4 One Rare Day of Rest

Dear Jesus,

It’s been one whole week since I wrote to you last. Yeah, I know. How pathetic of me. *Covers face in palm*. It wasn’t on purpose though. I’ve just been super-duper busy lately.

Thankfully, I’ve been able to keep up with my daily time of fellowship with you and it keeps getting better. I guess I was just too lazy to sit down and write.

Most of the time, when I get back from school, which has been later than normal cos of the after-school compulsory lessons that has been mandated for all final class students, I’d have to do my chores and then my huge pile of assignments.

By the time I’m done, I’d be so drained that all I want to do is just shower and jump on bed to sleep.

My Saturdays are now almost the busiest days of the week for me. I figured I have to serve you somehow, so I volunteered as a Sunday School teacher for the kids and teenage girls since I’m obviously good at that.

I’d have loved to join the choir (which most pastors’ daughters I know, or have heard of, do). Unfortunately, my singing isn’t that great (Too bad I didn’t get that gene from Mom).

I really wouldn’t wanna embarrass myself and the choir with my not-so-good singing voice. I hear you say it isn’t that bad. Really, Jesus… Really? *Smiles stupidly in flashback mode*

Well, maybe I’m just exaggerating the whole issue. But, I vividly remember one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. You won’t laugh at me cos you understand, right?

So, it all happened in JSS2 during Charios’ annual talent show. I innocently signed up for the singing competition. What pushed me for goodness's sake?

Long story short, I almost peed on stage when the audience started laughing at me cos of an off-key note I belted.

Some even booed and made catcalls.

My high-pitched voice started quavering as I had suddenly developed a major degree of stage fright ailment.

*Shivers*.

I won’t relish a reoccurrence of that event at all. So, you get the picture…

I’m free today because, even though it’s Friday. We have a public holiday.

Today is also Kathlyn’s birthday. I invited her over to my house. She told me she’d be coming with her little sis so we can all have fun together.

I guess Mom and Dad have plans to go on a date or something. (*Coos sweetly* Awwwn… How romantic!)

I don’t mind though. I’ll be having company and I have their permission too.

10:00am

Knock… knock… knock…

“Who’s there?” I shouted from my room and raced to the front door.

Mom and Dad left about twenty minutes ago and the house was quiet.

I was reading John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim's Progress, the comic version, sprawled on my bed, when I heard the rap on the door.

“It’s me, Kathlyn.”

I swung the door open and met a smiling Kathlyn looking right at me.

She had her right hand entwined with the left hand of a little-girl version of her that looked about twelve years old. Her other free hand was holding a basket.

“Happy birthday, girl,” I squeaked in delighted euphoria.

I pulled her into a warm embrace after she dropped her luggage.

She was equally glad and thanked me for the prayers and birthday wishes I had sent her at 12:00am this morning.

I wondered aloud whether had she really been awake at that time. I, on the other hand, was awake because I had set my alarm in order to be the first to wish her happy birthday.

She giggled and said that even if she had wanted to be asleep she couldn’t have, cos she was woken up by her family’s surprise.

We were so engrossed in our brief greeting that we momentarily forgot her sister. She coughed in a funny manner to remind us that, 'Hey gals I’m here too.'

“Omigosh! I’m sorry sis. Radiance meet Faith, my only sister. Faith meet my friend, Radiance,” Kathlyn introduced us.

I looked at Faith. Kathyln had already supplied me with surplus info about her sister.

She was just as I had imagined her—cute and pretty, though not as stunning as her sister.

“Hi Faith! How are you doing?” I smiled at her.

“I’m okay. It’s actually nice meeting you in person. You really are beautiful,” She said bashfully.

“I’m so flattered. If you say I’m beautiful, then you're a fairytale princess while I’d say your sis is a diva goddess.”

We laughed together and Kathlyn gave me a playful back smack.

“We are gonna have a great time today. I brought some stuff so let’s go have a picnic at the park.” Kathlyn said.

By an amazing stroke of providence, Kathlyn happens to live in the same estate—ShalomEloh Estate—as I, just a few blocks away from my house.

We have a central park in the estate that’s not too far away.

I figured Mom and Dad wouldn’t mind, so I called them and received their permission to go out with Kathyln. They’ve gotten acquainted with her family, so they also greeted her happy birthday.

