Simple Things

Quiet walks.

Quiet dinners.

Quiet moments of rest.

We didn’t have a chance to really breathe at the end of a very full 2024, and my favorite city was calling me to visit again. Chris was not going to let me travel with my daughter or girlfriends again to my special city until I invited him to jump on a plane! So, we made the choice to travel right after Christmas to celebrate our 44th wedding anniversary, leaving our adult children to enjoy their holiday time together in our home for the first time without us.

I had mixed feelings of “mom guilt” and excitement as we boarded our flight, but I quickly got over it because I knew we were in for a fantastic time in Paris. We were not looking to do a lot of shopping (at least not this trip!), but we were looking forward to spending time  together in the beautifully decorated streets and appreciating the gifts of one another.

We enjoyed cold, quiet walks up and down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, through the Louvre Museum and Musée d’Orsay, a day at Versailles and, of course, the iconic Eiffel Tower. Some walks were fast to engage our Peloton app, and others were slow strolls holding hands. On our walks we also discovered beautiful, sparkling Christmas markets near Paris monuments that were filled with holiday shoppers in festive moods! Oh, how I love to see evergreen trees lit up with white twinkling lights.

There were quiet dinners at restaurants where we had reservations and ones where we took a chance to just pop in! Recommended restaurants were most often booked during the holidays because we ventured out on this far away journey at the last minute, so the few meals we enjoyed with reservations were delightful. Main dishes, desserts and drinks were memorable everywhere!

But those moments of rest … aah. Sleeping in under the Paris haze and not worrying about the rush of the day was my favorite part. Vacations for me need to include space to just rest. I wonder if you need that space, too? It’s not often just given to you; you must make that space for yourself. Request it. Plan for it. Enjoy it.

I have written this today as a reminder to myself, and perhaps to you, to make room for the moments that celebrate you and your life. You do not have to have a fairytale life free from struggles to appreciate what you have been given. On some days, life holds challenges that make it hard to just get out of bed! However, I have learned through the losses of my mother, my son, and my father, that I am given one life to do the things God has graciously called me to do. I have one mind and body to carry out His purpose in and through my life. If that includes a few vacations to cherished cities or new spaces, I am turning my gaze towards those joys.

44th Anniversary Trip to Paris

We all have so many things requiring our focus each day, but when was the last time you or I focused on our own need for quiet? You, dear reader, can make that space for yourself to meditate or pray. Take a walk; take a bath; make an appointment for a massage. Light a candle and sit for 20 minutes and play your music. I started my new 2025 In Our Arms blog playlist to help keep me centered on my journey. Please feel free to use mine or create your own.

Breathe in and breathe out the fresh blessings of quiet in your life, even in the midst of the busy caregiving responsibilities. I pray you will find and enjoy those simple things this year. Make a plan and discover them for yourself. You are worth it. Find your quiet.

Listening Library: “breath by breath” (Lydia Laird)

https://youtu.be/6Ok7G8h_41w?si=y7F8MtefyrSPbFxA

breath by breath

I feel the weight upon my chest again

Got me scared to death again

Lord, make it go away

Feeling like the walls are closing in

Claustrophobic in my skin

I thought I had more faith

But I can't shake this rising

Panic in my bones

I can't stop the darkness

Stealing from my soul

Begging for an answer

Crying out for peace

The storm only gets louder

But You speak over me

Just be still, come and rest

Learn to live, breath by breath

Nothing more, nothing less

I am here

I am with you, breath by breath

I thought I had it figured out before

Kept my fear behind the door

But love was breaking in

Reminding me of what I need to know

You're the one who's in control

So I'm surrendering

I may not have the answer

To my anxiety

But when I hear You whisper

Somehow there is peace

To be still, come and rest

Learn to live, breath by breath

Nothing more, nothing less

I am here

I am with you breath by breath

As I breathe in "it is well"

As I breathe out "You never fail"

Each moment, I'm a little less afraid

As I breathe in "it is well"

As I breathe out "You never fail"

Through it all, I can hear You say...

Just be still, come and rest

Learn to live, breath by breath

Nothing more, nothing less

I am here

I am with you, breath by breath

As I breathe in "it is well"

As I breathe out "You never fail"

Each moment, I'm a little less afraid

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