Thought for Today: Creating an Oasis

   I love the idea of creating an oasis. Do you have an oasis? What do you do to refresh and replenish your soul with joy, satisfaction, or whatever makes you thankful to be alive? For most of us taking time to get alone requires effort and doing it on purpose not just waiting for the opportunity to magically appear. An oasis doesn't have to be perfect. At the coffee shop you find a cozy corner, a comfy chair, and order your favorite drink. Then all of a sudden there is that noisy guy talking on the phone right next to you. Don't worry. You are still at your oasis. It's not exactly perfect but it still counts.

   Why is it so hard to make time for doing what we love? Why do we feel guilty for taking time out for ourselves? There's one thing I've learned as a full time mother of three children: I have to pace myself. I have to make time for restoration regularly or before I know it I am irritated, dissatisfied, and even more tired than ever. Thankfully, my husband willingly cares for the kids so I can get away from the house and my daily responsibilities for a few hours every week. He needs time to be Dad to the kids on his own and I need that time away. Yes, I sometimes feel guilty but after an hour those negative thoughts fall away and I am once again reminded how much I need time to myself. In a snap, the time is gone and I am heading back home feeling more like myself, more at peace with myself. 

   How do you create an oasis? First, what is an oasis? In a very literal sense it is a source of water in the desert. Waterfalls cascade into pools surrounded by lush trees and plants right smack dab in the center of a dusty desert. Travelers can see this place of cooling refreshment from a distance and long to be there, to leave the dirty camels behind and jump into the bubbling pools, to wash the grime off, to splash, dive, and float, to drink the fresh cool water of the springs and spray it out like a Greek fountain. What is your oasis? What do you love to do that makes you feel free from the grime of your life? Do you love time alone or with friends? Do you need a massage or a walk? Do you have a hobby that has been waiting for your attention? Is there something you've been wanting to try or a favorite food that you would love to eat for lunch? 

   In January I had the privilege of coordinating a retreat for my favorite group of homeschooling moms. If I had a million dollars I would love to build a small retreat center on the shores of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, a place I visited in my twenties.

But hey, a retreat is a retreat. So, for a day a group of us ladies met together for our Rest and Refresh Retreat. We played some games, won some prizes, listened to inspiring stories of faith and rest, ate delicious food, talked, laughed, made a grapefruit scented sugar scrub and a bunch of eucalyptus lavender shower discs. For the recipes and more about our retreat check out my friend Krista's blog.

It was a blessed time of renewal and letting go of stress and the dailyness of life. It was an oasis on a cold gray January day. We were each other's waterfalls and sheltering trees in the dry tiring desert that winter sometimes feels like... only the arctic version. God brought us together and showered us with His favor. Was it a chance meeting? Did we just wing it and hope to get away for a while? No. We planned. We prepared. We prayed. We scheduled. We signed up.
   If you want more refreshment in your life you have to make it happen. You have to put. it. on. the. calendar. Get childcare. Think of what you want to do and figure out a plan for making your oasis a reality. If this is a new idea or it's just been a while start small. Create an oasis someplace in your own home. Maybe take a long hot shower while listening to music. You are worth it. You deserve it. You need it.