This is just a regular Wednesday and I thought it would be fun to invite you into my day, with its routines and rhythms. Thanks to Camille at Holistic Pursuit for the idea!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My alarm goes off most days at 6am. More accurately, I invariably wake up before the sound of the alarm and turn it off so I don’t wake Tim, who prefers an extra 30 minutes under the duvet. I tiptoe to the bathroom and then creep upstairs (our house is upside-down, with the bedrooms below the living areas) closing Manu’s door on the way to be sure she stays asleep.
I make Earl Grey tea - the real deal with leaves in a pot, ‘cause it’s a ritual of mine - grab a banana and my journal and head to the den. I love these early morning moments of silence and peace, reading scripture and jotting down any thoughts that seem important to capture before they slip away. This time grounds me, as I remind myself of the macro backdrop to my small life and orientate my life to its grand design.
Shortly, I hear Tim moving around above me, making his way to his favourite spot on the veranda (where he sits each morning, whatever the weather) and gather my things. I change into my workout gear and find today’s program on my laptop, ever grateful for a healthy body and determined to keep it strong. My workout, complete with pep talks by my favourite Beachbody trainer, lasts about an hour and by that time Tim has finished his devotional time, unloaded the dishwasher and made fresh tea for the girls.
I love our morning routines and especially the treat of homemade rusks with tea, our abiding connection with life in South Africa, where both the girls were born. I will never tire of seeing their sleep-infused faces when they first wake up, even though they would both prefer to stay in bed than get up on school days! Manu instinctively reaches for her glasses and grabs a book, eager to have a few minutes with her latest novel before putting on her school uniform. Keziah groans and pulls the duvet over her head, like many teenagers!
Tim has breakfasted and is out the door before me, to be on time for the morning staff meeting at the centre where we are part of running the Leadership Development Course. I hear him yell goodbye and then the sound of the moped starting up; it’s a 20 minute trip to the centre along winding countryside roads and at this time of year - hay-fever notwithstanding - it is a lovely drive.
By 9am I have checked Keziah is set up for her school day at home and dropped off Manu. Most days the Leadership Course starts with a time of worship or prayer, but today we get together in small peer groups for an hour. I am with two fellow staff members and our ‘assignment’ is to spend time affirming one another. There’s often far too little verbal affirmation in our relationships, don’t you find? So this is a great way to start the day. One of my friends affirms my ability to ‘release’ Tim to take crazy, somewhat dangerous trips - she’s heard a few of his stories - and Tim and I laugh about this later. It honestly never occurred to me that I was ‘releasing’ him and I have a few of my own crazy stories she might be shocked to hear!
This week the focus of the teaching is on self leadership and, having discussed taking care of our health earlier in the week, today we are talking about issues of integrity in the areas of money, sex and power. These are topics that we tend to shy away from in church settings and, perhaps because we don’t easily talk about them, these are the very things that can destroy a person’s credibility in leadership. In any case, we sure do have some lively classroom discussion today! Punctuated by a coffee break, when people gather around the poolside area with cups of coffee and snacks, class runs up to 1.30pm. During class, in a free moment, I check in with Keziah by WhatsApp and write comments in the journals of the two course delegates assigned to me as one-on-ones.
Over a salad lunch on the patio, I meet with one of these two women. The weather is already warm here in southern Spain, although there is a cool wind blowing. Rachel (not her real name) is attending the course with her husband, two kids and mom-in-law who is minding the kids during class-time. Rachel and her hubby lead a Youth With A Mission centre in the United States and, between bites of salad and chickpeas, we talk about marriage in ministry. As always, these are the moments I love; when through a person’s individual story I can see the way God has been and continues to work to bring them to a place of wholeness and joy in Him. It is always amazing! Rachel has to rush off to feed her infant son, so we close with a prayer and say goodbye just as Tim jumps into the pool and splashes those sitting too close! Swimming is his daily refresh and recharge strategy, and if he can splash/refresh a few others, then all the better!
By 3pm we are starting again, once again in small groups. This time, I am with a few other married women as we meet to follow up more personally with the discussion about sexuality. As our group is already laughing and chatting, I look out of the window at the group of guys below and briefly feel bad for them - guys have a much harder time talking about this stuff in a real, personal way than women do, yet there is so much security in being able to share our vulnerabilities with trusted friends. As I suspected, Tim later tells me that much of the discussion related to practices and policies in YWAM centres, while our group of women were talking about … well, pretty much everything!
I head off in time to be home for Manu’s arrival home from school. Normally Tim and I alternate who takes on the parenting responsibilities, but today I am happy to leave a little early because I still have a 2-hour Skype meeting ahead of me. I take a moment to breath thankfulness for our new car, still a novelty only a week after we purchased it. It’s just so wonderful not to be listening out for odd engine noises!
Back home, Manu comes in looking exhausted. She refuses a snack and, after a few minutes of piano practice, lies down on the sofa to watch a little Netflix. Turns out she’s not too well and I give her a dose of Calpol, hoping she doesn’t have the virus I’ve just recovered from. I munch on some carrots and humus while I listen to a WhatsApp message from my Mum. She fills me in on some of the family news, as well as several comments about the weather and the state of the garden! My communication with friends and family has been revolutionised since the advent of WhatApp audio.
By 6pm Tim is home and he leaves again to do some grocery shopping while I set up on Skype for my meeting. Just then, I hear the doorbell and race upstairs before I miss whoever it is; living in a house with so many stairs has its disadvantages! On the doorstep is my lovely Spanish teacher with her husband; they’ve been visiting a friend and have popped by to pick up a book I had borrowed. After a long day spent speaking English, my tongue and my brain stumble over the Spanish words and I feel frustrated at my lack of fluency. But Luisa is always friendly and encouraging, and we chat a little before they head home.
Returning to my bedroom where I know I’ll be relatively undisturbed, I check that I am still on time for my meeting. This is a monthly supervision call with my spiritual director/mentor, along with two other trainees. This is our second year of training together and we are each working with three individuals as spiritual directors. We discuss things that have come up in those direction times, taking it in turns to describe what we are learning, or questions we have. These are always rich times but today I find myself fading with 30 minutes still to go. I guess I am not quite back to full strength after 10 days of fighting this flu virus; my palor is noticed by Ardath and she lets me go early.
Keziah is back from her weekly babysitting gig and Tim has unpacked the groceries and put salmon in the oven, but I’m too tired to sit at the table. We eat on the sofa and he updates me on the news from one of the regional teams he’s working with. The news is quite a relief to him and I can see him visibly relax after the worries of the last couple of days. Manu calls from the bathroom that she’s finished her shower and is going to bed. It doesn’t take long before the dogs are fed, the dishwasher loaded and kitchen clean, Keziah is ensconced in her room with a book and I’m heading for bed myself.
Getting into bed is always such a treat at the end of the day! I relish those moments with a book - one of several I have on the go at the same time - or chatting with Tim. He’s already choosing to sleep with the overhead fan on because I have yet to willingly give up the feather duvet in exchange for the light summer one. We don’t bother lowering the exterior blinds since it will still be dark when we wake up. Then I make sure the alarm is set on my phone and am off to the land of nod!
