Being vs. Doing

"We mostly spend our lives conjugating three verbs: to Want, to Have, and to Do. Craving, clutching, and fussing, on the material, political, social, emotional, intellectual -- even on the religious -- plane, we are kept in perpetual unrest: forgetting that none of these verbs have any ultimate significance, except so far as they are transcended by and included in, the fundamental verb, to Be: and that Being, not wanting, having and doing, is the essence of a spiritual life." Evelyn Underhill

I can distinctly remember the conversation on a Tuesday morning around a friend's dining room table as we met for Women's Group from Covenant Life Church in Grand Haven, Michigan. The voices of our small children carried up the basement stairs and through the closed door. Above the backdrop of children's voices, we discussed what it was 'to Be' and how important Being vs. Doing is in our spiritual journey. We all decided that would be a wonderful possibility once our children were all in school all day, every day. If we went home 'to Be', and forgot the doing for an afternoon, our husbands would come home and really know what we 'do' every day.
Since that conversation some 15 years ago, I take notice of the discussion around Being vs. Doing. Once again, the reading from Evelyn Underhill brings up the importance of being in our life. A member of our small group here in Tacoma pointed this reading out to me, because at small group last week we had a discussion about how important playing with blocks has become. Two of us have had the privilege of playing blocks with our grandsons. One of us made the statement that while playing blocks with her grandson, she has never felt more in the center of God's will!
Playing blocks, being with our grandsons, the center of God's will - is being at peace. "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation", is the way the apostle Paul would phrase it. (Phil. 4:12)
So I post the picture of our grandson Malachi and our great creation with blocks. Who would have ever dreamed that an 8 year journey of seminary brought me to the place where I am content to play blocks. God is good and his love endures forever.

An Added Bonus

I don't think I mentioned that we have an added bonus in visiting California these days. Our son Dirk has recently moved to California. So, not only do we get to see our favorite grandsons, we enjoy seeing our favorite son, too.

David and I are back in Tacoma. Winter has arrived here - or at least that is what people are saying. I'm hoping for a bit of sunshine this week so I can finally do some gardening. For those of you who followed my back saga, I have been pain free since the end of July and finally I'm able to get out in our yard. I am so grateful.

The Pumpkin Patch

We enjoyed a great day literally running around the pumpkins and 'hay maze' at Irvine Regional Park. We had tried and tried to get Malachi to sit and look at the camera, but he was too wound up to sit for us. At one point, after running around for an hour, he chose to sit down by himself and actually looked at the camera. Ryan and Malachi had a great time running through the hay maze. Malachi loved having Daddy chase him through the maze. Rachel and Malachi rode the train. What a great discovery - Irvine Park!

The Boys

Malachi David, 21 months, welcomed Abram Jack on September 22. He weighed in at 8 pounds and measured 22 inches long. And yes, he has those beautiful long fingers and toes of which the Knibbe Klan is so proud.

The New Adventure

I have so enjoyed keeping in touch with Rachel and Ryan and their friends via these blog sites that I have decided to give it a try myself. I am sitting in Rachel and Ryan's home right now, which means Rachel is helping her mother enter the new age of communication with friends and family around the world. So ... here goes and look for some new pictures of the babies. I'm having a great time loving them. David is here in California too and has been able to spend some time here as well.