TRAVEL ANXIETIES

Is it just me or do others also get a bit "tense" when it comes to travelling? I love vacations and am so happy once I am "there" but I get so up-tight thinking about the rush of the airport, fearful of having too much weight in my suitcase, setting off a buzzer due to a belt buckle or boot hooks, loosing a wallet or purse ... having our airplane cancel the flight due to a feeling of the pilot that "something just not being right" (not that I would want to go up in it in such a situation) and having to find an alternate route, having to battle the big city traffic in an unfamiliar city to boot, etc., etc. Perhaps its because I have experienced such things (all that I italicized) and perhaps its just that I don't like the "unknown". Since we are into backpacking, I get a bit fearful of the "unknown" that the trails may hold for us: blisters, a sudden rain storm catching us unawares, a trail we might venture onto only to discover when we come out the other end that it has been closed because of storm damage and it is considered impassable (remember, Kelly?); mosquitoes that might decide to try to eat me for lunch (although repellent usually takes care of that! :) a swollen river that presents a challenging crossing, a ridge trail that tests my endurance beyond limits ... etc, etc. And here we go on another backpacking trip ... our longest time out ever with 4 to 5 nights in the wilderness and a report from a fellow trekker that saw 3-4 bears a close proximity just this past week on the trail we plan to hike. I've always wanted to see a real bear in the wilderness, but not too close at hand!

The scriptures challenge me not to worry about tomorrow. I try not to. I must focus on the joys of the tomorrows: a moose coming up to the roadside to munch grass so we can get pictures, the mountain top panoramic views of God's awesome creation that cannot be given justice through a mere verbal, or even photographic, description ... You just have to be there to FEEL THE AWE OF IT! Huh, James and Kelly?; the time away from the pressures of life with no television, work, etc. to distract me from "true living", loving, and enjoying experiences with the one I love most .... my hubby! ... and on occasion being blessed with the joys of having my children and their spouses (hopefully someday grandbabies) with us to enjoy it all! GOD IS GOOD!

Knowing what "lies ahead" helps me to endure the "tensions" of getting there .... just like in real life! But I sure don't like the journey to get there sometimes. I wish I could just shout "beam me up, Scottie!" and be transported in an instant to the joys that await me. But I know that all the trials on the way will "be worth it all". Sounds like a sermon, doesn't it? Hee Hee!

Have a great journey wherever your feet may take you. I plan to!

I actually enjoy the packing and planning

LEAVING MY "TO DO" LIST BEHIND

Vacation is just around the corner ... much needed ... life is a whirl! I often wonder how I get everything done during the school year while I teach. It seems each day in the summer just zooms by and no matter how devoted I am to my "to do" list , it seems I have accomplished very little and my summer break is half way over! Well, it will be once I return from vacation.

I have such mixed emotions when it comes to vacations. I hate spending the money on enjoyment when there are so many things we want to get done on our home and are scrounging on money to do it all. But I am coming to realize that when you own a home there is never an end to things that need to be done or you want to do. As long as the absolutely necessary things get done, other things can be put off for awhile and the world will not come to an end. We must take out time to just live, love, and enjoy life. In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus tells us "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth doth not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Reading on, in verse 25 He says, "Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" and in verse 34, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

I believe God put us on earth, not just to toil and labor, but to love and enjoy all He has created. Otherwise, all is vanity! ( as the scriptures say) Why devote all our time, energy, and resources ... our life ... into earthly treasures for others to enjoy once we are gone? How horrible to spend your entire life in pursuit of gaining more and neglect the joys of life ... fulfilling God's plan for us, investing time in those we love, exploring the world God created, building relationships of caring and being cared for ... BUILDING OUR LEGACY. Years after we are gone no one will remember all the things we acquired on this earth but, hopefully, everywhere they turn they will see something, hear something, taste or smell something ... experience something that will bring back memories of "who we were" - our being, our character.

So, it is time to put aside my "to do" list for awhile and get some rest .. some joy ... some time with the love of my life that God has blessed me with, enjoying God's creation.

BACK TO LIFE ... RELEASED FROM STRESS!

School has been out for a little over one week and I am just now beginning to "live" again. I have always bragged that "It's almost a crime to be paid to do something you just LOVE to do"! Well, during this past year of teaching Kindergarten, after 19 years in this profession, I could not say that. It was the most challenging, difficult class I have ever taught. Each child, individually, had a fun and energetic personality. But when all 25 of them were placed in the same classroom together the group dynamics brought out the worst in many of them (almost all of my boys, which was over half the class)so that they were a challenge almost every day of the entire school year. By the last month of school, I dreaded every day and just wanted it to be over. It's pretty bad when the teacher doesn't want to go to school. It seems strange that during that entire last month of school I struggled with ongoing laryngitis. If it had not been for being able to project my voices through my "surround sound" system, I would not have been able to teach. About 4 days after the kids were gone for the summer I started getting my voice back! Coincidence???? Two doctors had tried to treat me for seasonal allergies and sinus problems but nothing worked until school was out. It is strange how stress can cause our bodies to do weird things even when we don't THINK we are under undue stress. Oh, well ... SUMMER IS HERE! PRAISE THE LORD!!

I have decided to continue getting up early in the mornings with Jim at 6:00 AM to start my days. I have only missed that goal one day so far (today ... due to a long and busy weekend!) when I slept in until 6:30. It has been great to have plenty of time to exercise, have my devotions, and eat breakfast and still start in on my "to do" list by 8:30 at the latest! This is life! I often thank God for leading me into teaching as my profession. The older I get the more I appreciate those 3 months off for summer. I don't think I could handle a full time job year round. This also gives my honey a "stay at home" wife, which he always wanted, at least during the summer months.

Jim ran his second marathon (in Cleveland) and,despite the strong winds and coldness of the day, he beat his first marathon time by almost 2 minutes! I am so proud of him. Even more, I am so thankful he is trying to keep himself in good physical health. I would like to keep him around for awhile ... like my whole lifetime! (smile)

Well, I don't want to waste my day away on the computer so I better get started on my "to do" list for today.