Staying Satisfied

Today was one of those days when I was reminded just how much I love this life that God has given me.  Too often I get caught up in the business of life, and forget to notice just how amazing it is.
I have a husband who I am in love with.  I respect his integrity, admire his character, and he is just plain fun to be with.  I have children who I adore (really, I do!).  They are interesting, creative, and affectionate- in different measures.  There is no way to become bored with them around.  I have a career I enjoy, which keeps me thinking and encourages constant growth.  I have a home, which I love to share, and lots of opportunities to do that.  And, I have a Ministry which keeps me focused on my true purpose and provides lots of spiritual growth and connections.
Life is good, so why does it feel like I have lost sight of that?
I have allowed our family (in my house, as keeper of the family schedule, this is a responsibility that I must bear) to cross the line from a full life into a busy life.  These are two very distinct things in my mind, and in our home they feel very different.  God has given us a wonderfully full life, with lots of people to share it with, purposeful activities, and opportunities to grow.  When we start focusing on "maximizing the schedule" and leave no room for reflection and relaxation we have left that place of fullness and are unable to enjoy the blessings God has given us.
I am ready to fight back.  It is hard for me to say no, but sometimes as the mom that is my job.  I believe our family is supposed to maintain a full life, but we are not meant to stay in constant motion.
We will leave room for feeling satisfied, and I believe that will allow our family to recognize all that we have to be thankful for instead of feeling driven to find the next thing to do all the time.  We will "be still, and know that [He] is God" (Psalm 46:10).

Reading: Pressure from Pleasure

I just finished reading the book Pillars of the Earth, which I have been wanting to read for a long time.  I had trouble enjoying it though, not because I didn't like, because I really did.  No, I struggled to enjoy it because it is more than twice the length of an average book, so the whole time I was reading it I was distracted by the other books that I wouldn't have time to read because I was devoting all this time to one book.  

Now, I am aware of how neurotic this seems, and that is what concerns me.  This reading that I was all stressed out about had no deadline attached, no one else waiting for me to be done, no book group hinging on it, this was purely pleasure reading... Or it should have been, so why was I feeling all this stress?  

Somehow I cannot even bring myself to relax about my relaxation anymore.  And I don't think I am alone in this.  Some of it has to do with our instant gratification society, and entertainment that comes at us fast and furious, so we don't need to put in a lot of time for anything.  But some of it is also about how we have attached value to busyness, and that is what makes me most concerned.  I don't want to have to feel stressed out to feel like my time has purpose.  

Reading is what relaxes me, and that is purpose enough for me!

Finding a Title

It took me a full week to decide on a title for this Blog, so that I could get started.  I was torn about how to capture all that I might write about with one cute and clever phrase.  I have been wanting to start blogging for awhile, but the problem is that I am not very good at keeping the lines drawn around my different roles when I am writing.  I am a high school librarian, and much of what I will be writing about will have to do with books and new tools/ ideas to use in the library.  However, I am also a wife, a mom, a co-youth pastor, a friend, a card maker....

 And I want this blog to be a place where I can feel free to write about the joys and challenges from all of life.  Of course that means I most likely won't have a very large readership, as few people will share all of those interests, but ultimately that isn't really what this Blog will be about.  Although part of my motivation for staring it is to participate more in my PLN (Professional Learning Network), rather than being a passive consumer of information.  

So, I have come to "An Open Book", which is what I will aspire to being in this Blog. It will be a place where I can share my ideas, challenges, and successes.  I will share posts where I feel they will encourage others, and leave others unread if need be, but I will not censor my rambling thoughts, or put up fences between my different roles.