Getting away — Faith — Stylin' Granny Mama

The following piece begins a series based on the passage found in Luke 18:1-8. It presents a fictional account with allegorical aspects which coincide with the parable told by Jesus in those Scriptures. This is a fictional story with a world, and characters built by me. I hope you enjoy it.

Constance made her way through the narrow, muddy streets, thankful it was raining. A constant downpour washed away some of the surface filth making her feel there was a modicum of cleanliness here in the Rift. She kept her head down, the hood of her coat concealing her face. She didn’t want anyone to know where she was going. If they found out she was on her way to the Manor of Minward they would beat her until she was no longer recognizable. The Black Needles didn’t appreciate the people of their ward asking for help. They didn’t need help. They could make it on their own.

Image by Lucent_Designs_dinoson20 from Pixabay

Constance smirked beneath her hood. Neoplo “The Builder” De Caro wasn’t just known for building the run down, decaying ruins the people of the Rift had to live in, but for raising up the crime syndicate that preyed on the very people it was supposed to protect. She had seen enough; enough suffering; enough struggle; enough darkness. If the Lord of Minward was truly just, as she had often heard through her fourty-three years, why didn’t anything change? She was going to find out.

She was going to have to get past a few of De Caro’s check points. He wasn’t fond of people leaving his barony. He had an intricate web of knowledge woven together by his army of groveling lackeys. Constance learned from the time she was very young to blend in. She didn’t want to stand out. Being noticed by Neopolo, meant you became one of his, either that, or you conveniently disappeared. She felt bad for the younger people. De Caro’s appetite wasn’t just reserved for food and drink.

Constance felt bile rise in her throat, but she swallowed it, and clenched her fists. She wasn’t going to become just another of De Caro’s appetizers. She had to have hope; hope that the Lord of Minward would be able to make a change. Maybe he just wasn’t aware of how bad it was in the Rift. As the Lord of an entire city, he must be very busy, and maybe information wasn’t getting through due to De Caro’s influence.

The first check point loomed ahead. Her training in boiler maintenance should be able to get her through this one. She felt the tool bag by her side, then slid her hand into her coat pocket where the forged work papers printed on union stationary, and folded neatly, stayed dry from the down pour.

Constance wasn’t alone in this quest. There were a few others who wanted a better life, and knew De Caro’s empire building wasn’t going to benefit them. She and Amos had formed a small group of other “believers”, which now was up to twenty members. They rarely all met together, but stayed in touch using messages sent via trusted couriers. Since the steam movement, and its subsequent advancements in communications, things like sending handwritten messages on foot had become obsolete. Now things were moved along through vast tubular networks both above and below ground pushed along by the compressed power of steam.

Amos had been like a little boy, completely enamored with the advent of the new Steam Era. He loved the machines, the gears, the noise and the power behind something so simple as heated water. She missed him terribly. It was coming up on five years since his death, but grief was relentless where darkness bred, and the Rift was a breeding ground for all that was dank, and miserable.

Constance took a deep breath and moved confidently to the first check point. Each check point held a small booth barely big enough for one person, but often occupied by several of Neoplo’s goons. There were three of them in this one. They were chatting and laughing. There were several other people in line.

When her turn came, Constance pulled the papers out of her pocket and quickly shoved them through the small opening in the window.

The man looked down on her, from where he sat in the dry, heated booth.

“You in a hurry there, lass?”

Constance wanted to quip back she was old enough to be his mother, but didn’t reply, just shrugged. She found the best thing to do was not engage. Once you started talking, they became interested. She waited, turning to look at the line that was forming behind her. That was a good thing. The more people waiting, the less time they would take to push you through.

The man stamped her papers and passed them back through the window. As she reached to take them, he wouldn’t let go. She looked up at his scruffy face.

“Smile, Sunshine. Life ain’t so bad. Doesn’t old De Caro take good care of his people?”

Constance swallowed the retort brewing in her gut, gave a shy smile and nodded her head.

“There we go! You have a good night now, lass!”

Constance placed the papers back in her coat pocket. As she walked away she let out a deep breath. One more check point to go.

