There are so many things going on
right now, I am not sure where to start.
It is Friday. I have to post a
blog tonight to appear first thing tomorrow morning and my mind feels empty. There will be a wedding at the church tomorrow
and while I am not officiating at this one, I do have to prepare a prayer of
blessing to offer at the end of the ceremony.
I hoped to do it last evening, but had to tend to some other tasks that
cropped up after the wedding rehearsal and dinner.
Since my husband, Glen and I are both
involved in the wedding with him playing the music and being the Master of
Ceremonies for the reception, we will not be able to attend the launch of our
daughter’s new jazz CD, The Signal on Saturday.
We would love to be there, but she assures us there will be other shows
here in Montreal, that we can attend.
This morning I made the final
changes in my sermon for Sunday and sent it out to the translators so they can
have a chance to look at it and are able to prepare their Spanish translation
before Sunday morning. I sent the last
revision to our Administrative Assistant who is preparing the Power Point to go
with the sermon for Sunday morning. This
week we are going to have the Pastoral Prayer done in Spanish by my Associate
and we will have the English translation available on the Power Point. It looks like most of the rest of the service
is ready.
Along
with these things I am trying to prepare for our denominational annual review
of the ministry of our church. There has
not been a complete one since 2009. Most
of the records need to be updated and I working to get that ready as well as
complete the necessary information about our strategic plan, before we meet on
Monday. In addition, I have been trying
to work out the funding and administration for an exciting new program that
will enable us to more fully engage with our community, called Economic Cooking
Workshops.
How I
long for an hour or so, just to do some fun reading, something more than emails
that need an immediate answer or suggest more ways that I would be effective in
what I do. I know that as a writer,
social media plays an important role in getting my messages out, but sometimes
I just want to get lost. Speaking of
writing, I feel guilty when I realize that I have done nothing on my next book
since August. Where has the time gone?
Is life crazy busy? Yes, sometimes it is. Although I have passed the normal age of
retirement, I am still trying to sort out all my roles as pastor, wife, mother
of adult children, grandmother, writer, friend, counsellor, etc. I wonder if I will ever find balance and yet
I still love all I do. Why? I find that
my life is enriched by all of these activities but mostly by the people. This morning at a breakfast meeting, a
volunteer again reminded me that what I need to do is focus on the things I can
do, and not fret about what I cannot. I
do try to remember that.
When I take a few minutes and
step back, I realize how many opportunities are mine and how many things I have
to be grateful for and my perspective changes.
Yes there are myriad things to do.
There always will be. Will I get
it all done? Not likely. Some days I only manage to accomplish one
thing on my To Do list. Occasionally, or
should I say rarely, I get through most or all of them. I know deep in my heart that this is not what
matters most. What is really important
is the give and take that I have with the people around me. A quick smile, a word of thanks, making a
coffee for someone on the Keurig can make all the difference. Thank you Lord for those who surround me and
remind me of the gift we are to each other.
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| Word Guild Award 2011 |
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| Word Guild Award 2009 |
6 comments:
It seems many of us are on this treadmill of busyness. As long as we enjoy the ride and don;t forget what is important, it is exhilarating
Eleanor, I don't think I've ever completed a to do list in one day. But I know I'm loved just as much by our Lord whatever amount I do get done.
I love your focus on remembering to do the list that counts the most--the kindness one.
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
Sorry, I was trying to edit my comment and deleted it instead. I wanted to say in response to Tracy that I know many can identify.
You are right Tracy that we must remember what is important. Thanks for the comment.
Ealeanor, you drew me in empathetically, as you shared the multiple functions and duties that involve you in your ministry, since my pastoral service days are not far behind me. I agree with Tracy's point about the need to remember what's important. (I was never good at that, though - and still have the weakness!) Your messages requiring translation into Spanish, represent an additional element of pressure for you to complete your preparations in a timely fashion. Exciting though, I'm sure!~~+~~
I too identify with you even in my retirement, I am not really retired. Our work is never done until we take our last breath. It is nice to know that you are living out your passion and doing all that you can do in the short hours of each day. Sharing the blessings, that's what it's all about ... you do that very well. Fond memories of working with you and Glen.
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