Of Recliners and Fine China
01/07/2012 20:30
I sit typing on my little lap top, as the sun sinks low in the western sky and the stars come out one by one. The pretty pink & grey curtains are half drawn across the window. I enjoy myself at one of my favourite occupations.... writing, writing, writing! My husband is a few feet away, relishing a few nibbles and a cold beer as he relaxes over a good novel, stretched out comfortably on a large, pink and grey recliner. We’ve had a lovely day, a day that smacked of family togetherness and holidays, seaside rambles and fresh air, long country drives and small town charm. Yes, it’s been a glorious day, more since God blessed us with unexpectedly good weather.
The three of us disappeared last weekend to the Yorke Peninsular for a little holiday. We returned refreshed and invigorated after 3 beautiful days together which included many blessings. My Blog today will not speak of what we did at the seaside. Perhaps that will come later. I will speak instead of recliners and fine china.
Recliners? Fine China? What does that have to do with a seaside holiday? Exactly!
Six years ago, the three of had spent a weekend at this very same caravan park. We had warm memories of it. What I remembered best was the room my son had occupied. Many of the kids’ rooms in caravan parks contain four bunk beds crammed into an infinitesimal space. This park was different. The room he’d occupied before contained… not four bunk beds, but instead two single beds. The room was light and airy. Asela loved it.
And so, we entered our cabin this time with many a high expectation. The Port Hughes cabins were special. We should know because we’d used them before. And this year, we’d booked an Executive cabin which should be even more comfortable. Right? Wrong!
Our high expectations crashed when we saw the inside of the cabin. It may have been an Executive cabin, but it didn’t look like one. The colour scheme seemed garish – pinks, grays, oranges, blues and greens. Too much colour in too little space. Asela’s room didn’t have the two beds I thought it would. It was very small; crammed with 4 bunk beds. I was disappointed!
But of course – we soon counted our blessings and began to enjoy ourselves. The cabin was clean, comfortable and well equipped. Our unsightly orange & green bedspread was removed and hidden out of sight – doing so immediately made our little bedroom look more warm and cosy. The heater in the cabin worked well, spewing plenty of lovely warm air when the temperatures dropped. The bathroom was spacious and had four special bright lights that gave warmth as we showered. Talk of luxury!
In addition, we discovered four huge, comfortable recliners which were ideal to relax in. I loved pulling the little lever at the bottom of the one I sat on – it made the chair bounce up jauntily as the bottom part of the recliner shot upwards. I so enjoyed putting my feet up and burying myself a good novel as I sipped an orange juice or savoured a few pieces of chocolate. Yes, the recliners were one of the best parts of that executive cabin.
There was something else I especially liked. The chinaware in the cabin delighted my heart. Most cabins we’ve stayed in have sported white crockery. Not this one. These cups and saucers and plates were also white, but also had colourful and attractive pictures of fruits– orange pears, red cherries, blue blueberries, purple grapes. Beautiful! Each time I took a piece of crockery out – I derived much pleasure in just gazing at the pretty pictures on the white background. A treat for the eyes.
And that’s why I talk of Recliners and fine china today – they were the two big “inside joys” I enjoyed on my holiday. The Recliners and Fine China not only gave me hours of pleasure – they also reminded me of two very important facets of life –
a) Caring for myself & b) Finding nourishment in God and His Word.
When I was a new Mum, my big sister Ranmali gave me some sound advice. She asked me to sleep when my baby slept. And to let some of the other work slide. She told me that in order to look after my baby, I needed to look after myself first. I found it was excellent advice – so yes, I did turn a blind eye at times to other things that needed doing around the house – be it the dusting, cleaning, vacuuming or the many other chores that are part and parcel of our lives. Looking after myself and my baby were my top priorities then.
There are times we feel that the world needs looking after. And so we dash around – blessing others – doing good – keeping busy, changing the world…..but forget the all important task of nourishing our spirits and of keeping our walk with the Lord wholesome. We forget to look after ourselves. I often write to my friends who are leading busy lives, ‘Don’t forget to put your feet up’. I discovered that this was the first time I had had the pleasure of literally putting my feet up. The wonderful recliners in our cabin made it the easiest thing to do! And guess what! I loved it!
The fine china we ate and drank on, reminded me how important it is to feed myself. On God and His Word. Over the past few years, I’ve decided to make my time with God my top priority of the day. I am so glad I did. My time with Him has been the anchor in my life. It has brought me understanding and strength, blessing and perspective; a closer walk with Him and untold joy.
Have you had time to use a recliner today? And have you eaten on fine china? Don’t forget – that caring for yourself is the pre-requisite to looking after others. And remember that spending time with God and His Word are things that will bring you eternal blessing.
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked…..But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:1,2,3