Just Slow Down!

I mentioned that while my sister, Kati, was here, she not only helped out, but she taught me a lesson, too. We tease Kati about how slow she is. She doesn't seem to be in a hurry for anything! (She has passed that trait along to Maddie who takes 30 minutes per trip to the bathroom!) I'm just the opposite. Sometimes I feel as though I'm always in a rush. Hurry to do this. Hurry to go there. I observed Kati while she was here, though, and was convicted.

One day, she made cookies with the kids. When I make cookies with them, we have fun, but I tend to hurry them along and not fully enjoy the experience. I'm usually thinking ahead to all the other things I need to get done. Or I'm trying to finish before Owen wakes up from a nap or Brian gets home from work. When Kati made cookies with them, everyone immersed themselves in the activity. It took them over an hour to mix up the dough and get it on the pan. (This didn't include baking time!) Did the laundry get folded during that time? No, but you know what? There was still plenty of time later to do it.

I'm working on slowing down. It is hard for me because it goes against who I am, but I believe it is necessary! Why hurry through one activity to get to the next? I posted a to-do list on my refrigerator to help me out. When I think of a project I want to get done, I write it down. Instead of all my ideas rolling around in my head and me rushing around trying to get them all done, I work on the list as I get time. This has helped me prioritize and de-stress.

It was a prayer of mine during my pregnancy that I would not be so overwhelmed with what needed to be done that I didn't take the time to enjoy my new baby (and the other kids, too). I pray that God continues to help me with this. Won't you pray too?