Last minute

Well, I have 2 more nights at home, 1 more day to get stuff done, and now I've got a cold.  Cherry on top - I've got a little fever with this cold, so I've felt wiped out the last 2 days!  Not much getting done, to say the least.  Tim has absolved me of any housecleaning duties before I go, and I only have 1 or 2 errands to run.  That means tomorrow I can take my time packing, select things wisely, and still have the evening to relax.

Strange that I don't feel very excited, and definitely don't feel ready for my big trip.  I wonder what that's all about!  Part of it is the unknown.  I've never visited my sister for this long.  I've never travelled this long by myself.  Don't know why that would be putting a wet blanket on my emotions, but whatever.  

Tomorrow is another day - my last day at home.  Then I'll be with my sister and those amazing kids!  OK, now I'm starting to get excited!

The big trip

sort what gifts I have room to take (sent from all our family to my sister)

decide what clothes I'm taking

pack both suitcases

choose some photos to take

buy one more travel outfit

finalize bills, etc. here at home

do our taxes

go to Bible study

clean the kitchen

go see La Boheme

spend tiny bit of time with Dad and Janice

see my in-laws

get a few medicines

do more laundry

stock up the fridge for Tim

What a relief - hardly anything left to do!  ;-)

The plan

This one wants a husband, that one wants a friend, another desires a child.  We all spin, twist, weave our way through the universe, seeking the path, seeking the desires of our heart.  What brings us comfort?  What brings order to our lives?  My days are increasingly filled with new friends, laughter, comfort, self-assurance, reminders of who I am and what I love to do, yet I continue to neglect some of the old relationships that are most important to me.  

I would say, "Tomorrow I will endeavour to do better," but tomorrow (practically) I leave for my big trip.  I can still makes some small gestures.  That I will do.  

As for the big picture...I know "from whence cometh my help."  I know where my center lies.  It doesn't make my hard times, my heart struggles disappear.  It just makes them easier to bear.

Morning

I wake up to a new morning...amazing!  The sun shines through my sunroom into my kitchen.  I can see the shadows of my fingers as I type - clickety click.  My fat cat sits in the sun bathing, watching for birds that catch bugs in the yard.  My old cat is settled in his window seat, his head curled under himself.  

Is morning the best part of the day, when everything is quiet, and the day is brand new?  What will I do today?  Will today be a quiet, lazy day at home, or will I spend the day running errands?  My today will be special because I'm having lunch with my sister and a friend - Korean food!  And tonight is my hubby and my favorite TV show - Top Chef.  We love it!  So already, this will be a great day.  And the sun is shining, I'm getting ready for my trip, I feel good (no headache).  What else could I ask for?

Until...

I'm in a sort of limbo until I leave to visit my sister.  I have a lot I need to accomplish, have made myself a schedule, and am just working down the list.  I feel quite pressured to get all this stuff done.  It is Tuesday evening, though, and I haven't gotten everything accomplished I'd hoped to either yesterday or today.  That means I'm already a little behind, and I've only got 6 more days to get *!?& done.  I think I need to just keep focused. 

Today, however, was a good day (despite not getting everything done).  I had 2 big computer-based tasks to accomplish.  One was done by 9:00 a.m. (yeehaw!).  That left plenty of time to tackle the other one, even having scheduled coffee with a new friend (old soul) in the middle of my day. And that time spent with her was well worth it!  It feeds me to connect with someone in such a real, transparent way!  I felt no sense of rush, of time passing.  It was as if we've known each other for a very long time.  It felt like days spent with my very best friends.  

I know God's timing is perfect, but it seems odd that He wouldn't have brought me and this new (old soul) friend together earlier in our tenures here in this town.  After all, she's leaving in just 18 days - for Texas (poor thing).  But, as she reminded me, think of all He accomplished while we were both feeling lonely.  We both learned more about leaning on Him, about who we need to be, about how to get on the right path and stay there.  

Yeah, God's timing is perfect.  See how He accomplished deepening both our relationships with Him?  And that's the relationship that will stick with both of us all our lives.  Amazing how He works things out for us. 

And why do I keep calling her "old soul"?  Because she feels like an old friend to me.  She feels like someone who could stick with me for a long time.  She brings to the table a sense of self, a depth that lots of people don't carry with them.  Those beautiful eyes of hers convey her SELF, her true person.  I don't know if words work this out, but there it is.  "Old soul" - new friend.  

Whew!  That's a long write tonight.  I'd better take this old body to bed and get some rest.  I have a lot to do tomorrow!  ;-)  Until then...