February 23, 2020

Moments by Joylene M. Bailey



There are times when I am able to take long periods for refreshment and restoration, where lapping waves and turquoise waters help me breathe deeply. Most of the time though, my life is quite ordinary and I am replenished in moments of beauty and joy, like pearls on a string.  

~~~~~

Image by Pexels from Pixabay 

Music: The second movement (Adagio) of J.S. Bach’s Concerto for Oboe and Violin BWV 1060 has never once failed to set my spirit soaring. The dialogue between oboe and violin is so finely matched that sometimes it’s difficult to discern where the oboe ends and the violin begins. It is a gentle conversation between kindred spirits. The entire 14-minute concerto can be found here, and the Adagio begins at 4:51. When you get there, close your eyes and take it in.

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Image by Mabel Amber, still incognito... from Pixabay 

Words:  Most often, it’s not the story that refreshes my spirit. It’s the words. Fresh, unique phrases that surprise and delight, and spark tingles along my spine from head to tailbone. I recently read Toni Morrison’s Beloved. It is a dark story about the horrors and aftermath of slavery, and I couldn’t read it for long periods of time, but the language kept drawing me back. Phrases like 
On nights when the sky was personal, weak with the weight of its own stars  
and 
Their quietness boomed about on the walls like birds in panic.
Words like these exhilarate and replenish me. They urge me on to work harder at my own writing.

~~~~~


Laughter: The last time I had an all-out-can’t-stop laughing fit I was in a Chicken Chef in Gimli, Manitoba. I couldn’t tell you what set me off, but people at other tables turned to stare. My husband and grandson looked at each other bewilderedly. 
And then took a photo. 
How refreshing to be able to laugh. Whether it’s full-blown, like that day in Chicken Chef, or a chuckle of delight at something else, to laugh is to be refreshed.  

One chuckle I got this week:
My two-year-old grandsons had never seen their Daddy without his beard. This week he shaved it off. The first time the twins saw him sans beard their reactions were notably funny:
A: Me no like this Daddy.
E: Where you other chin?


If I know I need to have a good laugh, I often turn to children’s books. Who can resist Jack Prelutsky’s silly rhymes?
I have a pet tomato,
it doesn’t have a stem.
My friends have pet asparagus –
why can’t I be like them?

~~~~~

Image by 育银  from Pixabay

Sometimes I go looking for these moments. Sometimes they surprise me. Either way, when they happen I need to stop in my tracks and take them in. Add those pearls to my string. Moments of refreshment sprinkled throughout a day, a week. Strung together they form a strand of sparkle and shimmer that adorns this ordinary life. 

~~~~~

  

~~~~~





17 comments:

  1. Joy, there truly is nothing like the music of Bach for setting the heart to soaring, and that particular piece certainly does it for me too. So glad your hubby had the presence of mind to capture that exquisite LOL moment. I'd get that one framed and hung where you see it often.

    Your whole post has been a joy, a pleasure to read.

    Brenda xox

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    1. Frame the photo. What a great idea! Thanks for that, Brenda. And yes, Bach is one of my favourites. God gifted him with such beauty in his music.

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  2. This post did exactly what you talked about. the beauty of the way you wrote the words makes this post sing! Thanks for brightening my day today.

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    1. So glad I could help. Thanks for your words of encouragement.

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  3. Taking in your refreshing post! The daily presence of regreshment is always there for us when we "stop in our tracks to take them in." Yes! I couldn't get past the first few pages of Beloved. Maybe I will try again.

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    1. It was a difficult read, but one I knew I needed to understand. The beauty of the words though ... 💜

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  4. I en"joy"ed reading your post! Taking delight in the small, special things in life can bring refreshment to all our days. Several years ago I made it a daily exercise to look for what I call a "shining moment" in each one, whether a sunset, a bird song, a hug from a friend. They gave my day a positive tone and caused me to praise my God who made them. Thanks for sharing your "shining moments" so beautifully.

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    1. Thank you for sharing how you made a daily exercise to look for your "shining moment", which gave you a positive tone and praise to God.

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    2. “Shining moment”. I love that. Giving shimmer to a day.

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  5. I'm listening to the Adagio now. Love how you describe it as "kindred spirits."

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  6. How beautifully you've written about being "replenished in moments of beauty and joy, like pearls on a string." That's what God does to us everyday.

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    1. Yes He does. Sometimes I forget to look for them, but when I do I’m never disappointed.

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  7. Delightful, Joylene. And you have the perfect name for this blog. I’ll be back for the adagio. Thank you for the refreshment.

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    1. You are quite welcome Sharon. Thanks for stopping by.

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  8. Love how you string your words together that make them a delight to read. Reading your blog is like listening to music. It’s a beautiful rhythm of “Joy”

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    1. Thank you so much! There is something to living up to one’s name, as you well know. (Wink)

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