Celebrating Sabbatical

Soon Linda and I will be embarking on a long anticipated sabbatical courtesy of her employer’s policy of granting six weeks of paid time off every eight years. We do not yet have definite plans other than moving at the end of May but we are very much looking forward to a break together from our usual routines. It is our first such extended period of time since our “radical sabbatical” on Nantucket Island after selling our house about a dozen years ago.

Ever since the start of our minimalist journey we have been asked periodically “what is your end game?” To which we simply reply, “we do not know but we will when the time comes.” In other words we did not launch out with a grand design of what life would look like untethered from a mortgage and maintenance. We may not know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future and we continue to trust God for his guidance [see rainbow above].   

With reference to our upcoming sabbatical, author Keri Wyatt Kent reminds us, “Keeping [sabbatical] is not only about ceasing but also about celebrating. How? By taking the time to do simple things you always say you mean to do but never have time for.” Besides moving we plan to travel and otherwise spend time together enjoying more of the simple pleasures of life.

As Robert W. Harris writes in Gypsying After 40: A Guide to Adventure and Self-Discovery, “We may have looked purposeless because we moved about with no particular plan. Compared to our former life, our new one seemed rootless, homeless and adrift. But we were not rootless; we discovered an inner place that went right along with us wherever we traveled. We were not vagabonds; we found an enduring domesticity that enabled us to feel at home everywhere. We were far from being adrift; our life flowed purposefully from a profound centeredness.” Amen.

Icons and Idols

According to the dictionary, an icon is an object of uncritical devotion and an idol is a false god. So, what does that have to do with living simply? Well, especially at this time of year it seems to me that we humans are prone to substitute symbols for substance. Instead of giving thanks to our Creator at Thanksgiving many worship instead at the altar of consumerism, with the holiday morphing into the shopping sales of Black Friday and even Cyber Monday. 

And the celebration of Christmas as the coming of Christ has been blatantly commercialized to the point that many altogether forget the reason for the season. Yet, instead of seeking to fill voids in our lives by shopping for more stuff we can choose to spend our limited time here with loved ones and helping others less fortunate than us. It may sound corny but it warms the cockles of my heart that one can still hear messages of good news via carol medleys at Christmas.

I suppose this post is a sequel of sorts to the last one about logos as signs in our lives. As Americans we are especially challenged to put materialism in its place during this festive time of year. The messages we are bombarded with continually seek to seduce us into trading time for trinkets we hope will convey our affections. And the mistake many of us make is thinking that presents can replace being present with those we claim to love. 

As an antidote to the barrage of business, Linda and I used Thanksgiving weekend as an excuse to escape to the environs of Peterborough, New Hampshire (see sign above). The inviting town was the inspiration for Thornton Wilder’s famous play Our Town and it more than lived up to its billing as “a good town to live in.” It is located in what is called the “Currier and Ives” corner of the state and the change of scenery was a welcome respite for us.  

So, allow me to suggest some alternatives to the hectic holiday season. Consider slowing down the frenetic pace of the partying, limit your time spent shopping and spend it instead celebrating such simple pleasures as sending cards, visiting friends, and singing carols. If activities like decorating for the holidays add stress to your agenda, consider simplifying the process or perhaps dispensing with it altogether. Here is to celebrating the season simply!

Celebrating Interdependence Day

As it has been awhile since I posted here I’ve got some catching up to do. I’ll start with an overdue post about our visit to Monteagle, Tennessee and the University of the South, better known as Sewanee. Just a couple hours’ drive from the Nashville area, our holiday trip transported us a world away, which is exactly what we wanted as we celebrated our wedding anniversary, or Interdependence Day, as it is known in our house.

We had heard what a beautiful campus the college had and it was that and more. But it was a series of serendipitous experiences that combined to make our adventure so memorable. Upon arriving for our first night at the luxurious new Sewanee Inn we learned that the college orchestra was performing a free concert of classical music at the nearby Monteagle Sunday School Assembly (MMSA) and it turned out to be one of the highlights of our visit.

