Heaven.

"This is a gift of God: to experience the sacred amidst the commonplace - to taste heaven in our daily bread, a new heaven and a new earth in a mouthful of wine, joy in the ache of our muscles or the sweat of our brows." - Mark Buchanan, The Rest of God

I think I experienced a taste of heaven this weekend. It all started with a brilliant idea to get away for our anniversary. Kevan planned the weekend - the only thing I planned was to have a really great time. Even at that, I think I underestimated what my husband had in mind.

We headed out to LA Saturday afternoon to catch Wicked on stage later that night. First, we checked into one of the historic hotels downtown and headed out to our dinner reservation. Dinner, it turns out, rivaled the show for the evening's highlight. Melograno's is a quaint, sophisticated little Italian restaurant on Sunset Blvd. that just so happens to serve amazingly delicious food. Not a bad way to start the weekend. We spent the next 3 hours laughing and wide-eyed, completely caught up in the magic of Wicked. If you get a chance to see this show, it is worth going. Fun, witty, clever... it had me entranced from the curtain call.

After planning the perfect evening for us, I was pretty darn happy with my husband. But it just got better.

Kevan has heard me mention more than once lately that I've been craving some "me" time. I've never been one to really want to spend a lot of time by myself but, since becoming a mom and getting precious little time truly alone, I have recognized my need for time to just be. So, Kevan came up with a list of fun things we could do together for our anniversary. And then he asked himself "What would Bethany really, really want?" And he signed me up for a day at the spa. God bless him, I thought I would last 4 hours. Maybe six... and then I was sure to go out of my mind with loneliness. TWELVE hours later, I called my husband to come pick me up, refreshed, renewed, and completely in love with him for giving me this precious gift. And, during those 12 hours, I am convinced that I at least glimpsed a small piece of Heaven. Everything surrounding me was pleasing to the senses - the temperature was perfect, the smells soothing, even the voices around me were calm and reassuring. I spent the entire day getting pampered, reading an amazing book, sleeping, curling up in comfy chairs, soaking in a bubble bath, thinking, praying, sipping cool water... resting. And, of all the choices, the book I dove into that day is called The Rest of God. It gives fresh perspective to the importance - really the commandment - of rest. It calls our bluff on our "busyness" and sheds light on all the seemingly critical tasks that consume our day... and rob our souls. The quote above is from this book, a reminder to sanctify our time - to be committed, purposeful, intentional about how we spend each day. And, while that may sound like a regimented and carefully-planned life, it is actually a call toward the opposite. It is a reminder that life - the important stuff in life - is not usually found on the calendar. It is in the interruptions, the spontaneity, and the simplicity. Our plans, our calendars, our to-do lists are often the culprits that distract us from noticing the greatness of God - the beauty in the world around us, the sweet sound of our children's laughter, the opportunity to encourage someone in need of a listening ear. We can't become "un-busy", but we can be purposeful about resting in the midst of our busyness. So I learned that, when I stop and am still - when I really rest in God - He is able to do much more through me than I could ever do on my own.

Thank you, babe, for giving me this perfect and wonderful weekend. I love how hard you worked to allow me to have that day at the spa... and how you make me feel like I'm worth every bit of it. Everyone at the spa kept commenting on what a wonderful husband I must have - and they have no idea how right they are. Happy Anniversary!!