Just Be

When I went to Virginia for therapy a few months back, one phrase that kept coming to mind was Just Be.

As someone who struggles with their mental health and fights obsessive thoughts almost daily, I have had to cultivate down time, moments when I simply look around me and see. To find the beauty in what is.

I have no agenda with this blog post this week. There is no theme. I am here to just be. And I am here to remind you to just be.

Just Be...present.

Just Be...listening.

Just Be...abiding.

Just Be...whole.

Just Be...saved.

Just Be...magnifying Him.

It's six o'clock. I always get up a half hour later than planned. I stretch and try not to stumble over my cat, Suzy Lue. She incessantly weaves in and out of my legs when it's breakfast time until I am forced to grip a wall or else I'll trip and fall on her.

The sun is already up, beams of light kissing the kitchen counters and glistening like millions of translucent fairies on blades of grass outside. And I smile. Every day, a new flower blooms in the garden. We've lived here for only two weeks, and yet I've seen more flowers on the perimeter of our fence than I typically do in a year of summer. The elderly couple that used to live here must have been a lot of fun. Between flowers, pink walls, and all things golf, we are always finding something to make us smile.

Of course, half the house is in shambles. We were half way through several projects when we realized the house had serious foundation issues. Everything else has come to a screetching hault, so that we can focus on that. Still sleeping in the living room on the couch, waiting until we can move into our bedroom.

I've now downed a glass of water and washed my face with an oil cleanse, something organic and infused with essential oils. Lately, my face has been healthier than ever. I'm so grateful for that.

At this point, Suzy has finished her food and is lazing on the papasan brain-storming a way to get outside and capture one of the incessantly chattering mockingbirds perched on the fence.

I pour my coffee and add in steaming foam. It's like sipping on a cloud, and I instantly acquire a milk mustache.

I smile at God, feeling His presence. And I wonder. What is He thinking about right now? Is He smiling at my milk mustache too? Perhaps, He will tell me what is on His mind when I sit down to read His Word. If only I can clear the groggy cobwebs in my sleepy brain enough to listen. And if only I don't let my eyes glaze over because I've already read this passage a million times.

Here we are. A cooler morning makes sitting outside particularly pleasant.

Torrential downpours yesterday washed away the heat and left us with this freshness, notably appreciated in early July.

May I linger a little longer? Five more minutes. I'll take all the time I can get to

Just Be.