A Literal Day Off

So I've spent some time considering ways to make each day have moments that seem like a day off. And today? Well, today the Lord actually gave me a day off. And even better? He gave Husband the day off, too. In our whole first year of marriage, that's never happened!

Our state is known for being one where it snows at odd times of the year, and although many people are surprised that we're having a snow day in October, to me, it's quite normal. A year without a snow day in October just isn't right! This picture isn't actually from today or from my house, but it is from my parents house (who live a few miles away) during a different October snow day a few years ago.

Anyway, like I said, Husband and I have never had a snow day off together, but today we do! This morning he was slipping and sliding his way up the interstate to work while I was catching a few extra minutes of sleep since I had a two-hour delay. Soon after I got the phone call saying school was canceled, I heard him walk in the front door- the interstate was so bad where he was headed that his boss called and told him to go home. So of course, we giggled excitedly about how it is our first married snow day, just like a couple of newlyweds, even though technically, we're past the newlywed cut-off date.

And today's day off has been just lovely. We ate a yummy homemade breakfast together while drinking yummy Spanish coffee (have I mentioned that I love love love coffee yet?). I made my first ever batch of homemade applesauce- my grandma, who was one of the most incredible women I have ever known- would have been quite proud. I finished the last paper for a course I'm taking, which means I am now down to my last eight weeks of graduate school. Husband and I have been doing laundry- him putting away last week's clean clothes that never made it to their proper places and me washing more clothes that hopefully we'll put away before very long. I've been reading inspiring thoughts by other lovely bloggers and Husband and I have been watching the extended version of the first Lord of the Rings. And it's not even dinner time yet! Lovely!

Okay, before I go, a quick thought I learned from another blogger. She's writing about trusting and loving people, with God's love, agape love, and she concludes,

"Do I give people the benefit of the doubt? And when I can’t…do I truly hope the best for them, through Christ? Or do I dwell on the assumed, or even obvious shortcomings or someone…holding my own agenda close so that I, in my own power, can protect it?

Love believes all things.

Maybe it’s time that I started to believe in that kind of love."

You can read all about it over at (In)Courage, where a bunch of bloggers get together and do just that, enourage one another.

Personally, I know that I need to let Christ's eyes and heart transform the way I see and love others, because there are days that I know I just look at them with my own very-biased, very-judgemental ones. I'm thankful for the reminder that Christ's love is quite different than my own, but that, as I learn to love Him more, I can learn to love others like He does. And doesn't that rock!?!