Busyness
I am thankful that during "this time", my kids are well, as are Chris, our immediate family and I. Chris has a job, we have our home, and we generally aren't dealing with a major health or financial crisis.
What we do have... is busyness. I don't think we have it as badly as others I observe, but life moves at a pace that is too fast. We're over-scheduled, tired, stressed, running ourselves and kids to and from *important* activities. Getting through days - divide and conquer I tell myself, just divide and conquer - so we can start the next one and do it all again. A week passes. A friend asks on the phone, anything new? Yes. Everything and nothing all at the same time. I'm unable to sift through it all and articulate the highs, the lows, the special moments.
I'm a believer in simplicity. I think I dress simply, most say our home is decorated simply, I try to simplify our family routines - bedtime, homework, cleaning up - in an effort to minimize chaos and stress for the kids, Chris and myself. There's still room for improvement though. Maybe in the space, called my head. I need to declutter and remove thoughts that don't contribute to the peace I desire. It's time to defragment the hard drive.
So today as I chip away at my "to-do" list in anxious anticipation of family arriving this evening, I will take deep breaths, remind myself of what is truly important, and attempt to accomplish a few simple things... hopefully well, with sincerity, and joy in the process.