Thanksgiving...

This year, Thanksgiving will be extra special! On top of all the things that have been presenting themselves for me to remember to be thankful for, I received a surprise today that completely made my holiday.

At the end of August, my Dad was forced to make a move to Minnesota to accept a good job- something hard to find in his specialized field. My parents began to search out places to live and a house to buy... and I was left with the hollow realization that my parents are moving 1500 miles away. I'm not a dependent child, but it's a hard idea to swallow when my family is as close as it is.

Because funds are tight and flights are so expensive, we accepted the fact that Dad wouldn't be here for Thanksgiving this year- a first since I was a little girl and he was deployed in the military. Every time I thought about it, I would tear up. I couldn't get past the thought of him sitting alone in some dimly lit Denny's style restaurant eating a half decent representation of what he normally gets on this holiday that is so special in my family. Not to mention the empty chair that has been vacant for these past months that would be reminding us constantly that our family wasn't complete- something so very frustrating since we just got Ian back from his mission to Paraguay last month and filled his empty chair.

So, today we invited my family over for Sunday dinner and there I was in the kitchen, baking holiday goodies that had been requested... and my mom shows up early for dinner. She says her friend had dropped her off. We chatted a few minutes and I finally asked her who her friend was that had dropped her off. She said "that one" and pointed behind me. I turned around, and there stood my Dad. He'd been standing behind me the entire time my mom and I were talking.

I immediately burst into tears. :)

Needless to say, I'm happy right now! His being here was made possible through a chain of events through his current job- seriously a holiday miracle for our family. Talk about having a full heart. Thank you Heavenly Father!

Time...

It's time for me to write. It's time for me to focus. It's time for me to get back to it! Why does life seem to get so crowded with "good" things that we can't seem to make time for those things that we should be doing?

I promised myself that this week would be the start of something better for me. Workouts back on schedule, homecooked dinner (however simple) gracing the table each night, storytime and homework with the girls, playdates that I've been craving (but putting off) would be set up and enjoyed...and yet, here it is, Monday, and my "simplified" week has already been filled with stuff. Where is the happy medium? I don't want to be lazy or unproductive, but even without working outside the home full time anymore, my days are full to the brim.

Being a scheduler, I thrive on getting everything fit into the time that I have and making it work. I CRAVE knowing what's coming next. And that old saying that we teachers live by: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail" is so completely true in my life. I get distracted so often by other good things as I'm trying to get basic things done that I ultimately end up feeling like I did nothing. Not good when I already struggle with staying at home... why does it feel like when I was working full time I was able to get all that outside work done on top of everything else that I wanted and needed to?

I wonder if I'm allowing myself too much freedom. There was a GC talk last month about weeding through all the "good" things to reach the ones that are the most important and sticking to them. So I guess my gardening gloves will be coming out... this life needs a little pruning!