Easter Break, time to kill while the kids are at drama practice, free wi-fi at Panera, coffee with free refills...now that's good, true AND beautiful! I have been very negligent of this little blog of mine but with Spring comes much activity so I haven't found the time to add any posts. However, today I have added a number of items on my various pages. There is a You Tube link on the music page to a song that has some of the most beautiful voices (Hallelujah, performed by Kurt Nilsen, Espen Lind, Askil Holm, and Alejandro Fuentes). Also I have added a couple of quotes and some other things...browse the tabs to see what's new.
I love this time of the year. The new leaves, flowering trees in full bloom, and flowers starting to emerge...I just can't get enough! The end of the school year is in sight which makes the whole family a little happier. Some parents seem to dread summer break with the kids home. Yes, there's the potential for lethargy and boredom, but I really like my kids and enjoy being with them, especially without the pressure of homework and deadlines.
As it begins, the summer is rife with potential and opportunity. There are so many projects that just beg to be tackled and ideas that seek to be brought to fruition. Oh the possibilities! Each year I am in this same postition and each year I feel the days and weeks slip through my fingers. I never get to all that I had wanted to, but nonetheless, much seems to get done.
Last summer we painted several rooms which had the effect of transforming our house into a home. My husband (with the help of the kids) began to build a huge deck which is now complete (6 months later). I must say, even though building it ourselves took much (much much) longer, I would not do it differently even if we could have afforded it. The family did an EXCELLENT job and the finished product is BEAUTIFUL. My husband's attention to detail and all of his extra touches are much more that we would have gotten if we had paid for the contractor's "deck in a weekend." The kids think that we have the nicest deck in the neighborhood (and we can't say that about too many things). They have such a sense of accomplishment, ownership, and pride in their work. I am so exceedingly PROUD of them! Now if it would just stop raining we could actually enjoy it!
My main goal this summer is to SIMPLIFY. Two of my girls went on a retreat during Holy Week and they told be about a talk they heard which was given by a mom who had a baby that was so sick that it seemed that she wouldn't live. Against all odds, the baby survived and is now 8 years old. In order to care for their daughter, this family moved many, many, times times. It was something like 18 times and one time they had only a 2 day notice! My girls realized that we couldn't possibly do this. I pointed out that they had to have had MUCH less "stuff" than we do. When thinking about this I realize that I am really bogged down with all of my "stuff." It's not that I am necessarily overly attached to it. In fact, if it all disappeared tomorrow I wouldn't miss too much of it. I might even breathe a sigh of relief.
We had a fire in our attic 14 year ago. No one was hurt but we lost almost all of the "stuff" we had stored in our attic. People always say "How awful!" On the contrary! The fire freed us from things that we were keeping but didn't need or even want. The "stuff" that I have all throughtout my house is there because sorting through it and deciding what to keep, give away, or throw away is such a time consuming job. Storing is easier than the alternative! So, that is my goal for the summer. I think I'll pretend I'm moving and I'll try to get rid of anything that I wouldn't want to take with me. Wish me luck!