I took my guests upstairs to my room, and watched as they ooohed and aaahed at my gigantic room.

I guess that’s one of the blessings of being an only child.

I mean, considering the size of my room, that is spacious enough to contain a huge wardrobe, antique rack, portrait and landscape paintings, a TV, a reading table, one would feel one has stumbled upon the room of Sleeping Beauty.

My room even has a balcony, big enough to accommodate a mini-swing. And here’s were I love to sit when journaling, meditating or relaxing in the fresh spring breeze or warm summer sun.

I presented Kathlyn with the birthday gift I’d gotten her. It’s a yellow purse in which I put a hand-made card. I discovered that her best color is yellow, so I felt the gift would be well appreciated. It was.

She was happy I got her something for her birthday and she really showed it.

After we all drank cold soy milk, ate biscuits, and I had taken them on a tour of the house—they particularly loved the garden—, we got ready to go.

I stuffed another picnic basket with a large, pink quilt, cookies, a big bottle of mango smoothie which I had made earlier this morning, a couple of fruits, scrabble, some Christian novels and comic books.

We strolled together to the public park which was rather too calm for a public holiday. I guess most people went to the fair, or stadium for the parade. Maybe some people decided to relax at home from all this time of work and school drudgery.

Anyways, it made it all better for us. We found a spot and settled down beside a mulberry bush.

We played on the swings and slides for a while, raced round the park (I won), flew some kites that Faith made, sketched and painted in funnily pathetic ways the beautiful scenery of nature around us (Kathlyn’s the artsy one, so she brought some of those art stuff along).

We played some fun games on our android phones while connected on Wi-Fi, when scrabble became too boring.

By 2:00pm, when the sun was really high in the sky and our stomachs were rumbling, we ate lunch.

Afterwards, we laid on our quilt peacefully looking at the beautiful cloud formations and the clear, blue sky. That time was like a soothing balm to my nerves.

Seeing you in nature’s beauty is great, Lord.

Thereafter, we had a Bible quiz, and started talking about you and other random girl-stuff.

Faith opened up to us, telling us about her crush on this new guy in her class called Matt (Maybe she found me friendly enough to open up to. I was glad for the bond, and so was Kathlyn).

It was an amusing thing when Kathlyn told us about how her heart used to beat for a geek in her former school. I couldn't help teasing her.

I also had to tell them about my former, major crush on Joshua, the terribly handsome nerd in my class, when I was in JSS3.

I remember the fluttering feeling of excited fireflies I felt in my stomach when I first set my eyes on him, the thumping of my heart when he glanced at me, the embarrassing stuttering when he had first talked to me, asking for a spare pen, the intense jealousy and pain I felt when I discovered he started dating Trisha, and then, how all that evaporated into thin air by the ending of SSS1.

He’s still as handsome as ever, and still in my class. But, now that I’m a new creature, all the vestige of fluttering butterflies in my stomach whenever I sight him (not that he ever really noticed that I exist) has gone. I have found true love in you, Jesus.

We encouraged Faith to love you more and talk to you about it, that it would soon pass so she shouldn’t lose her head.

The sun started reclining by 4:00pm, so we rose to go. I escorted Kathlyn and Faith to their house and waved them goodbye, telling them what a great time we had and how blessed I was to have them as friends.

Upon getting home, I realized Mom and Dad were already around. I greeted them and teased them about their date.

Dinner was set and we had a wonderful family time recounting the events of the day.

Together we settled to watch a movie titled ‘The Boy Choir’ and it turned out to be quite interesting, particularly for my music-inclined mom.

Formerly, Mom and Dad would watch the news and since I find that extremely boring, I’d either be on my phone or watching a film on my mini-TV in my room.

I guess there’s joy in togetherness. The family devotion tonight was amazing.

Tonight is definitely gonna be peaceful.

Thank you, Jesus, for granting me such an exciting day as this. Night, night!

★★★★★

A/N: How I wish all my days were as free as this! Sigh...

Happy birthday to Kathlyn.

Who's surprised that they all had their own crushes, once upon a time?

Brighten up by mood by letting me know your thoughts in the comments section.

I love y'all.❤️