Monday, November 14, 2011

Staying Home

Once in a while, life has a way of slowing down or, should I say, slowing us down. When I worked in a school office - I saw snow days this way. It was an unexpected gift of slowing down that God gave in not-too-frequent intervals.

I haven't had a snow day in years, but last week - we experienced a different kind of slowing. Sickness. Personally, I'd rather have a snow day any time than sickness - but there were blessings that have outweighed the inconveniences.

Out of all of us, only Rachel and I were sick and we had two completely different things. So, blessing number one was that three of our family stayed well. Yes, that is a huge blessing!

The blessing of having time to rest, read, do nothing but get well.

The biggest blessing of all came as I realized that I did not go anywhere from dinner time Saturday night until lunch time on Thursday. Let that one sink in. I remember when I was single and, again, working in the school office - when I had time off for Spring Break or something, I would try to see how many days I could make it without going anywhere.

How often do I get to stay home for several days in a row and just enjoy the pleasures of being home? It has been a gift - and David was a huge help in making that a reality. Which reminds me of this quote from Jane Austen:

“Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.”

Running out of energy faster than usual, requiring more rest - these things have reminded me to prioritize what needs to be done. What do I really need to be spending my limited energy on?

We had school, meals were fixed and home needs cared for as energy allowed. But, I did not have a to-do list. I just worked as the energy was there. I rested as the energy faded. I have read six books in the last week!

This learning to slow, to prioritize, to realize that doesn't really have to be done right now. To cease hurry and to stay home. This is where the true gift has been for me.

When was the last time you got to spend a concentrated amount of time at home? How would that bless you now?

7 comments:

Wendi said...

I find a cold and snow filled winter to be a blessing for myself. I don't want to be out in it and I find before I even realize it I have been home for five or six days without leaving. Pure joy!

Sorry you were sick, but I am glad that you were able to slow down and find joy in being home.

Lauren(in Savannah) said...

Hope you and Rachel are feeling better now. I always say "I wish we had a blizzard so we would HAVE to saty home". Funny thing is I live in Georgia-lol
I find that I constantly am running out of things that we really do need such as advil, toilet paper, milk ect....
My mom has a friend that only goes to Walmart once a month. What?????
I guess if I bought things in bulk I would not run out but sometimes the money is not there to do that.

Lisa said...

It was just last week that I was housebound as well with my two little ones. The sick part was not so nice, but I cherished crawling into my bed after I tucked them in for their naps. It was soooo nice to read and not feel guilty about other things that I could be doing. Like you, just the essentials got done and it was a welcome change of pace! :-)

Ginger said...

The last time I spent concentrated time at home was summer break.

Anonymous said...

What do you do to occupy your children so that you can rest? I would love to know as there are lots of times I would like to rest for a bit but cannot sit down without literally getting up every 2 minutes.

angie said...

I was hoping for a similar hibernation period this week, since we have been away. However, I opened my calendar and hit reality! There is something on the calendar every night this week. So, I guess I'll do my best to stay home during the day to catch up. Wonder how long I can go before having to go food shopping?
Hope you and Rachel are on the mend now.

Elise said...

I'm sorry you were sick, but staying home sounds Heavenly right now!! We've been going, going, going for various reasons and I am ready to just hunker down and take care of my home and family. I think next week will see a lot of that with the children out of school. I plan to do some crafting and baking with them, but no crazy running around.
Elise