Sunshine and Life

A three day weekend. Yippee!

Goal #1 - Get Up
I began the day by doing just that. Goal #1 accomplished. I'm still trying to get caught up from our trip to NY. Don't really care, every second was worth it and I'd do it over in a heart beat. It's suppose to be a beautiful weekend. Looking forward to accomplishing several things around the house, having lunch tomorrow with kids and friends, doing laundry, cleaning garage and craft room and remembering all the while why I am blessed with this 3 day weekend.

Thanks to all of you current and past who have put your lives in jeopardy and left your family and homes so I can enjoy my life and be with my family. I can enjoy this weekend, basically anyway I choose, because you have been or are, willing to do what you are doing. or have done Thank you!

As I prepare, or I should say we prepare, my husband and I, for my retirement, we are looking at many things. Can we afford it? Really, can we not? Friends have all told me that "when it's the right time you will know". It's the right time. What are we going to do with ourselves? Not sit around, that's for sure. Lord willin' and the creek don't rise, we're headed East. I want to spend the next 40 years or more:) getting to know the Jamison side of the family. I want to see and experience first hand all the places I've heard and read about my entire life. Lofty goal? You bet, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Life is too dang short to not take the chance. Will it absolutely happen? If there's one thing I've learned the last few years, there are no absolutes. Plans, dreams and goals are some of the things that keep us moving. Life also requires flexibility. Sometimes life gives us a bend when we think it should be a straight line. Just don't loose site of the goal!

So, back to my day. Like I said, Goal#1 has already been accomplished and it's only 7:30 am. I'm up.

Goal#2 - Breakfast and Shower
Those should be no-brainers. Although sometimes breakfast can be a challenge because I hate eating breakfast, "the most important meal of the day".

Goal#3- Cleaning House
Now some of you may shutter at the thought of this. I love cleaning my house. Dusting is not a favorite task of mine or Ray's. But cleaning my home in general gives me a great since of accomplishment. I have a LOT of dusting. I love to collect and can go from one collection to another. I've thought about toning it down and have. But as I look at what remains to be dusted, here are my thoughts:

The Collection
Our lives are fill with memories
Of things we must collect
They sit on shelves and gather dust
From non-use and neglect
I guess i should consider
What this collection means to me
Is it important to my image?
Do I really want to clean?
The thought of never having
The things that I collect
Would mean I have no memories
I want to recollect
So 'tho I hate to dust and clean
And wipe away the smears
I'd rather do these thankless tasks
Than do away with years
-Jan Jamison 1998

Goal #4 - Clean Garage/Shop & Craft Room (oh boy, you have NO idea)
In order to accomplish a larger goal, make our signs for this winter's Holiday Market, I have to accomplish a smaller goal. Life is like that sometimes. Most of the time actually. In order to meet the larger goal in our life we have to take care of smaller ones to get to the larger one.

Goal#5 - Enjoy time with family and friends
Now who could ask for anything more. Family and friends. What a treasure they are from the Lord. They're all put in our lives for a reason. Do we want to avoid each other at times? We surely do! Do we rub each other wrong at times? We surely do? Are we all different? Hopefully! But hasn't God been so gracious to us to give us family and friends that love us, care about us, want to share with us (sometimes through gritted teeth) but non-the-less, who are we to question why the Lord has put someone in our lives. If you really want to know, spend some time with that person and figure it out. Don't make assumptions about people base on what you've been told, or what you think someone has said or even things you see. Really get to know that person and find out for yourself. Family or friends. That's what you'd expect of them isn't it?

Goal #6 - Enjoy the Sunshine and Relax
Now this sounds very simple doesn't it? This actually can be a very challenging goal for me. Relaxing I mean. Sometimes I have a real problem recognizing what this is for me.Probably because I have "14 million" (this might be a slight exaggeration) things I always want to do. The truth is, sometimes "doing" is a relaxing thing for me. To be in my craft room creating something for someone that I think will give them joy or pleasure is relaxing for me. Being in my kitchen creating a special candy or treat for someone that I know they really enjoy is relaxing for me. Sometimes it's reading a book. Sometimes (more often than not these days) it's writing. I guess we all really have our own definition of what relaxing means. The important thing is to recognize what it is for each of us and then spend some time doing it. Oh, another really huge relaxer for me is hitting (no, not literally) the thrift stores and rummaging through them. I love it, as anyone around me can tell you!

So all in all, I guess goals are a good thing. They help us organize and recognize our accomplishments. Build some fun in and have a great 3-day weekend. I'm going too!