Too Much To Do!

For me, the holiday season is a love/hate relationship.  Let me explain.  I love celebrating our Lord's birth, but the demands on my time run me ragged!  Do any of you feel the same way!?  We celebrated Thanksgiving as a family last Sunday due to all of our kids being at their in-laws, and the very next day, I was still putting stuff away from the day before, doing laundry (which never gets done on weekends anymore), and starting to decorate for Christmas, which is a mere three weeks from this Saturday!  The last three evenings have been spent pulling out Christmas decorations, trying to get deceased lights to revive, stringing the outdoor lights and wreaths, putting away household photos, and putting up all the Christmas things that I love so much.  And this weekend we're hosting a Christmas party for our friends at church, so I'll throw another turkey in the oven Saturday morning and get the house ready, but that shouldn't be too much work because it was ready last weekend for Thanksgiving.  Needless to say, I've lost my joy right now and seriously need to get it back.

I did something this morning that I don't ever think I've done before -- I drove away from the house with something on the roof of my car -- and realized it when I was half way to work.  That was what put me over the edge, so to speak, and I was almost in tears by the time I parked the car.  I had to literally collect myself before entering the building.  I called Bob before I arrived at work, and he found the new book a short distance from the house along a curve in the road, only slightly scathed.  Thank goodness it was in its protective cover!

My husband planned a relaxing evening at the movie theater tonight, and I'm doing my best not to get upset over the timing of the event.  There's so much to do at home!  But we're going to grab a bite to eat and hopefully do a little shopping before movie time at 7:30 PM.  Despite knowing that I could be doing work at home, I'm going to put aside all thoughts of what needs to be done, relax, and enjoy myself and my husband's company. 

I watched the sun set while at work today, and the sky was streaked with orange and pink and dotted with gray clouds that were rolling in.  I was reminded that God lights the sky to show that He loves me.  He knows my anxiety (which I really shouldn't have!) about all the demands on my time; He knows that I don't have the energy I used to; He knows my heart's desire; and He calls me to rest in Him.  So I'm taking this evening, soon to begin, to rest and put things in perspective.