August

August is gone, although the summer weather is still here. After all, it's still 3 weeks until autumn. My flowers are blooming and my tomatoes are ripening. We're hoping for a week or two without rain so the farmers can get the hay in.

August was a nice, sleepy month, just as it should be. It was nearer to the end of the month before I began thinking about fall and look at work-related stuff; until then, it was quiet days.

I spent some time with friends. I went out for dinner to one family's house and had another family over to visit and went for sushi with other friends. We had a baby shower for my newest granddaughter. Not much else happened. 

I read a lot in August, continuing my quest to read as many children's books as possible. I'm still waiting for one from the library; I'm next in line!

Really, it was quiet. I started looking at building curriculum for next year. I enrolled enough children to hold history class this fall. I began looking at program plans and answering emails. I ordered a couple books for my professional growth plan and put others on my "for later" list at the library, but I haven't started reading them yet.

It's September now, so it's time to get going. There is church history curriculum to review and prep, program plans to approve, meetings emails to set up, meetings to book, and all the things that come with fall.

Summer was good, and I feel better now. I've been spending more time in prayer and Bible reading/study, and I'm starting to memorize Scripture again. I'm very thankful for the rest, and I'm ready for the new year.

Almost Fall

Granted, it's still hot out most day (very hot sometimes), but fall is coming. The nights are nice and cool, as are mornings, which makes for nice morning walks. The creek is low and slow, with rocks starting to poke their heads up from the water. The trees are just starting to turn yellow, and the tomatoes are starting to ripen. 

I'm planning make some rhubarb jam and maybe do some canning once it cools off properly. I berries and other fruit half filling the freezer already; if I'm going to take advantage of the summer produce, I'll need to stop freezing and start canning. 

This has been a lovely summer. I've rested and taken my time with things. I'm feeling better and ready for life to start again. Of course, this fall will be different with some major things -- Sunday School and Women's Ministry -- not starting. Fall will be busy, but still restful, I think.

Work is starting now. History class starts soon enough. There are 3 Very Important Babies coming in the new year to crochet for. I'm starting to put together Sunday School curriculum for next year, content in the knowledge that I have time and I can work on it because I want to, not because it's urgent.

As things cool off outside, they start up inside. It's a nice flow to the year and I've enjoyed it.

Schedules

In my attempts to be more productive and to know and love God more (both goals work together, as even productivity is for God's glory), I have been making schedules. Then, because they're either too precise to work, or forget too many things, or there are too many interruptions, or normal seasonal changes, I have been scrapping schedules. 

This summer was a bit different. I tried starting with a schedule, but gave it up quickly. Much of the point of this summer has been rest and restoration. It's been the first real summer off in forever; even when I stopped working much all summer, I still had fall ministry prep to do. This year, I didn't have any of that. And, as I was reminded, it is okay, and even important, to use this time for refreshment. So, while there were bits of work here and there, I largely used the time to ignore schedules and relax. 

It's almost the end of August, and I'm feeling better than I did in June and July. I've just started working on putting together curriculum for The Pilgrim's Progress for Sunday School next year, not because I have to, but because I was ready to. I finished a baby blanket and started two more (because there will always be more babies and because one is easier to work on when I'm out and the other only at home). Also, work will start up slowly in September and then really get going in about 5 weeks.

This week, I decided to try a schedule again. I want to use my time well, I want time for prayer and Bible study and reading. I want to remember that leaving the house is a good thing, and turning off the computer is even better.

My schedule is simple. It has morning prayer time, mealtimes, walking times, and three specific break times: one before lunch for Bible reading, one in the afternoon for studying, and one in the evening to shut things down and go into evening routine. The rest of the time is empty and intended for doing whatever I want/need to do.

Morning times are set on paper, but flexible in my mind because I don't yet have a "get up" time. It's still summer and I can still sleep a little later. It's more a "do it in this order" schedule.

It will only last a few weeks; in October, there will be meetings and more meeting for about 9 weeks, and that will break any schedule most days. If it works, though, it will be my "day off" schedule and then my "winter break" schedule.

To help with the break times, I have alarms set on my phone; they're the 10-minutes, wrap things up, get ready to transition warnings. I think they will help.

I have been praying about my schedule and my desire to spend time with God. I think this will help me stay on track better without getting bogged down in details.

If I remember, I'll report back at the end of September.

