No More Time

          Okay. I must admit we were completely crazy. Here we were going tubing on a day that would not get warmer than 68 degrees outside, with a water temp of about mid 60's. Everyone else had long sleeves on, or even sweatshirts, but we were in our suits getting ready to climb into the swiftly moving river. And to be honest, I was loving every crazy minute of it all. The water was not too shocking when we got into our tubes and set off into the current down the river, for which I was very grateful. We did not actually feel cold until we climbed out at the end and had to wait for the bus to come pick us up. Everyone but Benny was there and they were all glowing from the excitement and fun we had just experienced. And so ended our last official day of summer vacation.

          It has been a wonderful summer and I have enjoyed every single moment of our time off. Below is a slideshow of some of the highlights of our summer, from trips to Vermont and Pennsylvania, to beach fun, new babies, and visiting with friends. God has been good to us. One of the blessings He been showering on us is Joe's work with the family pest control business. He has been the sole manager of calls and scheduling since December of last year, and though it has been a challenge, Joe has learned to give everything over to the Lord and let Him completely guide him in all that he has had to do. I have been working in the office a couple times a week doing billing and other miscellaneous office tasks that require someone other than the one doing the actually jobs for customers. I must say that I have enjoyed doing the work, though any calls I have to make to customers are something I absolutely hate doing.

          I have done a lot of catch up work these last few months too. Cleaning, cooking, reorganizing, purging, and some writing were all things I had on my list and I am happy to say I got most of it done. I began to panic last week when I realized how little time I had left, but wise words from Joe's mom helped me see reality:  "Just do what you can and let the rest go. Prioritize."  And that is what I have done. I go back to the classroom next Monday for teacher in-service and classroom prep, but I am at peace with it all now. On our way home from vacation, I remember thinking about how much I had enjoyed having so much free time to just do whatever I wanted for however long I wanted. Freedom from the slave of time - from having to always watch the clock and be ready for the next thing that we need to do. Sometimes we get so busy that we live minute by minute without stopping to take a breath and focus on what is important. I began thinking of how heaven is going to be like this past summer for me. There will be no more time there, as well as no more clocks, or schedules to follow. A thousand years will be like a minute up there. And I am going to be there to enjoy the no more time factor. And I will love every minute of it all. May God bless the rest of your summer and give you all the time you need to learn that He is in control of your time. Give your unfinished business to Him. He is the main priority.