Rest

We live in a very busy day and age.  Families are spending their time with jobs, school, electronics, scouts, sports, friends and even ministries. By the time evening comes, everyone is exhausted, and rarely do they want to spend time together. After all, they've usually been with people all day.

In our life, we have all kinds of activities that eat up our day and energy. We have a 44 acre ranch with crops growing and animals to care for. My husband is a contractor. His time is spent bent over or driving long distances. I'm a caregiver. My day includes lots of lifting and time spent on another person's needs. Both, my husband and I, are in school, ministries, and have lots of hobbies and projects to fill whatever time is left over each day. Rest could be illusive if we didn't spend intentional time finding and treasuring it.

 One of the things Jeff and I do most every night is we spend about an hour or so, before dinner, talking about and sharing our day. For you, this kind of activity could be a great time to find out what interests the people you live with have. It's a wonderful opportunity to give yourself permission to be still, to pay attention to the surroundings you (and God) have spent so much time, energy and money creating. How many of us are so busy that we never even notice our own home until someone comes to visit?  How many of us truly know what makes each person in our family happy or fulfilled?  Do you even know what your family's favorite colors, desserts, or places to visit are?  It's no wonder we often feel discontented. Maybe we need to spend a little time finding out how we actually connect with each other and how to rest.

New Jacuzzi

Recently, we got a "wild hair". We live in an area that is very warm in the summer and cold in the winter. I thought a pool would be an ideal answer to the summer issues. The only problem... money.  Usually, we can do just about anything we want with a little time and planning, but a pool seemed to be an expense that rested just beyond my ability to imagine.  Jeff's answer, a jacuzzi.  He explained that it didn't have to be heated in the summer and would provide a great muscle relaxer for him in the winter.  To me, that was a great expense as well, but he found one on Craig's List and was able to pick it up even cheaper when he met the owner face to face. One jacuzzi, a few pavers and pieces of wood later... we had a new and creative way to relax.  After dinner jacuzzi. What a way to prepare for a night of sweet dreams.  I would encourage everyone to become a professional person of rest. You'd be surprised how much you can get done tomorrow when you wake up refreshed.