Christmas Adventures

This year, my good friend Bekah (not to be confused with me...also Bekah...) and I decided to go on a bit of a non-traditional (for us at least) Christmas adventure.  Way back in August or September, we found a deal on round-trip tickets to Phuket and bought them, securing 8ish days for ourselves on the beaches of Thailand.  We took a risk on a hotel that seemed decent and spent months excited and simultaneously second-guessing our decision, hoping that this trip would be refreshing and wonderful...just what we've been needing.

It really was a marvelous trip, filled with delicious food, sunshine, and sand. Unfortunately, I spent a good 2 or so days sick as a dog and not too keen on leaving the hotel room, but even with that snag in the plans we had such a wonderful time. Christmas Day was spent on remote island beaches, we found a delicious Indian restaurant that we may or may not have eaten at more than 3 times, and elephant riding was also part of the agenda.

I won't write in detail about all of our adventures (although pictures are here for you to peruse and enjoy), but I will say I'm thankful. Thankful for such a good friend to adventure with, a family that understands when I spend a holiday in a random corner of the world, and this amazing continent that I call home having so many nooks and crannies of greatness to explore.

Christmas Morning Sunrise

Christmas Day on the Beach

Lunch buffet on the beach for Christmas?  Why not :)

And of course we had to go see the new Star Wars while we could (it didn't come out in China until last week)!

Smoothie time!

Why did the elephant cross the road?

For the amazing view!!

Oh rest...

A few years ago, I started choosing a word each year to marinate on. For 2017, that word was rest.  Honestly, I mostly forgot about it being a part of my year until New Year's Day when the obligatory reflections on the last 365 days started. At the start of 2017, I thought a lot about rest.  What does rest look like in my life? Do I rest well? How can I build true rest into my life on a regular basis?

As bad as I can sometimes be at really resting, I think that I actually found myself in pockets of rest this past year. I've discovered that for me to truly rest, it has to be intentional. It might mean saying no to things I enjoy. it might mean coming across as slightly selfish in order to protect it. It might involve a fair amount of Netflix. And cross-stitching. And coffee. It might not.

I've found that rest is more selective that I thought it would be.  It's not possible for me to feel truly rested just anywhere or with just anyone,  but that doesn't mean it has to be a solitary verb.  What I do know is that the rest I have discovered this year was free of worry and fear and agendas.  In that sense, it was rather empty, and yet oh so filling.

Rest is peaceful...and it requires a fair measure of trust.

Trust is a funny thing. 2016 was filled with meditating on that word for me and finding a renewed meaning of it in my life. Funny because true rest seems to require immense levels of trust. To be at rest, one has to feel safe, trusting that all will be well.  Trusting that God knows you and loves you and has it covered.

This year, rest took many forms. It came in weeks of babysitting and being an Auntie for so many of my favorite kiddos. It came in vacations void of heavy class schedules and long to-do lists. It involved planning trips that I was excited to plan...or not plan as the case may be. It came in seasons of being okay with the unknown and things beyond my control. It came from being okay with standing up for me and sometimes jumping into the trenches for others.

2016 grew my understanding and application of trust. 2017 stretched my cultivation of rest.

In 2018, my goal is to lean. Lean in and lean on. This will require a bit of falling every now and then, but taking the risk and leaning despite the risk.

As always, I'm sure it'll be another interesting year...