How to Destress after A Stressful Week -Updated

It's Sunday evening following a very stress-filled, tragic week in our land.  The week started off with a bombing...at the Boston Marathon of all places.  Senseless, horrific tragedy. A couple of days later a fertilizer plant blows up in Texas, killing many more innocent rescuers and destroying many homes...another heartache  for our hurting country.  Some parts of the nation are having floods, others still have freezing temperatures and snowstorms. Five hearty young men lost their lives in an avalanche while snowboarding in Colorado. Thankfully, the perpetrators of the bombing were finally found...one lost his life in the capture, and the other is clinging to life in the hospital.  That's all I am going to say about that incident.

On a brighter note, we're finally getting some much needed rain in our part of the country, and the trees, flowers and grasses are blossoming forth with rampant effusions of joy! Even the deer have noticed...and have helped themselves to my beautiful daylily blossoms.  Oh well...that's why I love living in the woods.

My daylily-before

My daylily-after

So, this evening I needed a respite from the turmoil of this past week's anxiety.  I missed a wonderful opportunity this afternoon. A lovely friend and neighbor dropped by  for a few minutes, and although I offered her a cup of tea or some iced tea...she refused as she didn't plan to stay long...but we ended up chatting for quite a while...and I should have insisted on putting on the teakettle and sharing a pot of tea with her.  Dummy me. I didn't think of it until she was gone. It was one of those hit myself in the forehead moments and I scolded myself for being so dumb.  I'm always wanting to have someone to share a cup of tea with ...and I blew it.  But actually, we had all the best part of a tea party without the tea...we just visited and enjoyed one another's company...and isn't that what tea time is all about anyway?  

After my friend left I took a walk around the yard and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the burgeoning spring foliage...minus the daylily blooms.  I put some broken pieces of bars of Ivory Soap around each of the plants, hoping that they will deter the deer from further snacking.  If not, they will at least have nice clean faces and hooves.  They may even be able to blow some bubbles...Ha!  (someone told me that might work...so we shall soon find out. It's raining now, so I have a feeling my Ivory Soap is floating away...)

I couldn't resist picking a bouquet of the fragrant honeysuckle and confederate jasmine blossoms that are smothering the courtyard fence.  

Then I sat down to relax, finally with a cup of tea and my sweet "baby Elva", and a little book all about sharing tea time with friends.  Today's book was "Tea with Patsy Clairmont", one of my favorite speakers and authors.  If you don't know Patsy, you need to check her out! She normally travels with the Women of Faith Conferences throughout the country each year, and a more delightful speaker you will not find! Be prepared to laugh.  (Postscript added later:)...Patsy Clairmont is a walking miracle...she spent years locked in her home in fear of crowds (agoraphobia)...and now she regularly speaks to crowds of 20,000 + women every week throughout much of the year with the Women of Faith Conference!  I'd say that's a pretty amazing story of God's power to bring healing to a hurting soul, wouldn't you?  What hurt does God need to heal in YOUR heart /soul today? If He can do it for Patsy, He can surely do it for you as well...Check out Patsy's website for more info on this dynamic woman for Christ.

Tea Time with Elva AND Patsy Clairmont!

So, dear friends, I hope your week has ended up better than it started. I pray that you have found a way to de-stress after such an emotion-packed roller-coaster ride of turmoil.  Here are some thoughts to ponder as we  close this chapter:

"Oh sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things;

His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.

The Lord has made known His salvation;

His righteousness He has revealed 

in the sight of the nations.

He has remembered His mercy

and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Shout joyfully to the Lord,

all the earth;

Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.

Sing to the Lord with the harp,

with the harp and the sound of a psalm,

with trumpets and the sound of a horn;

Shout joyfully before the Lord,

the King.

Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,

the world and those who dwell in it; 

Let the rivers clap their hands;

Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord,

For He is coming to judge the earth.

With righteousness He shall judge the world,

and the peoples with equity."

Psalm 98

Goodnight my dear friends.  May the Lord be with you and yours this coming week, and may we all find peace and hope in time of need.

Blessings be upon you.