Perfection, Yarn, and a Greenhouse
Ruminations no. 12
Ruminations is the collection of the things that have occupied my mind over the past week. Paths the neurons have travelled twice. It’ll include updates on my various projects, things I’ve been reading, quotes that have inspired me, and any other number of things. Many of the thoughts will be incomplete. This is musings in their purest form.
The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
~ Agatha Christie
Perfection
Last night was pretty much perfect.
I’d spent the afternoon weeding and made a lot of progress. I was covered in good clean dirt - one of my favorite things. The golden hour light was fading into a colorful sunset, and the breeze was making the late-summer grasses dance. It wasn’t too hot, it wasn’t too cold, and a thorough dousing of Deet was warding off the mosquitoes.
After the weeding was as finished as it was going to be, I picked my garden harvest for the day - a zucchini, some peppers, a few cucumbers, and a fair bit of broccoli and cherry tomatoes. I think the tomatoes are winding down for the year.
Setting the vegetables to the side, it was time to pick my bouquet for the evening. I often take home a bundle of flowers, blooming ditch weeds, and prairie grasses. They grace my kitchen table in a mason jar, or get passed onto a friend’s window sill. Last night’s flowers are sitting in front of me now.
Picking them is so peaceful. Quiet. Alone yet not lonely. Seeking beauty that has withstood storms, deer, the heat, and every obstacle of growing on its own.
I really don’t know that it gets any better than that.
Yarn
If you thought I was going to talk about a piece of yarn or a spinning wheel, get duped!
Rather, I’m going to tell you a yarn about how I feel like I’m spinning my wheels….
Really, that’s all there is to it. I’ve felt kind of stuck the past couple weeks (hence the relative silence on here).
My life is kind of an interesting combination. Goals and duties. Dreams and realities. Youth and age. Opportunity and static.
I want a big farmhouse with a covered porch and a big kitchen and giant garden. I want to write books. I rather want a PhD in Practical Theology….
But if we can’t do that, then I’d take an apartment. I’m trying to post here consistently for y’all. I’ve got a church family here to serve that is itching to grow.
I need a new vehicle. I need to do my present jobs, and probably add on another one. I need to find a rhythm with my faith that isn’t dependent on a deadline.
You can’t rush time.
This phrase is written on the mirror in my bedroom. I see it every day, and I need to remember it more often.
Last week, I was talking with a friend who described the way that God worked insanely in the details of her life - igniting things years before they fell into place, and even then in a way she’d never expected.
I have faith that God is working in my life, even now in the waiting. “Trust in the silence is true trust,” right?
So I hold fast.
Jesus wins.
A Greenhouse
One thing that really did excite me from this past week is that I have enough windows to build the walls of my greenhouse!
I’ve been saving up windows that I found for free via the Facebook Marketplace or the trash on the side of the road. They’ll get slapped together to build a greenhouse that looks something like this:
Google “upcycled window greenhouse” - you’ll get the idea.
I’m thinking about doing some stained glass on mine.
Anywho, I’m very excited that this project is so close to being doable! Ask me about the Wagon Train or the 7 C’s of History if you’re confused (:
Project Updates
In other news/things that I’m working on:
Sandcastle is now at 40,243 words. Not really much progress since last time I updated y’all, but I have worked on it some. Getting there!
I made scones the other day. They were really yummy!
My church is getting ready to launch our ministries for the school year. It’s a lot of work, and a lot of details to juggle, but people are really getting on board. That’s been really exciting to me! I’m creating the curriculum, which is coming together - I have it done through October. We also have a leader training this weekend that I’m leading… lots to mentally prepare for in that department.
Image of God/Worldview content - I’m still intending to give you guys more content discussing the image of God. I have two drafts on the topics waiting to get polished up and sent out. The hard part for me is that I see SO MUCH stuff connected to this concept. I think I need to write a 500 page book about it (literally), but I’m having a really hard time getting all my thoughts organized. Prayers appreciated for clarity and concision.
Again, it’s been a pretty slow couple of weeks. I keep forgetting what day it is. I need new glasses. I had too much caffeine this morning.
But at least there are sunflowers on my kitchen table.
Thanks for tapping in this week! I’d love to hear: do you feel like you’re doing what you’re “called to do?” How do you determine calling?
Until next time, then, abide in Christ. Clean house. Take a rest. Invite people in.
And always serve good coffee.
Faithfully,
Katie Stacey
PS - You can upgrade to a paid subscription if you want to help me afford the greenhouse! And the new truck… mainly, you’re fueling dreams. Thanks for your support, whether it’s getting a paid subscription, sharing this post, or just stopping in to read. I appreciate it more than you know!
"I rather want a PhD in Practical Theology."
I relate so much to this! 😂 So much to do and so little time! Keep trusting friend! 💚