Friday, March 26, 2021

Setting the mood, Passover, and choosing rest...

 It is we, the homemakers, who usually hone the art of creating a peaceful and restorative atmosphere within our dwelling space.

I'm more aware of that now, in this season of life, than I ever was. What a gift we've been given, such a blessed and high calling to conduct the music of life rhythms inside our home. 

My Fridays have become a steady hum of home and family delights; though this morning was extra special.

I sat atop a picnic rug with Blossom and the girls, sharing the lesson of Passover with bread to break and share, alcohol-free wine to sip, and the story of the Passover read from their Children's Bible. Their eyes were wide and absorbed in the story, their eager hands broke the bread as Jesus did, and then we held our glasses high and thanked Jesus for all He has done for us. 

I think we adults have a tendency to make things harder than they need be, especially with young children. Our Passover today was completely God-led and came about with such gentleness and in the most relaxed way.


Blossom threw the picnic rug down and the girls ran off to get their picnic set and set the 'table'...we talked about the Passover picnic table Jesus prepared for His disciples, how and why he washed their feet, what the breaking of bread and the drinking of wine meant. 

They know their Bible stories, often going to bed with the audio bible playing in the background, but today we did more than talk about it, we made it real to the girls. I have to tell you this was incredibly special for Blossom and I too...in fact as I think back on the morning there are tears of joy welling in my eyes.

And that set the mood for the rest of the day. Joy, peace, gratitude, awe for our Lord and what He did for us...and delight that He was present when we four gathered together to teach the girls about His Passover.

When I came home there were the usual Friday chores to attend to so after a sandwich and cup of tea I set to work vacuuming, mopping, washing and folding. This week I removed the couch covers to wash, and as is my custom the bed was remade with fresh crisp sheets after airing all morning. 


Fresh towels were hung in the bathroom, the kitchen wiped down, a quick tidy of the pantry and then I took out the frozen leftover Shepherd's Pie from last weekend and popped it in the oven on a low slow heat, ready for 6pm when my beloved comes home. 

The candles are lit, this one a gift from Cully May...


...and the oil burner is on the bookcase in the living room, the fragrance of lemon myrtle and  eucalyptus once again relaxing my senses.



Something restful which is being added to my days is reading. I decided to finish a book which was begun many years ago, a book I was enjoying at the time but found life was too full and I did not have the time to sit and read anything other than my Bible, for in God's Word I find my deepest peace, hope and desires - and that was needed far more than a story. 

However, now that life has begun to slow down, I shall enjoy a half hour each day with this novel by Elizabeth Goudge, who shares her own faith in Jesus within the ebb and flow of her stories. This resting of my mind as the week winds down and the Sabbath approaches has changed me in many ways...I am softer, gentler of word, offering peace and hope to those who are worried or anxious, even more productive within our home, and walking closer with the Lord. 


My prayer for you today is that you give your mind, heart, body over to rest after a productive week. It is good for us to be industrious around the the home, it is right. But it is also good that we remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy...and whether that is Saturday or Sunday for you, pursue the Lord's rest and in doing so refresh your body, revive your love for Him, and dwell in His peace.

This quiet life I live has become pure delight, because I see it now as a gift, a gift which was not often enough appreciated. But now it is.


Bless your precious homemaker hearts...they are worth more than rubies. 

hugs


16 comments:

gail said...

How beautiful it was to read about the way you shared the Passover story with the children. This is something they will hold in their tender little hearts.. Maybe one day God willing you may sit with the girls’ children as they recall and teach what their mum and grandma shared this Easter. Thank you for such a lovely post.
Blessings Gail.

Joanne said...

Hi Jenny,
This week has passed quickly...don't they all :)
Enjoy the weekend. Thanks for setting the mood :)
hugs, take care,
Joanne

FlourishingPalms said...

How lovely to share Passover communion with your grandchildren. Certainly a benefit of living near to one another is the opportunity to have a positive, Christian influence. It's much more difficult when one is a long distance from grandchildren. Like you, I typically do my weekly cleaning on Friday, changing sheets, vacuuming, cleaning floors, dusting, and sanitizing the bathroom. For some reason, it makes the weekend feel better. I will worship from home Sunday morning, contemplating the beautiful Bismarck palm outside my sewing room, and remembering the significance of palms on Palm Sunday. Blessings, Jenny.

