Taking a Break

It's been a hot summer in PA. I'm not a summer person. My favorite season is winter, and yes, I love the snow. I don't do well with heat and humidity. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older, or what. But, there is one thing about summer that I do enjoy - extended time with my husband.

For the past several years our sons have helped with a local Christian camp, and have been gone for about six weeks during the summer months. Although we miss them, it also is a great time to reconnect with my spouse. It allows us to see a small glimpse of life in the empty nest, and it looks pretty fine! :) We never seem to lack something to do, or somewhere to go, and also enjoy hanging out together at home.

I also enjoy the alone time throughout the day, while my husband is at work. I'm able to concentrate on projects that I don't have as much freedom to work on during the school year, especially since we are a homeschooling family. (One year left to go!) I never get bored being home. It's my favorite place to be.

The past weeks have been spent editing my novel. I'm almost half way through it. It's a long, tedious process, requiring a lot of time and concentration. Today I'm taking a break from it...not because I desire to, but other things are more pressing - like a writing lesson due tomorrow and a homeschool article due on Monday.

Some breaks are needed because other things need to be addressed. Other times, it's healthy to take a break and just relax. When's the last time you took a needed break?

Trading Friends

The other day I was at the park with my friend, her granddaughter and great niece. The girls are five and six years old and were playing in the splash ground area with a bunch of other local children. My friend and I chatted until her great niece stood beside us.

"She traded me for another friend," she complained, referring to the granddaughter.

I couldn't help but laugh at the expression. It's not often you year 'trading friends' as if you were a baseball player, or perhaps exchanging sports cards.

She was frustrated that the girl had gone off to play with other children. She could only see things from her perspective. She didn't realize they would soon both go home and have time together. Their friendship hadn't changed in any way, just a new element had been introduced.

I'm thankful that my God and my friends are faithful. They won't trade me when I do something stupid. Instead they come alongside me and love me anyway.

Getting to Know You

I had the pleasure of going out for lunch today with two sisters. It was quite experience for me to see these two in action. Although they both are very different from each other, they have a common bond that draws them together. As we rode in the car, it tickled me to hear them finishing each other's sentences. I've never experienced something like this, since I grew up with two older brothers.

They shared that when they were younger they were as different as night and day, but now it's clear to see they are best friends. They still have their different personalities, but share a closeness they didn't have in childhood. In some ways it reminded me of the marriage relationship. The longer I've been married to my husband, the more we think alike. I know how he'll respond in a certain situation.

One of my favorite old movies, is My Fair Lady. I especially think of the song about 'Getting to Know You.' The more we get to know Christ, the more we desire to be like Him.

Fine-Toothed Comb

I'm in the process of editing/rewriting my historical novel which I completed in early February. Even though the initial story is down on paper, I'm now using a fine-toothed comb to go through each word to polish and perfect it. At times I can edit a sentence at a glance, but others require word by word study and perusal. I'm finding it takes intense concentration and may seem tedious to some. The process is slow, but I'm enjoying it.

This verse came to mind this afternoon while I was working. "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matthew 5:18  I'm thankful that God's Word remains unchangeable.

I'm a Member of BA - Bookaholics Annonymous

All right, there is no such thing as Bookaholics Anonymous, at least as far as I know. And if there was, I guess I likely wouldn't be a member of it, since I can't seem to get away from my enjoyment of books. :) There is something about each book that is different - the color, size, shape, thickness of the pages, scent, and of course topics. I find myself quite taken with books. Ask anyone who has been to my home, and they will attest to the number of bookcases we have overloaded with books.

Perhaps this topic comes to mind, since I donated over eleven grocery bags full of educational books to a local used bookstore over the weekend. I had to clear off some shelves to make room for having another bookcase upstairs. My arms still feel the affects from carrying said books up and downstairs in our home. I laugh as I write this and look at a Willow Tree figurine I recently won in a contest with Martha Rogers blog. It's a figure of a girl, hugging a book to her chest and its called 'Love of Learning.'

Then in today's mail, a box of books arrived from Amazon. One book is a school book for my son for this fall. Likely the last school book I will need to buy for him since he will be a senior. Two of the books are writing books, and one is true stories of mail-order brides.

But of all the books I've read through the years, and there have been many, the one that I continue to read and always return to each day is God's word. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105  Only God's word provides daily nourishment.