Waving farewell to another month, I rejoice in a glance back at my April Adagio joining Heather Gerwing as she hosts a monthly feature called, Share Four Somethings, where writers share the fourth Saturday of each month something in each of four categories from the previous month.
For those unfamiliar with the musical term, “adagio” chosen for my title this month, it refers to a piece of music or a manner of playing music in a slower, casual pace. From the Italian, “agio”, it also refers to the slow and leisurely manner of life. Which describes my April on the whole.
Each month the four categories remain the same: something loved, something gleaned, something braved (or saved), and something achieved.
The premise delights me; the new categories falling right in line with my one word 2022 journey with Resilience! Looking back over the previous month through these four categories helps me linger with God’s goodness, and ignites my gratitude.
something loved
My April Adagio: Share Four Somethings starts off with an opportunity for supporting a local summer theater. Gretna Theater is one of the oldest summer theaters in America, established in the same location since 1927. The playhouse located in Mt. Gretna, Pennsylvania was built in 1892, and boasts broadway performances by Bernadette Peters, Charlton Heston, Faith Prince, Laurie Beechman and Sally Struthers.
In addition to summer stock productions, they also provide education for the community in the performing arts, and workshops and theater camps for aspiring young actors. As a full non-profit organization they conduct a number of creative fundraisers throughout the off season.
One creative fundraiser developed during the pandemic, is their Murder Mystery Files Box. An eleborate murder mystery is developed requiring your help to solve! For a set fee you purchase a three box set; mailed to you one at a time over a period of three months. Inside are clues and instructions for your monthly assignment.
Working with friends and family or alone, you attempt solving the mystery.
With the recipt of two boxes so far, we are privy to [staged] crime scene photos, coroner’s reports, eye witness reports, physical evidence and various other documents from a cruise ship massacre taking place in 1994.
We correspond via email with concerned citizen and former cruise participant, Frank Garrick who is conducting a private investigation. We report our findings to him, and he confirms (or redirects) and sends us additional info.
Specifically released over the winter months, it is a fabulous and fun way to support the theater and have a blast right in our own home.
something gleaned
Something gleaned this month comes from John Mark Comer’s newest offering, “Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace”. Not a fan of Comer’s writing style, I pushed through his veiled sarcasm and pseudo-intellectual rabbit trails for a meaningful takeaway.
The main premise of the book, “The problem isn’t so much that we tell lies but that we live them”, intrigued me. Comer moves through the three enemies: the devil, the flesh, and the world, according to their inter-relational existence in the life of the believer.
The devil’s deceitful ideas play to disordered desires normalized in a sinful society, describes the terrible cycle of sin in our lives. Thoughts and desires left unaddressed in our mind, appeal to undisciplined flesh and ultimately the world’s labeling of good as evil, and evil as good, assuages our shame and guilt allowing us to live any way we please.
A clunky read, it left me with the sobering thought of the church’s and my own casual attitude towards sin. We rarely hear sin addressed in churches as the deadly force and weapon of the devil wielded to destroy every Christian and wreak folly within the church itself.
something braved
A new category starting in January 2022, something braved gives opportunity for reflecting on the hard places we often walk or times we step out of our comfort zone.
This month pushed me outside of my comfort zone in participating in an interview for the podcast, “Women Living Courageously”. the brain child of my dear friend, Melanie Redd, her mission is to point women back to Jesus, in every life situation.
Invited a few months ago, Melanie wanted me to explore ways to find Peace in the storms of life. The tagline of my Serenity in Suffering blog, I delightfully accepted the offer. A novice to the interview circuit, I naturally battled anxiety, but Melanie set me at ease from the very beginning.
Recorded in April, the episode will air on May 11th, and I will have plenty of promotional reminders on social media and here on the blog. Stay tuned for a blog post with more information and a link to the podcast!
something achieved
Rounding out my April Adagio: Share Four Somethings, is another new category, dedicated to things achieved. For goal setting geeks, this category offers an opportunity to shine. But even if goal setting makes you squeamish, right here is the place for celebrating even baby steps towards getting things done.
This month all of my winter decor finally found its final resting place. A serial procrastinator, I tend towards Scarlett O’Hara’s penchant for thinking about troublesome things “tomorrow”.
March’s unpredictable weather stalled my enthusiasm for spring decor, but come April I took the plunge. And in so doing, I tackled organizing my decor storage which was in major disarray. I recycled the old and reorganized the new and now come the next seasonal change in autumn, I may actually enjoy what has before seemed unpleasant.
april adagio: share four somethings
As I mentioned at the beginning, my intentional choice of the word, “Adagio” in my post title reflected the slower, reflective pace of April for me. Especially the last two weeks of Lent leading up to Easter this year.
