Summer is here

It's official, summer is here. My schedule tells me so! Twice a year I find myself at this point in life. Time to wrap up loose ends, re-organize things on the homefront, and plan for the upcoming year. Christmas/New Year's and summertime will usually find me in this mode.

I had made so many plans for the summer, but I am finding that I am overscheduling myself and leaving little room for the truly important things that summer is all about, at least for us.

This is the time of year that I try to relax. I try to do more "fun" activities with the children. I try to learn something new.

For this reason, I could never truly homeschool year-round. Perhaps this is a result of my own education which meant having the summers off. Whatever the cause, as much as I tell my kids, "We'll be doing school all summer if we don't finish up by June 1st!" I can never bring myself to follow through on the threat.

This year, Bean will be working on Algebra all summer, but other than a few books we'll be reading together, our learning will consist of nature study from the pool, math calculations by figuring out how much food to prepare for friends who come to visit, and life skill development activities will come into play while we "Flylady" the rooms in our home. (I have tried to stay on Flylady's schedule all year, but I am a failure. I maintain until summer when I take one room a week and deep clean it. I also try to do this during Christmas vacation, but not as in depth.)

As a result of discerning what I need to focus on this summer, I realized that some things needed to be cut from my life, for the time being. I have a very hard time admitting that I can't do it all and feel somewhat disappointed in myself when I let go of things, but I am learning to hear God's voice more clearly and when He says, "LET IT GO" I'd be silly not to listen. Which brings me to my great epiphany this week...

I haven't been trusting God in all things. I was taken back when I realized it. Shocked actually. I thought I was doing so well, but then I realized, I am holding onto some things, trying to figure them out all on my own. How selfish of me! How typical of me!

The amazing thing is how all of this comes into focus at once. WHAMO! In my face, here it is, this is what you aren't doing, K!! I guess He tries subtle on me, but that doesn't usually catch my attention. I think I may even have asked for this. I remember praying for Him to show me what I need to be doing for Him and then, this showed up. TRUST ME! I heard it. In the shower. The place that I encounter most of my spiritual awakenings. Crazy, eh? Not at Mass, not in adoration, but the shower... Meet me where I am Lord! Thinking about this, I guess it's the one place I can't have a book in hand filling my mind and leaving little room for Him to talk.

I'm still working on "my plan" for the summer, while trying to hear His plan for us. I am hoping "His Plan" has some of the things I'd like to accomplish on it...