A New Itinerary from the Lord
“Come to the Quiet.”
“Delicious Autumn! My very soul is wedded to it and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumn. - George Eliot
Right about the time the glorious season of Autumn arrived, the Lord bestowed upon Kit and I a marvelous gift. He gave us a week of a mellow and serene repose. Our mornings now were hours of unhurried affairs. The days of respite enveloped us, bringing forth an easiness and comfort likened to a down comforter or our favorite snug cashmere blanket ameliorating any sauntering thoughts of tasks or uncompleted chores. We were free! We felt liberated with our time, emotions and out from under all of the chaos we had left behind in Washington DC. We now enjoyed days of playing tourists in the state we had resided in for two years, enjoying the cloud filled skies and falling leaves dancing upon the cobbled stone roads in the city of Alexandria. We would stop in at Starbucks in Old Town for a hazelnut latte and caramel Machiatta, ( topped with fresh whip cream of course). As we walked down King Street, the hot coffee warming our hands, we enjoyed feeling the chilly breezes on our faces as we heard the sea birds squawking and laughing above. They had abandoned their safe havens on the weathered docks of the Potomac to entertain us all as we sauntered along the busy street, just yards from the legendary river. We spent insouciant hours watching some of our favorite DVD's , enjoying homemade chili, Beef Stroganauff, and Kits favorite, Louisiana bread pudding. We found ourselves doing strange things like laying on the couch daydreaming to Andrea Bocelli's mellifluous opera and going to matinées on a week day, ordering a large buttered popcorn and a diet soda. (Ha, don't you love that combination?) We would sit in Kits study around his desk and share a glass of chardonnay as we expressed our dreams of where we thought we would like to go if God asked us this time. It was a wondrous potpourri of care free days.
We spent quite a bit of time on the phone with family and friends, sharing, praying and hearing the same question repeated over and over. “Now that your days in Washington DC at the News company are over, what are you going to do?”
That was the question of the day...week and month. Kit and I knew we needed to press in and seek God as to His agenda. We had no idea of what was next and that is how this part of our 'journey' begins.
Earlier in the month of September during my prayer time with the Lord, He had spoken to me the words, “New Haven, Connecticut.” I wrote them down, not knowing if perhaps He had a vacation in store for us or whether He was speaking of a place He would take up when we left Washington DC. I shared this with Kit and we ventured onto the internet to surf, just to see if there was even such a place that existed. Indeed, we saw that it was a city in Connecticut. The photos of the city looked beautiful, charming and quite alluring. We placed it all at the Lord's feet and put it on the ' back burner' as the saying goes, knowing God would give us more on the '411 from heaven' in His perfect time.
It was a morning I will never forget. There I was with my journal , coffee and pen in hand. I had just finished my worship time with the Lord on a beautiful fall morning as I sat in our snug, cozy living room. I was enraptured and lost within the presence of the Lord. He then began to give me some awesome visions. ( I just love it when He does that!) They were dazzling and brilliant with all of their diverse colors and dimensions. I felt as if I were right there in the heart of each scene as they all seemed so real. The first vision was a still, quiet body of water...the sun was either setting or rising. The colors upon the water and sky were warm and winsome. There in the midst was a boat... it was still and hushed. With this tranquil picture before my eyes, I heard the voice of the Lord say; “Come to the quiet.” Do you know how wonderful those words sounded after the 2 years we had lived in the bustling cities of Alexandria and Washington DC? It was truly like a dream. With my soul still nestled in such a perfect peace, more visions followed. Each and every picturesque scene before my eyes were all in the same genre of unanimity and harmony. I saw quaint inlet coves in the midst of lush green foliage, a diversity of boats afloat on still waters with the warm colors of the sun gracing the atmosphere. A lighthouse in the distance brought the still waters alive...a peace and a hope overflowed within my soul as I took in all of the serene and restful beauty before me. I could feel in my spirit, the Lord beckoning me to “Come!” He told me that there was a new place of rest for us. He also spoke surprising words regarding Kit. I heard Him clearly say the word, “Graphics” along with “Kit is likened to a sponge... ready to be used.” I loved seeing and hearing the Lord even though I did not understand completely what He meant by all of this... The Lord repeated the words; “Come to the quiet,” adding “For all things are now ready.” WOW... I was excited, thrilled and elated but did not want to get ahead of myself, (like I had at other times). I remembered the words, New Haven, Connecticut and wondered what all of these revelations from the Lord meant.
Kit and I stayed up many a night pondering all of these words and visions from the Lord. There was an excitement in our souls. It reminded us of the month of September in 1999 when God told us He was moving us to Virginia. We felt that same elation and exhilaration but so far, we did not have 'clear instructions', just pieces to a puzzle or intricate threads of a tapestry soon to be revealed. Our prayer... “Lord will you begin putting this all together for us?”
The end of September had breezed upon us. The trees on our quaint Virginia street were beginning to turn their brilliant shades of orange, rust and gold. When we took Graham to the doggy park to romp and carouse with his buddies, we could feel the cool breezes of fall beginning to make their appearances, tempting us with thoughts of the allurement and delight of one of our favorite seasons. Where would we be this autumn? Would we still be in the enchanting city of Alexandria, enjoying new jobs, our favorite eateries and the historic city of DC? Was the quiet, peaceful land by the water in our distant future or the near? Where was that nautical, romantic land anyways? So many thoughts and questions filled our minds whether we were at the grocery store, Pets Mart, movie theater, Barnes and Nobles or at home, until the day the Lord spoke....
“Yes, New England, New Haven CT is from Me...I am sending you there on a faith journey. Go for a few days and scout out the Land. Go in faith and I will lead you.” His words to us were rejuvenating and reviving to our very souls and spirits.
We were actually embarking on an entirely new adventure. As we looked at all the photos of New Haven, New England and Connecticut, we were captivated by all of its romantic sea ports, Tall ships, Victorian and Colonial houses, lush landscape, old notable and celebrated trees and quite taken aback by all of its charm. Connecticut agreed with our 'eyes' as well as our souls and we were READY. We began surfing the Internet for the best places to stay (that would take our 130 pound Grantham). We did not know why the Lord said “New Haven”...we knew of no one there and had no inclination of why He said to go. (Hmmm, sound familiar?) He also spoke the word 'ambiguous' at this time which again, I did not try to 'figure out or understand' until He revealed its meaning in His fullness. (I was really learning.)
We shared our bliss with our friends and family on the west coast. Everyone was excited with and for us. We had decided to stay at the Holiday Inn in Hartford Connecticut. Not knowing the area and only having maps to observe and survey this new land, it looked like an excellent choice with reasonable rates, amiable rooms, only 30 minutes from New Haven. It was a GO! .
Being that Kit and I welcome an inviting mystery every now and then, we were enthralled when the Lord added a new clue and piece of the puzzle to our adventure as He told us; “What you come back with, overflowing within your hearts, is the very reason I am sending you to Connecticut.”
HMMM! We tried for awhile to figure out what He meant (detectives that we are) but we were so excited to get going on our new adventure that we decided we'd think about it later. In our hearts we declared, "OK Lord...we are going to look for you alone to lead and guide us as we leave on our 'faith trip' to Connecticut, after all YOU are our travel guide for LIFE and certainly for this New England venture!
With all that being said, we joyfully packed up our jeep with some special snacks for our road trip, our favorite Cd's, lots of warm clothes, our over sized Starbucks coffee mugs filled with hazelnut lattes and headed North. Our take off day was October 1st, 2003...