It’s been a long stretch of silence over here. These pages have been resting on the wayside as life has been ploughing on at a pace. I can’t guarantee that the pace will allow many words, but in the slower chinks, maybe a glimpse or two of living and loving and serving.
Having spent a summer’s month in England, it was a sprint start back into American life. School is more full than ever before with our eldest moving from half day kindergarten into full day First Grade, and our youngest delighted to be back into preschool a few afternoons a week.
It’s felt like loss and gain as full day school has kicked in. Billy was in mourning for the loss of Rufus when he realised he was gone all day, and my hearts echoes his as I feel the absence. The gain comes with watching Rufus grow in confidence and stature as he takes ownership of his school life, and enjoys the technicolour realities of an elementary school.
The gain also comes with time for me to steady the juggle of life, and adapt to new rhythms all over again.
While in England this time, I was reminded of old, lasting rhythms that have continued into life here and stretch back into life there.
Alongside the new beats of a day bursting with school routines, I’m glad for God-given desires and old, familiar patterns of doing whatever I can to get the Bible open with people. I’m grateful for opportunities to teach it, to talk about it, to delve into it and to delight in it as I come to know and love Jesus more amidst all the trans-Atlantic travels and shifting shuffles of the seasons of life.
As I packed my England days with favourite faces, I noticed that so many of these lasting friendships have been shaped by time in God’s word together. We’ve opened the Bible in London cafes, the Welsh countryside, Leeds living rooms, Leyland houses while kids have napped and Ilkley armchairs with Bob the Builder entertaining in the background…and the list could go on.
My heart is full with people in my ‘back there home’, but as I look around my ‘here home’, I’m amazed and grateful for opportunities that are dancing to the same tune. A friend and I explore the faith as we ‘Bible and brew’, crowds of us gather around God’s word together as women from church, another friend and I walk and talk Bible before our kids are awake, precious friends text Bible verses and assure of prayer, and my sister and I podcast our way through chunks of scripture. Joy and heart and word.
Steadfast, unchanging rhythms and patterns that I pray will continue to fill the juggling of my days. I pray that my Bible would always be open, wherever I find myself.












