of raspberries and simplicity

"my life can be so arranged that i can live on whatever i have.

if i cannot live as i have lived in the past,

i shall live differently; and living differently does not mean

living with less attention to the things that make life gracious and pleasant,

or with less enjoyment of the things of the mind."

-e. roosevelt

i was driving down 33 to ruth’s house, glorying in the beauty of the west virginia mountains. i pulled over and stretched out my arms, wondering why God had brought me to this beautiful place. i arrived and began unpacking. after shuffling boxes until i was ready to drop, i had to ask myself why God moved me to this place. i then discovered that the library did not have my free wireless access, and that i had to open a new bank account. ‘twas then i groaned, ‘why, God, did you bring me to this place?’

expectations. deceitful things, aren’t they? sometimes merely another word for my selfish wants. by believing it’s my due to receive certain things in life, that a few ‘trifles’ are owed to me, all i have left are disappointments galore.

i like eleanor’s quote up there, but it seems to me that psalms 16:11 says the truth even better. “thou hast shown me the path of life; in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures forevermore.” His presence equals joy, no exceptions allowed. It does not say that friends equal joy, or family, or even cheesecake and chocolate. it’s all about surrender, about resting in His omnipresence.

how comforting.

so even in the midst of adjustments, in the middle of the surprises that change brings my way, joy is guaranteed me on a life warranty! i decide to stop groaning and start smiling.

ruth and i picked raspberries today, heaps of ‘em, and we are going to have shortcake for breakfast. my room is almost in order, and i even found the perfect nifty shelf at walmart for $9.88! and when i brooked my nervousness and went to a youth retreat thing tonight [brave, don’t you say] i even enjoyed myself.

so there. simplicity. and joy. i’m learning.