Day 11

What I did:

I woke up an hour before the alarm yesterday, made the kids' lunches and got to my list. I normally feel "trapped" by any kind of list, but I found it to be exciting to actually check off the things I needed to do, knowing I didn't have to think about them again once they were done. I got nearly all my list finished before I headed out the door at 7:30. Shelli and I had already made plans to get together yesterday, so I went to the grocery store and bought some shaved steak and teriyaki sauce to put in the crock pot so the kids would have a warm supper when they got home. The preparation only took about three minutes, and the noodles and veggies I prepared later only took about twenty minutes from start to finish. I decided to try to try new dinners every day for two weeks, and weed out the "dislikes" from the "likes" - from both the standpoint of what the kids really want to have again, and also what I enjoyed preparing again. If I can find at least ten tried and true dinner choices, that gives me enough variety for a month.

Shelli and I had made plans to go to a local college so she could find out her options for the next semester. I really had other things to do (like exercise), but I want to support her every step of the way as she looks at improving herself and her future. We were there for about an hour and a half, and she came back to the house for supper. Not only didn't I get anything else done other than the dishes and my nightly reading with the little one, my grandson seemed to be a walking tornado last night :)

What I learned:

I read a book as a young mother entitled "The Heart Has Its Own Reasons". The basis of the book was to encourage mothers to follow their own loving hearts (with the help of God) as they make decisions in bringing up their children. There were some chapters that were very poignant.

I find it a privilege and an honor to be a part of my adult childrens' lives as they ask me to walk alongside them as they take new, positive steps. I can think of nothing here at home (not even lists) that give me the same feeling of accomplishment as when I free up my schedule to focus on their endeavors. Not a whole lot got done here after 7:30 in the morning, other than supper and dishes, but I went to bed feeling satisfied with the entire day.

I learned that there will always be a reason things don't get done. Many of those reasons are due to lack of planning or motivation, and these are things I am trying to overcome on a daily basis. There are other reasons - and those are the human, compassionate ones. I wouldn't trade them for even one gold star on my chart at the end of the day. For me, doing the right thing sometimes means throwing it all out the window in deference to the needs of those I love.

Until Tomorrow~~~Elizabeth