Thank you for taking a leisurely walk back through my April Adagio with me! I am grateful to Heather for creating such a creative way to review the moments of our days which often slip by so quickly. Sharing Four Somethings is a way to savor one more time those things we loved, gleaned, braved and achieved!
But you don’t have to be a writer or blogger to enjoy this practice. Why not take a few moments and think back over YOUR April Adagio and share four somethings with me in the comments! Meet me back here at the end of May for more joyful somethings!
I’m looking forward to your interview on Melanie’s podcast, Donna. I always hearing what a blogger I have come to love sounds like in real life. 🙂 And thanks for your candid thoughts on the book. I appreciate that you pushed through with reading it and found some applicable insights, but also that you didn’t sugarcoat how you felt about the book overall. Happy May, my friend!
Thank you Lois for your kind words of encouragement! I know most people would prefer a nice review of books, but I felt I had to be honest! I hope you enjoy the interview with Melanie, I am always afraid to put myself out there for people to see and hear. May be a little like the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthains 10, where he says he is timid in person, but bold in his letters…..LOL
I am also a serial procrastinator, so I understand that struggle!
Visiting from SFS
Kym, thanks for the moral support, we procrastinators need to stick together!
I’m definitely slow to getting around to visiting and reading these Share Four Somethings posts – but glad that I did. I enjoyed your thoughts (our casual attitude toward sin – ouch!) and will look forward to hearing your interview!!
Jennifer, I’m usually slow about getting to all the Share Four Something posts too, but it is such fun reading them and hearing everyone’s news!
What an interesting post, Donna! I have heard of the 4 Somethings before and it sounds like something I would like to try. Your post was full on unexpected things – like the Gretna Murder Mystery files … what a fun idea! And I am so looking forward to hearing your podcast – I’m a podcast junkie, anyway – but it’s more fun when it is someone you feel you know a little bit about.
And I’m in awe of your pic of your decor storage. Mine is simple a mess and I’ve been realizing something needs to be done (as in, decluttering!) for quite some time. I am eagerly searching for a window of opportunity to start pitching!
Thank you, Jerralea for your kind words about my Share Four Somethings post! I hope you do join us each month or whenever you can. I enjoy taking time to reflect on my month in such clever ways! Stay tuned I’ll be letting everyone know when Melanie’s podcast goes live with my interview, we had the best time doing it!
I love the murder box as it would be such fun to do something like this with my family. And … I am looking forward to the podcast!!
Joanne the murder mystery files are a fun activity. And we are keeping everything together to pass on to my younger daughter to do!
Comer’s book is on my list to read as well. I look forward to listening to your podcast interview!
Thank you, Beth for stopping by! I’ll be sure to list the link for the podcast in next month’s “report”…LOL
The murder box sounds very interesting! Also, kudos on the podcast recording!
Heather the murder box is really fun! Thank you for your kind words on the podcast!
Looks like you had a wonderful month. The book looks interesting. Have a wonderful week!
Thank you, Cindy, it was indeed a blessed month! Thanks for taking the time to read my post!!
Congrats on getting your winter decor put away. I dragged my feet so long on my St. Patrick’s Day decor, that I didn’t even bother to put anything up for Easter. Maybe next year I’ll be more on the ball.
Thank you, Megan, I felt rather foolish with snowmen and red poinsettias around, not to mention an Advent wreath, but…..organizing storage is not my favorite thing to do!
I’m so glad you had a slow and leisurely April, Donna. The Gretna Theater sounds like a beautiful place to visit. The winter mystery adventure sounds fun! The book sounds like a sobering read. Congratulations on your interview and for diving deeper into Peace through the storms of life. I look forward to hearing all the nuggets you gleaned in your journey. Organizing decor storage is a major accomplishment. Congratulations!
Thank you Lisa for taking the time to read my post! And for your kind words about the interview, it’s just a 30 minute or so podcast, so we hit some highlights and I gave advice for finding peace in the stormy times, but far from my journey…I may have to write a book for that!
The Murder Mystery Files Box sounds like such a delight! Yay for you being courageous and doing the podcast. I’m certain it was quite a success. Please do share the link when it becomes available.
Lisa, the Mystery Files boxes are great fun, who doesn’t love a good mystery? I will be sure to let everyone know when the podcast goes live, Melanie truly put me at ease!
Adagio Donna! I enjoyed walking through April with you. This > “The problem isn’t so much that we tell lies but that we live them”, is food for thought, very true at times though. Congratulations on your interview with Women Living Courageously. Blessings.
Thank you Paula, for taking the time to read my post! And as always for your kind and thoughtful words of encouragement!
Love the creativity of your post today, Donna! That book looks interesting to me.
Thank you Sarah for taking the time to read my post! One thing I liked about Comer’s book was his hardline stand on sin; we must never underestimate the destructive nature of even the smallest sins we allow in our lives.