I'm a Visionary (or I'm really just that far behind...)

Just a little while ago, I sent my twins to the basement to find the bucket of summer decorations.  I have all these cute little patriotic things, sea shells, and summer pictures that are normally stored in a gray bucket that is ultra-cleverly marked "Summer Decorations".

My son came back to say that he never found the ultra-clever gray bucket, but he did find the decorations.  They were strewn on the floor in front of the shelves in the mind-blowing chaos that is the basement workshop.

I suddenly realized that we had never gotten the decorations put away completely at the end of last summer.  They just got carried down to the basement and set on the floor because the bucket was otherwise occupied with something that wasn't "Summer Decorations".  (Insert a deep sigh here for the poor gray bucket that is now somewhere in my house having a year-long identity crisis.)

Yep.  I'm that far behind.  Last summer's decorations just sat out all year waiting to be properly put away.

The funny thing is that it really doesn't bother me that much.  If you know me at all, you know that normally it would bother me a lot, but not this time.  I actually think it is absolutely hilarious!

Either I'm just too tired to let it bother me, or I've finally come to grips with the reality that life happens, and the decorations aren't too high on the list of priorities.  Making dinner and teaching math trumped summer-decoration organization.  (And I'm OK with that.)

Maybe I was actually just thinking ahead instead of being that far behind. After all, look how easy it was to get out the summer decorations this year:

Step 1:  Walk down the stairs.

Step 2:  Step over other piles.

Step 3:  Pick up decorations off the floor.

Step 4:  Dust off and carry upstairs.

Step 5:  Put out around the house.

Last fall when I left them on the floor in front of the shelves, I bet I was actually thinking ahead to this summer...

Yeah, that's it.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I'm just going to think of myself as a decoration visionary.

And guess what?

If you went down into my basement right now, you would know that I'm also a Christmas decoration visionary.  Those strings of lights will be right handy come December!

1,003 Words- Puppy Playdate

Since a picture is worth 1,000 words, I'll only add three of my own:

Puppy

meets

bumblebee!

Finally-- A Moment to Breathe

Whoosh!

June has finally come, and the whirlwind of May is behind us.

It feels really good to say that!

As I started into May, there wasn't a single day on the calendar that didn't have something scheduled.  We don't usually allow the calendar to get that full, but this last month was a bit beyond our control.  Then a few more things got added to the picture, and the result was a blur of a month with very little time to blog. 

Now I sit on the other side of May (the sunny, summery side, I might add!), and I find myself exceedingly grateful for the way the Lord has sustained us through a long and difficult school year.

I haven't meant to write so little this last year, but on many days, all I could do was plod and pray, doing my best to keep a truth-filled, God-glorifying perspective.  I admit that I failed in that task on many days, but I've learned a lot through the falling and getting up again.  The summer respite couldn't come at a better time. 

Last night, something happened that hasn't happened for awhile now.  I sat at my youngest boy's baseball game, feeling the sun on my back, looking up at the blue sky, and then...

...I took a deep breath.

For the first time in months, I filled up my lungs and just breathed.

By God's grace, we made it.

We made it to the time for bucket-listing and writing, reflecting and gardening, biking and just loving on my family without a lot of other schedule commitments that usually exist during the school year.  Today I find myself thanking God for deep breaths and a chance to blow away the strain of tough months.

June is here, and God has given a grace-filled moment to breathe.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.