It was just before 8pm on a Friday night and I was safely tucked into bed and drifting to sleep in no time. I was awake at 4:30 that morning and off on my adventure shortly there after. I didn't really sleep on the planes and so I spent my morning calmly staring at whatever was in front of me which was mostly the tray that was attached to the seat in front of mine.
Upon landing in Sioux Falls, SD airport, I was whisked away to a car dealership where I emptied my life savings into a hopefully-reliable vehical. For real this time, guys.
I had a pleasant time running away and it was a needed dose of "nothing" to smooth out the ends of frazzled emotions. I spent my afternoon picking apples with my grandfather, working in companionable silence. Saturday was similar, studying some, baking pie, and then moving to help grandma process the apples as we watched college football. At some point grandpa came and fetched me for a walk through the woods as we observed what newly fallen branches would need to be cleared when time for such tasks could be found. Occasionally grandpa would point out a deer stand or paw print or some indication of the wild life inhabiting the woods. Once at the creek we stopped and listened a while and then observed the deer tracks in the mud and the beaver gnawings on the posts. Grandpa spoke of the pasture that used to graze the sheep and now served the horses and their need for open space, accept for the two that were getting too fat eating the grass and had to be moved and put on a diet.
Upon returning through the woods and closing in on the house we observed a flock of over a dozen wild turkeys meandering through their front yard. Grandpa had us double back a little and push through the buckthorn and overgrown burr plants off the beaten path so as to come at the house via the road so as not to scare off the turkeys.
And that was most of what I did. It was quite soothing and restful. Sunday morning found me at the breakfast table by 6:30am as I planned my route to get me to my parent's church by 10:15am. Grandpa and Grandma loaded me with all the fresh produce I could want and sent me on my way. After church I chatted with people seeking to encourage me and then went out to the Allie mansion to pick apples and explore the corn maze.
Sunday afternoon found me cuddled under blankets and watching Tangled with the little ones. Afterwards we harvested pumpkins and beets and went "Squashing" with the extra ones.
The parents left for a church function of sorts and my siblings and I mulled over the possibilities of the house to ourselves. We watched the fish in the tank for a while and then Kolby informed us all that we were boring and he was bored. Movies sounded boring and hide-and-seek did not interest him. I started listing off books to read to them to which Kyle and Eva informed me they'd already read them. All of the Frank Perettis were out as well as Ted Dekker and CS Lewis. I wasn't ambitious enough to attempt J.R.R. Tolkien and thus asked after Hardy Boys. Thankfully they had not yet indulged in such tasteful readings and I selected book 3 and we settled on the couch in a precious huddle. As I read, Eva and Kolby got out they're crayons and paper and illustrated the happenings as Kyle just shut his eyes and listened.
Ah books, infinitately better than any movie or TV show.
At some point there was a tickle fight and I'm pretty sure I would have won had Kolby and Kyle not cheated and teamed up on me. Eventually it was time for bed and while I had somewhat looked forward to sleeping in the bed that I called my own for a lot of my life, my mother informed me that I would need to remake it with sheets. This, of course, is of no effort, but Eva was excited to suggest we could sleep in Kit's room on the third floor on account he wasn't home. I like the view up there and with Eva supplying the bed with her heat blanket and a few quilts, it was a pleasant sleep with the crispness of attic cold making the covers perfectly inviting and cozy.
Monday was filled with car errands and a few more gatherings of harvest before hugging my sweet family goodbye and returning to Iowa City abundantly blessed with pumkins, watermelon, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, cabbages, aloe plants, fresh jams, apples and othe such blessings as that.
After unpacking and strategically placing my pumpkins and gourds all over the living room and dining area, I readied myself for class and left the house once more. My route from my parked car to the building in which I have class takes my right past May's Cafe, which is like Saltine Central basically all the time. I decided to venture in for some hot chocolate and hope I see someone I knew and chat a bit.
The Lord is so faithful because the first person I happened to notice was a girl who attended my Bible study last year and is super solid in her faith. To my great pleasure, she was very engaging in conversation and was just the encouragement I needed to head off and enjoy my class for the evening.
It's been perfect. May's is now my new favorite place to go. It's crawling with believers and spiritual conversations happen so often in that little coffee shop, I'd wager a guess that God moved in with His pillow and blanket and will be staying there indefinitely.
Yesterday after an exam I went there to kill time before meeting with some people. A lot of the cafe staff I met through my church and it's always a delight to settle down with your coffee and observe the various people conversing around other tables. A group of Salt kids studying together, Veritas staff meeting with students, Cru staff and leaders meeting with students, 24/7 interns typing up monthly update letters and EveryEthne staff sharing the gospel with Muslims.
I'd settled down at my table with a Christian book but was quite sad that I'd neglected to take along my Bible, as that is my go to when I've got some free time. I was surprised to look up and see my roommate had come in to meet with someone and took a spot sharing my table. She, too, had forgotten her Bible and was saying she missed having it on hand just the same. No matter, there were plenty of Jesus-loving patrons happening in that coffee shop and I wandered over to the one's working on their math homework. Asking if I might borrow a Bible, my good friend Jake Dillard produced his own and I was thrilled to read it whilst sipping hot coffee and watching the almost-snowish rain fall out the window.
I LOVE how the Lord provides community. I love how the Lord calls us to rest and provides a way we can follow through in obedience. I am blessed to know a God who recharges me and won't let me sink or fall or crash to a halt. I am sustained and preserved and cared for and blessed.
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