The saying is, “Spring Cleaning,” but so many of us do this purge, nesting, cleaning, organizing thing in January. Donating toys, clothes, and household items we no longer use to the Goodwill - like a cleansing for the New Year. In fact, I have a friend that is doing a 28-day cleanse this month. I’m sure it’s not called a “body cleanse” because that sounds more like a bath, but I’ve just heard it referred to as cleanse, so I’ll leave it at that – it has to do with eating certain foods while avoiding other foods. So, the process of starting new is really two-fold, a process of eliminating, and a refocus on what is good. The New Year gives us a feeling of starting over; a fresh start, a clean slate, and a chance to get it right this year.
During the first week in January, we dropped off some of our “to eliminate” items at the Goodwill truck located in the parking lot of our local junior college. It was in the middle of the day, in the middle of a rather large dirt lot, and suddenly this rare opportunity popped into my mind like a corn-kernel popping in hot oil. In our family SUV, I started doing “doughnuts.” The few people watching, a gardener, and the two guys tending the Goodwill Truck, may have described it more like a middle-aged Mom driving around in small circles, repeatedly. Anyway, it got the three of us in the car all a little giddy. And off we drove.
We had some challenging moments in our marriage in 2010 and it was tough. We had quite a bit of stress every time Jake got a cold and developed asthma with each one, requiring him to take medicines and breathing treatments every 4-hours. I’m thankful for these challenges, because we’ve worked through them and once again the Lord has shown our family a pattern of faithfulness. He provides everything we need and has not given us more than we can handle. Jake has not had asthma, except one time this winter! Tony and I are in love and we are happy and are more gracious to each other. I’m personally thankful for the good balance of working, being a mom, wife, and friend that I experienced in 2010.
This year, every morning, I want to turn in my “To-do list” to God. In other words, I want to be open to God editing, rearranging, turning upside down, or completely ripping up my list. I want to see the golden opportunities, embrace the moments, to be present in God’s desire for my time to love others. Be ready to use my ordinary abilities for His good purposes. I want God to be the scale of balancing my time in His one hand and my To-do list in His other. Only He knows how to steady my life. I want to be present in the moment, be aware of my surroundings and the opportunities available whether it is as simple as recognizing a good “doughnut” lot or a way to love another person. My goal is to be grateful for everyday moments and document those moments here on our family blog.
Crystal Cove Beach is gorgeous and I’m grateful to work just 3-minutes up the road from this breathtaking beach. After a day of teaching 3rd grade, this is the perfect spot to relax and exercise. We own a parking-pass to California State Parks that I use to park in the lot here. From the lot, I journey down to the sand, ditch the shoes, and walk barefoot down this awesome path of soft sand that leads into the beginning of Laguna Beach. The trip back and forth is usually about an hour plus and this time of the year it’s usually dark by the time I get back to the car. The sunset is beautiful and I’ve never walked here without spying some dolphin parallel swimming up the coastline.