Tammy said...

Jenny that is absolutely beautiful to share Passover with the children and in a way they understand. This will become a tradition for sure. I clean a little each day...Slow and steady. It eventually all gets done. Years ago Mondays were my cleaning day and Friday was my pick up and straighten days.... Have a wonderful and blessed weekend.

sam said...

Thank you for sharing your day. What a beautiful way to celebrate the Passover. Since my retirement I, too, have found how wonderful it is to slow down my pace and enjoy the small things in life, like cleaning a kitchen drawer or sweeping the patio. With a heavy work schedule teaching nursing I just rushed to get things done, my mind whirling. I thank God daily for my peaceful life. Sending many blessings.

matty said...

Beautiful! ❤️❤️

A housewife writes said...

This is such a good reminder to me to slow down even when I feel I'd be further ahead to continue my breakneck seed. It's such a balancing act!
(What beautiful bedding!!)

Julie said...

How special this would have been Jenny ... I love this post. You have the gift to turn things to such beauty dear Jenny - even with your words. Your bed looks so restful & inviting. I too have been enjoying reading again & sometimes sit down about 4 pm & have a cuppa & a half an hour read these days - without feeling the guilt that I used to if I did this throughout the day. I am enjoying these days we have worked hard for - to be able to ease up a little bit. Take care my dear friend xxxx

Ondrea said...

It is lovely to have a peaceful home full of love and care. Such a beautiful special time to share with your grand daughters .

Annabel said...

How beautiful. And inspiring. I was thinking how I need more rest and quiet. But then reading Julies comment above I realised I do the same. At about 3.40 or 4 I make a cup of tea and take a break. I love my break. Tea is very restorative to me. Also I usually get garden time everyday. Evenings are very relaxing. But I need more truly restful days... I will try to head that way. We have had a series of things and husband is in hospital so life is not quite normal. Soon I hope to slow things down.xxx

Winifred said...

A lovely post Jenny.

Thank you xxx

Mª Ángeles said...

Que bonita forma de hacer que las niñas vivan la Pascua, me ha encantado! Como siempre, tus publicaciones me transmiten paz y me hacen pensar en organizar mejor mi tiempo.

KingsailK said...

Jenny that was a wonderful idea to share Pescach with your grandchildren,,!A really lovely ☺️ way!I so enjoy your post and as yet have not done any embroidery but maybe one day!You have such lovely ☺️ ideas and stories about your lovely family life.I feel we share many things in common but most of all Our love for Christ Our Saviour.I love cooking and gardening and painting.Happy 🐣 EasterxxMary-Lou Ireland

Susan said...

I love Sundays - that's my Sabbath. I love being able to truly rest, to read and study scriptures, to work on family genealogy and indexing that helps others with their geneaology. I love going to church and meeting with others to worship and praise the lord. This weekend is the semi-annual conference of my church, world-wide - first weekend in April and October. For six months, I look forward to hearing from church leaders and pondering the lessons they teach about Jesus. I think your Passover lesson with the girls was an absolute inspiration from God, and one of the best lessons they could have - probably memorable for quite while.

Lisa McCoy said...

Dear sweet Jenny, I love your blog, The Homemaker’s Heart, your patterns, just everything you do!! You have been blessed with a beautiful artistic talent but more than that God has given you the ability to make people feel good about themselves, My life has been in a turmoil for several years and since I came upon you in a Pinterest post , I just go to your site and browse, read or stitch and my troubles seem to go away. Thank you so much for lifting my homemaker’s heart! Also how can I access your Craftsy Shop? I’ve ordered some from Etsy, but love so many of your past patterns too and it always tells me to purchase on Craftsy but when I search nothing has come up under you.

Jenny of Elefantz said...

What a kind and encouraging comment, Lisa - ((thank you)) x
Craftsy no longer have shops for designer's patterns. That ended more than two years ago.
I have thousands of blog posts so it would be an enormous job to go back and change all the links (or delete them). Slowly, I am adding more of the older patterns to my Etsy Shop. It all just takes time. :-)