returning.

My husband and I returned from our trip to Africa last week.  Returning always causes me to go through an adjustment phase… a new normal seems to form.  And this time, the wicked combination of jet lag and Daylight Savings coming to an end has left me feeling particularly tired.  Please don’t laugh if I tell you that I can’t seem to stay awake past 9 p.m. these days.

Despite the fatigue, I am slowly returning to my usual rhythm of life… for instance

• One morning this week I woke up and realized that Thanksgiving is next week… wow!  I love Thanksgiving… it’s easily one of my favorite holidays!  We are having some dear friends over for Thanksgiving dinner this year which excites me greatly, and I am looking forward to cooking up a feast, but I probably ought to schedule a trip to the market…soon!

• And then, of course, Christmas is around the corner.  I began my gift shopping yesterday because I am NOT the girl who loves to shop with the crowds.  Normally, I would be finished with the bulk of my gift buying by now, but the trip to Uganda set me back a little.  I feel less frazzled and slightly more put together  knowing that I have at least “started” the process.

• I’ve also been finalizing my Project 333 Winter Wardrobe, which I guess will technically start up on December 1st.  My Fall Project 333 Wardrobe was so useful that I’ve decided to keep it going.  I’ve actually had to purchase a couple of new items for Winter — a simple black dress for those winter parties, a new winter dress coat because my old had just gotten way too big, and some boots because ballet flats just don’t make the cut in an Ohio winter!  Overall, I LOVE this new found wardrobe simplicity!

If there is one theme that is reinforced every time I travel to Uganda, it is this:  Less is often much, much more!  It is so easy to complicate everything we do — indeed, everything we are — but we don’t have to live life with such a fast-paced, consumeristic, multitasking mindset.  We don’t have to buy more, do more, or eat more to enjoy the perfection, and true purpose, of this season.  It’s probably very good, and by His design, that this is fresh on my mind as we go into the holiday season with it’s tendencies towards abundance and indulgence.

Sometimes keeping life simple, small, and singularly focused is infinitely more pleasant and can make a far deeper impact.

Small isn’t what keeps us from that grand vision.

Small is what keeps us for that grand vision.

~ Lysa TerKeurst

“Don’t Despise the Small”