A few weeks ago I wrote a post dealing with our need for rest. I was not speaking to the need for physical rest, so much as the need for mental and emotional rest from this chaotic world we currently find ourselves in. In that post I discussed three things that keep us from finding the rest we need: anxiety, lack of hope and misplaced trust. I also looked at what Jesus said to us in Matthew 11:28-30. In these verses we find three actions Christ calls us to take to find rest in Him: come, take and learn. This week I’d like to look at a few practical ways to help us find this much needed mental and emotional rest.

Get away from it all.

I love the picture above. Doesn’t it look like a wonderfully peaceful place? I could easily see myself there just looking out over the beautiful scenery and allowing my mind and emotions to move back to the center of God’s love and peace. Getting away from the typical and usual is so important to allow our mental and emotional faculties to reboot and rest.

Getting away does not mean you have to go on a road trip to some remote location, although that sounds wonderful to me. Throw in a road trip on a motorcycle and I think it would be perfect. Ha, ha. Getting away can be as simple as unplugging from all your electronic devices and taking a stroll at a local park. It is important for our brains to take a break from the constant stream of information, especially the overwhelming negative information that we receive regularly in our news feeds. Here is an interesting article on that idea.

Take time for self care.

We hear a lot about this idea of self care from bloggers, Instagram accounts and others. What exactly it looks like is really up to you. Self care is just that, caring for yourself. Your self care routine may involve a manicure, a pedicure, a facial or a massage. If you have a beach or park near by you might make time to take regular walks, not only clearing your head, but clearing your arteries as well. If you are like me and don’t have access to a beach and don’t have a lot of extra money you might take yourself thrifting, watch a show on Netflix or read a good book.

Let’s get real here, ladies. I know that many of you do not take time for self care, especially if you are my age or older. We were taught to work hard and that doing those frivolous activities were not part of being a good Christian, but that is ridiculous. Even Jesus got away, by Himself for periods of time, to get away from the crowds, his rambunctious disciples and reconnect with his Father in heaven. I am preaching to the choir friends. I struggle with this too. What I need to do is make my self care choices count, not just for the down time that I need, but as a way to be healthier and reconnect with my Lord.

Find what brings you joy and make that part of your self-care routine. Whether it is gardening, sewing, reading, writing, running, or taking a long relaxing bath, find a self care routine that will take your towards the rest that you need.

Tap into creativity.

Everyone has some sort of creative bent. Even those who are in the practical sciences like medicine, engineering and computer science have hobbies and interests that tap into a creative parts of their brains. My father, who was an airplane mechanic, also enjoyed working the wood lathe and creating different items like a drying rack for towels and beautifully crafted pulpits for local churches. My mother, who kept the books for many years for my father’s business loved to sew. She made clothes for us when we were young and then got into quilting with a few other church ladies when she was older. There is nothing more therapeutic than working with your hands. I used to embroider and cross stitch, but now my creative outlet is writing.

What is something creative that you like to do? Or perhaps you have always longed to try it, but haven’t gotten up the gumption yet to commit. Do you want to sing, act, paint, dance, bake, cook or plant beautiful flowers? Find a creative outlet, that can take your mind off of the daily grind and the difficulties around you, even if it is just for a little while. That creative break will make you ready to go back to real life, and leave you better rested and equipped to handle it.

Learn how to recreate.

The word recreate as defined by Webster’s Online Dictionary means, “to give new life or freshness to; to create again; to take recreation.” The word recreation means, “refreshment of strength or spirits after work; a means of refreshment or diversion.” In essence when you recreate you are bringing freshness and new life to your person, whether it be physical, mental or emotional.

Just as self care applies to you specifically and tapping into creativity is yours to explore; each person has to figure out how best to recreate. My spouse and I like to travel, hike and camp. We haven’t had the ability to do very many of those things over the last year and a half due to Covid and it is definitely affecting our well being and our ability to feel at rest. We have tried to take walks by the river, as well as do a few shorter trips just to get a change of scenery. Those things help, but I feel like we need a few other options. There are plenty of books on recreation and leisure, so I might check some of those out.

These are just a few ideas for attaining that rest we all desperately need; the rest of mind, emotion and spirit. What practical things do you do to find rest? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Creative Christianity - The Widow's Quest: Part 1

Our Need for Rest - Part 2