Hearts in Service Blog

One of the reasons I love hiking so much is that it forces me to slow down and live in the moment. As I walk through the forest all I hear is the sound of my footsteps, the birds and the breeze blowing through the trees. I'm disconnected from technology and as I take pictures I'm noticing the details.  I spot things I normally wouldn't see. I can spend as much time as I want just listening and looking. I'm not enslaved to my to-do list. It also allows time for some self-reflection. I am thankful we live so close to some beautiful hiking trails. I can walk in our neighborhood, but as someone who connects to God best out in nature, it's something that is necessary for me. As the car climbed the mountain and came up out of the fog on Monday, I could feel the cares falling away. I find that my head clears on these hikes, I'm able to find solutions to a situation or gain clarity on how to proceed. Disconnecting for a bit helps me to reconnect and center myself to fac...

I often walk at our local audubon center and throughout the miles of trails they have different benches or swings like the one shown above. I love the reminders to stop and soak in the beauty. It is a visual reminder in this hurry-up and get it done world to slow down and relax. For those of you who read my blog regularly you know this isn't always my state of being. I'm usually cramming a lot into each day and while that is the way I'm wired, I do know that it's important to just slow down and relax from time to time.  I took a picture of the frost the other morning and then later that day found this quote. I thought it was a good reminder about the need to slow down. Philip Harnden, in A Gardener’s Guide to Frost ~ "In the end, this may be the most important thing about frost: Frost slows us down. In spring, it tempers our eagerness. In fall, it brings closure and rest. In our gotta-go world–where every nanosecond seems to count–slowness can be a great gift. ...

I cannot believe it's mid-September already. We are entering into the time of the year that is my favorite. I love all the colors and it's been beautiful. We are in a bit of drought, but the weather has been gorgeous. This weekend was probably one of the most relaxing that I've had in a long time. I wasn't canning or processing anything. I didn't have an agenda. I just relaxed. That's a good thing because I have major things going on for the next 5 weekends in a row.  The geese are starting to fly. The squirrels and chipmunks are busy collecting nuts. The bees are still busy collecting pollen. I've been getting out and walking as much as possible each day. I've also been a lot of my work out on the back patio. It's peaceful as long as my neighbors aren't out there mowing or blowing leaves. I have to laugh because almost every single time I sit out there someone decides that is the moment to do yard work.  It's pumpkin and squash season and ou...

I'm a fairly sensitive person and the emotional level of the internet is just too much this week with all that's going on in the news.  Yesterday and this afternoon, I headed out to enjoy the quiet. I was alone and it was good to spend time taking in the sights and sounds and just reflecting and praying. I felt some of the stress abating and came home feeling less unsettled. Sometimes alone is a good place to be and silence is golden.

It's been a busy week and I'm thankful that I was able to tick almost everything off my list and then some. I do have quite a bit of energy, but there is a point each night, where my body says, "That's enough." "You're done." Usually that happens around 7:30 or so when I sit in my recliner and start by watching something on the television for about 5-10 minutes, and then spend the rest of the show sound asleep!  I've been getting out to exercise each day. (In between taking pictures, of course)!  Making meals in between checking things off the list. I eat plant-based, but do love to make my family's favorites for them. I stayed home on Monday just so I could get my house back into order. I do love that some of my mother-in-law's paintings are on my walls. I also made some vegetable broth this week and canned some sauerkraut. I had three early morning Zoom meetings in a row this week. This one was a leadership committee I head up for our d...