Monday, March 29, 2010

Preparations warming up

So. . . the preparations to leave for Korea are warming up a bit. The four of us now have our passports in hand. Just a few more things are needed before Brent and I can pursue our work visas. These past two days of my Spring Break, we have begun more seriously to consider our remaining "stuff" (specifically that which is housed in the basement) and have begun to sort: TAKE, SELL, GIVE, STORE. The piles are somewhat equal in their volume at the moment. I'm excited that we'll be able to contribute to a friend's garage sale in May, rather than having our own. Particularly difficult for me is going through the kids' books and deciding what to keep, give, take along, sell. How can you even consider getting rid of Dr. Seuss? You just can't! That is probably why my mother saved our Dr. Seuss collection for some three decades before passing it along to me!

Perhaps the most important "preparation" is that which has to do with friends. It seems we are entirely blessed with so many friends here - through work and church and neighborhood. More and more I hear, "We're going to miss you." "You're a fixture around here. How can you go?" and "We've got to get together before you leave for Korea." This is all true! We are going to miss YOU, TOO! And we HAVE been well-embedded around here (with God's grace). And we simply MUST get together with you - soon!

And so it is that I am beginning to get my priorities straight. I've always known that friends and family - RELATIONSHIP - is the most important thing. But daily life gets in the way, and sitting at home watching TV on a cold evening is so much more inviting than traveling across town to visit with friends. That it UNTIL one realizes that the option of visiting just won't always be there. So now that I find myself willing to drive the extra miles and take the time to see friends, I'm afraid the urgency may be mine alone. Life too often gets in the way of living, doesn't it?

To conclude, I'd like to invite us all to reconsider our priorities and ACT upon that intuition that says, "PEOPLE, NOT THINGS." Make that phone call. Get that calendar out. Make those "play dates." Schedule the babysitter. But do spend quality time IN PERSON with those you love and care about. I shall do the same. Carpe Diem!

PS For those who read this or other posts, please post a comment!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Please leave me a comment!