despite seemingly insurmountable odds.

“One day, we will see,” Jay writes in the last chapter. “One day, the arc of our stories will all make perfect sense. One day, we will trace the lines of our scars and find them to have fallen in the most pleasant of places, to see in them our great inheritance. One day, we won’t need to hope, nor will we need to be healed because we will be face-to-face with the source of both, the source of everything … Jesus.

“And in the glory of His face, the darkest suffering and loss we will have endured will fade like shadows at daybreak. Until then, the moments of releasing our lives into the hands of a God we cannot see are the closest we will come to wholeness on this side of eternity. This is our truest healing—the healing of our souls—and it sustains us when we wake up tomorrow to an unknown but hopeful new day.”

• Something treasured

For this one, I chose two: the sight of my husband and teenage daughters sprawled out in the living room with all their noses stuck in actual books, and our family’s long-time practice of eating supper together in our dining room every night. We’ll be down to three at the table when Lilly goes to college in the fall, which makes these family meals even more special right now.

• Something ahead

The high schools in our city have scheduled outdoor graduation ceremonies for late July. We’re planning an open house to honor Lilly the week before. We’ve sent invitations. We’re starting to gather snacks. I’ve even found a new outfit to wear.

I’m praying that it will be a fun time, that my daughter will feel all the love, that we will have enough food (but not too much).

At the same time, I’m trying to hold all the plans so very loosely, knowing that a lot can change in a few weeks’ time. We don’t know exactly how this will all pan out, but God knows. And because of that, all is well.

• • •

Now it’s your turn. If reading my Four Somethings has brought to mind a “something” of your own, please feel free to share it in the comments.

♥ Lois

P.S. I’m linking up this week with Purposeful Faith, #sharefoursomethings, InstaEncouragements, Recharge Wednesday, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.