Ready…Set…Go !!

 

 

 

      That's how I feel most mornings when I wake up. As my eyes open, my mind fills with all the to do's for the day and I am off to the races ready to tackle the days work and activities.

Rarely does the day go like I plan though, as phone calls, expected and unexpected visitors, emails and working on endless projects cause me to re prioritize all day long. It used to bother me that I could not stick to the plans that I mentally laid out each morning. I have learned that life is too short to get upset over the things I hoped and planned when they don't get done.

     Some say I am a very patient person and yet I know that isn't always true.  Life is constantly  giving us opportunities to learn patience and re prioritize. Me included.

     Any mother knows this with small children. You just do it.  Sometimes, you do what you have to so that peace will prevail along with your sanity. That can mean dying to yourself and putting off the things you want to do to serve your family or a friend in need. If you look at this as a life blessing in the way of service, and not as a "poor me" moment, you will be better off. Our attitude about life really matters. If things aren't going your way, think about how you can learn from the trial at hand. I have an example of what I thought was a trial in my life, until I learned otherwise. I will share the lesson learned below.

A Lesson Learned

 

     There was a time during renovations here at Breath of Life Retreat House where I had workers doing construction all over the property. This went on for a year and a half and I was like a foreman, or I should say, forewoman, making sure all was done as I wanted and planned. My life at the time was filled with thoughts of drywall, paint, stone, two-by-sixes, stucco, plumbing and more.

     I called for a phone technician to come out to rewire some phone lines for me in my office and I could not get a hold of the technician. It was frustrating for me. When I did get a hold of him, he told me more than once that he would come by to do the work and yet, he didn't show up. This irritated me to no end and when he finally did show up two weeks after his promise, I gave him a short lecture on following through with commitments. After I rambled, he sheepishly looked at me and said that he apologized and that he was unable to come by because his son who lived in Texas was suffering from his last stages of cancer and was taking a turn for the worse. He needed to be there and everything else in his life did not matter. His son died while he was there.

     You can imagine how I felt. No bigger than an ant and so sorry for my selfishness. I apologized and instantly thought how I assume things about people when I don't really know what might be going on in their lives. This lesson forced me to ask for forgiveness and offer prayer for him and his family. I was humbled.

Since we live in a very rural town, things don't happen as quickly as the big city. In fact, there is a saying here in Pine that many times work is done on "Pine Time." The definition of that is, "Whenever!" For me this is difficult to accept, but I have learned that sometimes,

Pine Time is a good… time. 

Book News!

 

The contest to win a free copy of Meet Me In The Mountains is still on at the Goodreads link.
How exciting! This week, I was interviewed by Deacon Tom Fox and his lovely wife Dee on their podcast called www.CatholicVitamins.com. The show will be available for download in the next week or so.  I spoke about my life, my book, the retreat house and a funny story about my husband Jim and I.
I am still working on my talk to be given at Holy Cross Church in Mesa on March 3, 2012.