Can you believe that it is 4:30 AM and I am still up? It's very true and a bit disturbing. We leave in a few hours for our two-week stint away from home and I'm working hard to make sure everything is taken care of. We've offered our house to some friends for the time we're away as their daughter is getting married and their home is overflowing. I'm packing, working on some scrapbooking projects that I need to meet a deadline for, and tidying up the joint for our guests. This is a true glimpse into my tendency to procrastinate. Not so flattering, is it? However, it's pretty novel to see the sunrise...
Back soon! Happy Canada Day, 4th of July, etc. Oh, I am so glad I just wrote that! I need to pack Olivia's birthday gift...
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Homebody
Leaving home again for another two-week stretch and, this time, I have very mixed feelings about being away so long. Somehow this next bit away really crept up on me and I'm feeling that there is so much to do here. My garden plots are filling out beautifully, the lilies are all opening up, work on our basement is chugging along, and my creative work is calling (or shouting) out to me. While our trip in May was a lot about rest and vacation and the six of us, this next stretch is pretty people-focused. We have wonderful friends and family that we'll be spending time with and I know it will be fabulous to reconnect with so many. I'm an introvert and really need that quiet and alone time to recharge and the reality of the next couple of weeks is that I won't get much of that. I tend to get a bit panicky and overwhelmed if I don't withdraw from time to time. I'm going to need to be cautious and realistic and I'm also going to have to remember that it's not all about me.
Why do I like being home so much? My beloved is a perfect match for me in that he is the only one that I feel I can really be quiet with. He totally gets that sometimes I need to just be still. I like my own imperfect space where there are chores to do and meals to cook and things to tidy and projects to work on. I feel like I get behind if I'm not at home most of the time. Get behind what? That's what I have to keep remembering. The work will be here when I get back. The projects will wait. Time with people is time well spent.
I am so thankful for the opportunities we have to travel and reunite with friends and family. We're off to our second year of family camp about 6.5 hours north of here. We'll spend a few days with Gary's sister and her family. We enjoy them very much and their home feels like the Hilton after camp with its warm showers and comfy beds. From there we will head to my parents' home where we'll spend a couple of days before Gary and I take off for a wedding on the west coast. Our children will enjoy an extended time at Grandma and Grandpa's, enjoying their company and playing with their wonderful neighbours next door. Good times are ahead.
All I have to do is breathe, right?
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
{in}consistency
Greetings from the infrequent and inconsistent blogger! I am well on track to getting one post per month which, actually, would be an improvement over last year. Those of you whom I've met IRL know that I'm never short on words. What is it that keeps me from writing here? I suppose it's the fact that this has not become habit. I'm hoping to change that as I so enjoy getting words to screen/paper and the exercise it affords my brain.
Habits. I'm realizing that the lack of overall routine in my life has prevented me from developing good habits in some areas and encouraged the growth of some less favourable ones. I love structure and routine but this year has derailed me and I'm feeling the weight of the absence of good habits. I recently completed our homeschooling annual reports and submitted them to the school board. While we definitely made progress over the academic year, there were definitely some circumstances and events that affected me/us profoundly. Broken bones, sugery, illnesses. Difficult family relationships, stresses of ministry, struggling with forgiveness, severed relationships. Depression, renovations and good ol' fashioned lack of gumption. None of these things could have been avoided but the overall affect on the tone of our home could have been minimized by clinging to routine and falling back on good habits.
So, what am I going to do about it? A good and honest confession to my Father is the first step. One habit that hasn't fallen by the wayside is being in Scripture and clinging to the promises of the Word of God. I feel a tremendous need for cleansing. Commitment to pray for God to order my days is in order. Second, I need to get rid of some of the physical clutter that contributes to that overall feeling of life being too full. Third, a season of rest and rejuvenation, which is possible during the summer months, will benefit all of us. For this to work we need to deliberately choose to say yes to those things which will promote healing and no to the things that pull us away from priority. Fourth, I truly need to extend grace to those around me and receive grace from my Father. Some good habits to work on, no?
I thoroughly enjoyed being away on vacation with my family. I treasure my husband and our four children and the time we spent together exploring Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. Our time in Chicago was exactly what we had hoped for. The five days we spent with my grandparents in small-town Illinois truly blessed us and, I trust, them as well. I don't have any scientific documentation to back this up, but my family truly rocks! I'll leave you with a pic from downtown Chicago, we felt like we lived there!
Habits. I'm realizing that the lack of overall routine in my life has prevented me from developing good habits in some areas and encouraged the growth of some less favourable ones. I love structure and routine but this year has derailed me and I'm feeling the weight of the absence of good habits. I recently completed our homeschooling annual reports and submitted them to the school board. While we definitely made progress over the academic year, there were definitely some circumstances and events that affected me/us profoundly. Broken bones, sugery, illnesses. Difficult family relationships, stresses of ministry, struggling with forgiveness, severed relationships. Depression, renovations and good ol' fashioned lack of gumption. None of these things could have been avoided but the overall affect on the tone of our home could have been minimized by clinging to routine and falling back on good habits.
So, what am I going to do about it? A good and honest confession to my Father is the first step. One habit that hasn't fallen by the wayside is being in Scripture and clinging to the promises of the Word of God. I feel a tremendous need for cleansing. Commitment to pray for God to order my days is in order. Second, I need to get rid of some of the physical clutter that contributes to that overall feeling of life being too full. Third, a season of rest and rejuvenation, which is possible during the summer months, will benefit all of us. For this to work we need to deliberately choose to say yes to those things which will promote healing and no to the things that pull us away from priority. Fourth, I truly need to extend grace to those around me and receive grace from my Father. Some good habits to work on, no?
I thoroughly enjoyed being away on vacation with my family. I treasure my husband and our four children and the time we spent together exploring Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. Our time in Chicago was exactly what we had hoped for. The five days we spent with my grandparents in small-town Illinois truly blessed us and, I trust, them as well. I don't have any scientific documentation to back this up, but my family truly rocks! I'll leave you with a pic from downtown Chicago, we felt like we lived there!
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