Dear Friends,
With my summer leave around the corner, I am finding myself making a mental To Do list of the things I want to do with my four-week break. Read some books. Do a little sermon planning for next year. Go on a few short trips with Gail and the dogs. Visit my favorite aunt in Pennsylvania. Take a yoga class. And, do a few projects around the house.
That last one is perhaps the most seductive on the list. Painting walls, cleaning out closets, de-cluttering the basement and garage – these certainly all are things that would make our home a little neater and nicer, as well as give my inner Martha Stewart a sense of satisfaction. But knocking myself out to get my house a little more organized – is this really how I want to spend my summer vacation?
A few months ago, I gave a sermon about the importance of taking an honest to goodness Sabbath . . . a break from work, technology and activities that distract us from ourselves. Sabbath is a time to rest, to be sure. But it is also a time to renew by engaging in simple activities or none at all. Cooking, walking, writing, reading, spending time with family and friends . . . these are the items I need most on my To Do list so that I can return to Northwest refreshed and inspired.
When is the last time I invited guests to tour my basement anyway? On second thought, maybe I don’t need a To Do list at all.
Happy Summer everyone . . . I hope yours has some good Sabbath time built in. This Sunday is my last with you until August 18 . . . and this will be my last article in the NeUUS until August.
Until we see each other again . . .
Yours,
Terry