Where does the time go?

I look at my last entry and realize it was posted almost two months ago. One might look at that and think that I just have not had any “refining moments” to think or write about. But of course, that is not the case. The truth is that the months leading up to summer are such a challenge for me. It is literally May-hem. There are end of school year events, birthday parties, fathers day, piano recitals, swim practices and meets, sleepovers, music lessons, class parties, cookouts, teachers gifts to buy, yard work, school concerts, flowers to plant (and then water), 5K races to run, dentist appointments, doctors visits, camps to enroll in, weddings to attend and family to see. And before you know it, the sacred times you used to have set aside for reading and writing and praying and being quiet have been encroached upon, and viola, two months have passed.

Over the summer I do my best to put some structure into our day and set some goals for myself and our family. Most days involve a quiet time, prayer, and some form of exercise. I write in my journal a couple of days a week, but the writing I do here takes a back seat to what I am called to do over the summer; be a parent. It's the one time of year I can enjoy freedom from an alarm clock, bus catching, bell schedules and homework. Instead, the kids and I work puzzles together in the afternoon after being hot and tired from the sun, read books, watch movies, eat ice cream and drink ice coffee. We go for bike rides and walks, hit some tennis balls, and swim with friends. My “to do” list is not any shorter, and the things I want to accomplish are not less important. But for these few weeks of the year, those things take a back seat to being fully present with my kids. My “to do” list is not going anywhere, but someday, my children are. Some things appear to be moving slowly, but time is definitely not!