Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has yet to come, trust in the Lord, and live for today; I recently wrote as a comment on my friend, Bridget's blog, The Ivey League. If only I could follow this advice myself, I added. Often times, I struggle with letting things go, and relaxing. I let the anxieties of life crowd my mind, and leave no room for fun.
As a home schooling Mom, I worry that my kindergartner is not keeping up with her parochial school counterparts, so I push her. On Monday, we had instruction even though it was a school holiday. We learned about Martin Luther King, and watched an excerpt of his "I Had a Dream" speech on you tube, along with our usual Catechism, Math, Science, and Language Art curriculum.
At the beginning of the year, I choose the word BALANCE for 2011. I realize I must place a balance between work and fun. I also need to be trully present to my husband, and my children, and not being distracted by my mental "to do" list. One thing I am trying to do is to enjoy the moment.
Last night was such a moment. It was the chili cook-off at the Knights of Columbus hall. Nothing fancy, it was a simple, family event. However, it was one of wonderful evenings when everyone was having fun. There was no fighting, no crying, and no misbehaving. So, we ended up closing the place down, and the girls went to bed at 10:00 pm, an unheard bedtime for children in our house. Today, we all with the exception of Daddy, woke up late. As I write this at 9:30 am, we are still in our pajamas. Last semester, I would be freaking out. I would be pushing the girls to get dressed, to brush their teeth, and to start circle time. This semester, I am going to have another cup of coffee...
Have you read my post from today? :-)
Great minds...
Posted by: Bridget | 01/19/2011 at 10:02 AM
Hi - Love the look of your new blog! I just wrote a post about my Word for 2011! I love the idea of BALANCE, which I strive for everyday also! Good luck!!
Posted by: Andrea | 01/19/2011 at 10:33 AM
do you find the new blog format to be better than the last one you used? I'm thinking of changing, too.
Posted by: Andrea | 01/19/2011 at 10:34 AM
Good for you. This cup of coffee looks great,Mary!
Posted by: Bozena | 01/19/2011 at 12:22 PM
What a truly wonderful day and blessing for sure. PJ days a too far and inbetween Good for you Mary!!!
Posted by: Michelle Guay | 01/19/2011 at 12:51 PM
Miss Mack.....
you need more cream in that coffee girl
ha ha
I love that you had another cup. Relax! I love it. I'm working on that too. Relax.
your friend,
Tricia
Posted by: tricia | 01/19/2011 at 06:01 PM
Sounds great! Balance can be so elusive, right? For me, letting go can turn into such a slippery slope. Also, I always think I want more downtime, but give me one day in my pjs until 10a.m. and I start going nuts. It's always great in theory, but hard to let go of being type A when you are, in fact, quite type A. But I think one more (hey--even two--take a walk on the wild side!) cup of coffee sounds just perfect!
Posted by: Kim D. | 01/19/2011 at 08:05 PM
"The troubles of our proud and angry dust/ Are from eternity, and shall not fail./ Bear them we can, and if we can we must./ Shoulder the sky, my lad, and drink your ale." -- A.E. Housman
Or in your case, your coffee :) You've got it, Mary! Balance sometimes means adjusting the schedule... this week is Organize Julie's Life Week, so of course I have been too busy to even do that! Oh, the irony... but I am adjusting my timetables, so we'll see how next week flies by! Happy Thursday!
Posted by: Julie @ The Corner with a View | 01/20/2011 at 11:02 AM
Good job. This is the year to relax and let go and realize we only have one day ahead of us and each day we can choose how productive it will be or how relational it will be. Memories are made by being together and having fun. take care
Posted by: Sharon O | 01/20/2011 at 11:53 AM