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A Million Miles in a Couple of Months.

Melissa Beene Ford/ Uncategorized

I’ve fallen in love with Donald Miller lately.

Well, not him exactly, because he seems sorta quirky and weird and would probably really bug me in real life, but his writing… now, that’s amazing stuff.

I have to admit I read Blue Like Jazz with lots of skepticism.

I didn’t want to read it.

As a life-long Church Brat, sometimes I get a little burned out on churchy stuff. I’ve been to church. And mission trips. And camp. And choir tours. And all the latest Bible studies. And taught Sunday School and VBS. And then went to a Baptist University where I majored in … Bible. And so I picked up BLJ at the bookstore more out of bored disinterest, thinking I guess I’ll read this because I don’t have anything better to do at the moment but (sigh) I’m sure its just like some other churchy book I’m sure I’ve read before…

And then I loved it. Loved it. LOVED IT. Surprisingly!

It was so refreshing and different and so lined up with everything I never knew I believed about how the Christian life should be lived.

And so when I saw his book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years on sale for 50% off at the bookstore, I grabbed it, thinking how lucky am I to find this on sale!!!

I wouldn’t say I love this one. I read a few chapters, then left it to gather dust on my nightstand while I moved on to more exciting things.

But I was in a little bit of a funk last night and felt the urge to see if Donald could speak to me. And Donald didn’t disappoint me.

Its no secret that my life has been one series of terribly difficult and painful events over the last few years. If you’ve followed me on this blog, you know the timeline…

2005… bought an 80-year-old, unliveable shack, lacking running water and
electricity, and full of rats. Invested much blood, sweat, and tears
remodeling the house.

2006… second baby born in April…. husband
diagnosed with encephalitis in December and given a 50% chance of surviving.
Still did not have a working kitchen.

2007… husband unable to walk or
talk normally, OR work, for five months.

2009… my youngest child
diagnosed with brain tumor in March. Filed for divorce in November after hiring a private investigator who traced dozens upon dozens of phone numbers found on my cell phone records …

2010… divorced. Learning to juggle being a single mom while working
full-time for the first time in nine years. Much sleep-deprivation.

Like I said. It hasn’t been easy.

The beauty of this book, at least the chapters I read last night, are that it speaks so perfectly to where I am right now, and at least last night when I was feeling really down, it encouraged me and inspired me. The point of the book is the story you are writing with your life…. and unfortunately, there are painful parts in every good story. And I like to hope that all these painful chapters are going to make one really meaningful story in the end.

This week has been hard. Its no encephalitis, no brain tumor, no divorce, by any means, but I was disappointed and a little hurt (ok, a lot hurt) by an abrupt ending to something that made me happy. And Donald’s words were, once again, exactly what I needed.

I loved this paragraph from chapter twenty-six about paddling across a lake, and I hope its ok with Donald that I’m quoting this:

It’s like this with every crossing, and with nearly every story too.
You paddle until you no longer believe you can go any farther. And then
suddenly, well after you thought if would happen, the other shore starts to
grow, and it grows fast. The trees get taller and you can make out the
crags in the cliffs, and then the shore reaches out to you, to welcome you home,
almost pulling your boat onto the sand.

Thanks, Donald, for the reminder that there’s a shore on the other side.

The next chapter, twenty-seven, is about pain. Appropriate.

He talks about this unbelievable bike ride across the United States. Across. The. United. States. A bike ride. In case you didn’t catch that. And I could see some parallels in that excruciating journey.

I knew I had fifty more miles to go, and the miles would be, perhaps, the
most miserable of my life. But in that place, I remembered about story,
about how every conflict, no matter how hard, comes back to bless the
protagonist if he will face his fate with courage. There is no conflict
man can endure that will not produce a blessing. And I smiled. I’m
not saying I was happy, but for some reason I smiled.
It hurts now, but
I’ll love this memory,
I thought to myself. And I do.

Yeah.

It hurts now.

But I’ll love this memory.