According to the sign at its entrance, the purpose of MMSA is “the advancement of science, literary attainment, Sunday School interests, and the promotion of the broadest popular culture in the interest of Christianity without regard to sect or denomination.” It is patterned after the Chautauqua Institution in upstate New York and is similar to the Methodist campground that we visited at Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

It was a slice of our beloved New England here in the South and the weather even turned quite a bit cooler for us, adding to the irresistible ambience of the idyllic retreat center. Back at Sewanee, we bravely (and successfully) rode the tandem bike the inn provided for guests, toured the gothic-themed campus of the university and visited several of the neighboring scenic spots, including a giant-sized white cross on the mountainside and the stunning library of homegrown investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton.

Capping off our relaxing visit was the complimentary upgrade upon our request to a spacious upstairs suite overlooking the golf course. Our stay not only refreshed our bodies but also our spirits and reminded us anew of how much God cares for us and delights in giving us the desires of our hearts. This Independence Day we celebrated our interdependence on one another and on God and yes, there were fireworks!

A Currier and Ives Christmas

It may be the day after Christmas but the holiday season continues, at least according to the traditional 12 days of Christmas countdown. And while we may be well into the 21st century my wife and I are experiencing a Currier and Ives Christmas here in historic Franklin. The festivities kicked off with a Victorian-themed “Dickens of a Christmas” celebration downtown, complete with costumed characters and carolers.

Next we attended a Christmas service at our new church held in an old chapel with music and ministry by award-winning musician and founding pastor Michael W. (Smitty) Smith. Afterward, we watched our favorite movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” at the Franklin Theatre with a host of our fellow townspeople. On Christmas Eve, we attended our church’s candlelight service with carol singing led by Smitty.

On Christmas Day, we celebrated simply and quietly at home by opening our gifts, listening to Christmas music, relaxing around the house and eating my wife’s specialty pot roast before watching a favorite movie and calling it a day. Our only nods to today’s technology were reading on our new Kindle Paperwhite and contacting loved ones with our iPhones. Finally, we are swinging in another New Year in an old-fashioned way with the Glenn Miller Orchestra at the Franklin Theatre. Here is to simple living!

Celebration of Love

Earlier this month my lovely wife, Linda, and I celebrated our silver anniversary by visiting Paris for the day. Paris, Tennessee, that is! And as the attached photo attests, we even got our obligatory photo with the scaled replica of the Eiffel Tower. While we had planned to visit THE Paris in France, we realized that with our upcoming move, perhaps it made sense to postpone those plans. So a couple of weeks before our anniversary we hatched our backup plan.

Hungry for irony, we started our day by eating breakfast at the nearby Henpeck Village Market, where the owner paid for our meal upon hearing it was our anniversary. After a scenic road trip, we browsed the quaint shops of downtown Paris and enjoyed ice cream at Café a la Mode before heading homeward. And for supper we indulged our appetite for more irony by eating at one of our favorite places, the Loveless Café.

As we celebrated 25 years of wedded bliss, we reminded each other of special times through the years and how, despite the challenges of married life, we managed to age rather gracefully by the grace of God. Of course, not having kids or pets may have helped with that! And after all is said and done, we owe an eternal debt of gratitude to the One at the center of our lives and the ultimate celebration of love.

Celebrating Life

This is my 100th posting so I thought I would write about something profound, like the need to celebrate life. A couple of recent incidents have conspired to make this top of mind for me. One Sunday morning earlier this month, as my wife and I were preparing to go speak at a local church, a neighbor’s oak tree fell onto our house, narrowly missing my wife. And on the Friday of that week she was laid off from her job.

The good news is that our insurance is replacing the entire roof and my business has picked up the slack from my wife’s job loss. It suffices to say my wife and I have been reminded of the fragility of life and the resulting need to handle it with prayer. Despite what might ordinarily threaten our tranquility we have been supernaturally sustained by peace that surpasses our understanding. As the saying goes, “life’s a gift, that is why it’s called the present,” and my wife and I are very aware of how much we have to celebrate.