A Verse for Today

I have this by my desk (among other Scriptures), so I remember:

On the glorious splendor of Your majesty

And on the words of Your wondrous deeds, I will muse.

Men shall speak of the strength of your fearsome acts,

And I will recount your greatness.

They shall pour forth the memory of Your abundant goodness

And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.

Psalm 145:5-7 (NASB95)

Children

I had three small children visiting today. The oldest has just turned 5, the next one is 3, and the youngest is not quite 2. There's also a baby, but he stayed home with Mama while I cared for the big kids. It was a lot of fun. They came for the morning, I fed them lunch, then Dad picked them up to take them home for nap time. 

We played with a multitude of toys; sometimes I joined them, sometimes I watched, and sometimes I was busy with other things, although always willing to be interrupted to answer a question or admire something they had found or built.

They liked going on my balcony and watering the plants. Then we went outside for a while. We were going to play on the grassy part between the apartment buildings, but it mosquito central, so we ended up mostly on in front of the building and in the parking lot. I tried to teach the older ones how to throw a frisbee and jump rope with varying degrees of success. They ran some races and played with balls and worked off some energy. They we went back inside to play and have lunch. After lunch we cleaned up, and then it was time for them to go.

Various highlights:

• Convincing the little one that no matter what her brothers said, she still wasn't supposed to eat grass, and the getting it all out of her mouth.
• Convincing them all not to yell in the hallway after they discovered that it echoed.
• Spending half an hour keeping them on track with clean up (but not minding that it took that long because it kept them occupied).
• Admiring the Lego man with all the heads stacked up on his head.
• Taking pictures to send to their mom so she knew that we were doing well and having fun.
• Wondering what my neighbours though about the noise in my usually quiet apartment and the yelling outside as they played.
• The little one constantly shoving more veggies into her mouth despite me saying "Chew and swallow before putting anything else in your mouth," and then having her cough bits of carrots and cucumbers on me because her mouth was too full.
• Realizing that she only did that with the veggies; she ate grilled cheese, bananas, and blueberries perfectly well.
• The laughter and the fun and the busy-ness that filled my apartment for a few hours.

Honestly, it was a bit crazy and not what I'm used to, but also so much fun! I'm looking forward to the next time they come to play.

Colombia Earthquake

There was an earthquake in Colombia this week, and one of the cities most impacted was Pereira. That may not mean much to a lot of people, but it is the city where our missionaries live and work. I was there a few years ago, I know some of the people, I know a bit of the city itself.

I am thankful that our missionaries are okay. One couple is still in the U.S. on furlough, and the other couple was not affected. They've been able to contact everyone from the church, and they are all okay. Some of them cannot go home yet as they live in apartment buildings that may not be safe, so other church members are taking care of them.

My heart aches, though, for those who were injured, left homeless, lost family members, or were otherwise hugely impacted. I am praying for them, for the first responders on the scene, and for their very new president.

It is interesting how knowing a tiny bit of the country/area and a very few people can make affect my response. It's not that I don't pray for people and are concerned for people when I hear about disasters and such, but this one is more. My prayers are more urgent, my heart aches more, and I am more eager to learn how I can give to help the people. These are my people.

I can't help in every disaster, just as I can't help every cause or concern in the world, and it's okay that this one is closest to my heart. I wonder, though, if there's a way to become more aware of people in other places, to have the same passion and urgency in my prayers for them. After all, all believers everywhere are also my people. It's something for me to think about, anyway.

Reading Lists

I keep lists of what I've read; I have for years. Lately, I've been going through some of the lists, trying to compile a list of the best ones for The Book of Books for Kids and Youth. I have a new notebook just for the job!

Some thoughts as I go through the lists:

1. Oh, yeah, that was a good book!

2. Not that one!

3. What was that book. I don't even recognize the title!

4. Oh, that's why that book that I read last month seemed familiar! I read it (checks date) 12 years ago. Okay, I guess it's okay that I forgot about it!

5. Hey, I just checked that one out of the library; I thought it sounded good. I was right!

My book lists date back to 2012 (although a few years are missing because they ended tracked elsewhere), so there are a lot of books! I generally just note the title and author, and I sort them by fiction, nonfiction, children/youth, and picture books.

The Book of Books for Kids and Youth is a new project and a work-in-progress. I anticipate it going on for years, since there are always new books to read. Also, in my going through, I skipped the pages and pages of picture books I've read over the past few years. That's a project of its own!