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Comments

  1. Christy Harris says

    October 22, 2010 at 10:48 pm

    I am so sorry about everything that has been going on…I mean it…I am just burdened for a fellow sister in Christ. AND..I feel WORSE because I haven&#39;t checked your blog lately (my own life craziness!) and you have been on my heart…isn&#39;t weird?? We have never even met…and yet God has placed you ON MY HEART…now I know why.<br /><br />I am so glad that the unexpected has brought

    Reply
  2. Cindy and crew says

    October 23, 2010 at 3:11 am

    Thanks for being so open and real…it&#39;s refreshing. I enjoyed the analogy and reminder that you shared…about &quot;a shore on the other side.&quot; Sometimes it seems so far away but it is somehow comforting to know it&#39;s there.

    Reply

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About Me


Hey there... I'm Melissa! Texas girl. Mom to three + one goldendoodle. Believer. Old house fanatic. Creating a happy + healthy home with purpose is my passion. I'm so glad you're here!

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I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 I don’t know who’s big idea it was to strip 80 years of paint off of this door down to the wood and start over… but that person has no business starting new projects. 😅 My neighbors must have thought this project would never end. *I* thought this project would never end. 😰 If you’re thinking of doing this yourself? Just don’t, ok? Throw the whole door away and buy a new one. 😂🤣 Just kidding.  Old house weirdos like me… we can’t just do things the easy way. Anyhoo… after some trial and error, @sherwinwilliams Celestial is what I landed on, and I have to say… I like it. Periwinkle-ish blue looks great with the yellow house and will look even better when the azaleas are in bloom. Was it all worth it? That’s not important right now. 🤭 Will I do this all again in two years? The magic eight ball says… without a doubt. 👏🏻 I’ve already picked the next color. #gluttonforpunishment #somefoolsneverlearn #oldhouselove #oldhomelove #makinghome #southernliving #gardenandgun #azaleadistrict #tylertx
Spring in the Azalea District makes the winters in Spring in the Azalea District makes the winters in an 80-year-old house completely worth it … what broken pipes, icy hardwood floors and drafty windows? 🤔 I forgot already. #comeonspring #azaleadistrict #tylertx
Happy Saturday ☀️ Happy Saturday ☀️
Salt Lake City is always magical ✨ Salt Lake City is always magical ✨
2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrollin 2022 had its highs and lows for sure, but scrolling through my pics from the last twelve months made me realize how blessed and content I am. Prosperity, love, and peace have been ours in abundance, in spite of the pain of losing my dad. The second picture is the last picture of him… the last time I saw him. 💔 But God has been good to my family this year and 2022 is ending far better than it began. 😄 #2022inreview #thanksforthememories
Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍ Who wants a Christmas tour of my home? 🙋🏼‍♀️
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That’s it. That’s the tour. (Slide two). 
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It’s a new trend I’m starting: bare Christmas tree. Lowe’s tag still attached (so quirky and unexpected)! Christmas ornaments still in boxes. Coming soon to an Anthropologie window display near you. 
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Every year I think, “next year I’ll do better. Next year I’ll have it together.” And then, here we are on the SIXTH Christmas that we’ve been in this house, the sixth Christmas I’ve dragged our chaotic bunch of Christmas mess out of a chaotic garage I still haven’t unpacked from our move six years ago. 
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Maybe this year is the year I’ll organize it all and put it back neatly so that by Christmas number 7, it will be smooth sailing. People will flock to my social media to see how I’ve pulled everything off SO PERFECTLY. Next year will be my year. 
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Seems every year there’s less and less bandwidth for all these things. There’s more grief and stress, less money. More demands, less grace. 
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I put this sign on the wall in my office so I could keep it in front of my eyes: Love. Joy. Peace. And all that. I am SO unlike Jesus most days. So lacking in all of these character qualities. And that’s WITH waking up most mornings and spending my first 30 minutes with God Himself. 
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How lost would I be without that? Geez. I can’t fathom. I REQUIRE being transformed by renewing my mind every single morning, and even then, responding to people and life with love, joy, peace and patience doesn’t come naturally. 
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It’s the goal, though. 
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This weary world needs that from us Believers during this season, more than ever… even more than an Anthropologie-window-display worthy Christmas home tour. 
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I’m working on both.
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