My schedule has been crazy insane lately: no leeway, everything is down to the wire, prepping at the very last minute, whether lectures or marking or Bible pre-study or sermon prep -- I feel pretty shaky! I did not take a proper Sabbath yesterday (Saturday) like I should have, and I'm feeling the effects today. This morning's service at SVPG went well, but I was low on energy, and although the Scriptures still have all the power and efficacy, I think I could have conveyed that power more.
I had some time between 11:20 and 3pm, when Coquitlam ECBC English service starts, so I briefly considered swinging by FL, which I haven't visited in nearly a year. But then, I imagined, we'd stay chatting until 1pm, go out for lunch, and I'd be rushing to CECBC -- the same go-go-go schedule I usually have on Sundays. This is okay sometimes, but not a good thing when I haven't had a Sabbath yet.
So instead, I took a quiet lunch here on this park bench at the small Como Lake in Coquitlam. It is still quite chilly; there are patches of snow still on the ground in shaded areas, and the lake has a very thin layer of ice on top. It was so pleasant just to be still, to pause for a moment: the "shabbat"-- simply to cease. I didn't have quite as much time for prayer as I wanted to, but I did nearly finish memorizing the book of Philippians, a month-long project with one of my small groups.
I watched a pair of ducks try to work their way toward each other through the ice -- if it were a bit warmer, the ice would be gone and they could just paddle through the water. If it were a bit colder, the ice would be thicker, and they could walk on it. But the ice is just thin enough that the moment they put weight on it, it collapses, making for slow going. It was so cute to see the mallard duck trying so hard to get to his mate. Then once they finally reached each other, there was this awkward moment, like, "okay, we're here; now what?". :) So they just dipped their bills in and out of the water and chatted quietly. Awww!