The Results of Some Quiet Time

This morning, I woke up and just enjoyed some time in bed--just thinking.  When the Warden woke, he rolled over and said, "What'cha doing?"  He laughed when I told him I was thinking about the goals I have to create for class.  It seems like every time he's asked me lately, that's what I've been thinking about.  Just can't get it off my mind until I have something concrete.  This assignment needs to be finished before I can move onto the next.

As I lay there in the quiet, I learned to value quiet time--time to meditate and ponder on life.  I swear I don't take enough time for that.

Last night, I did a free write.  It always helps to get my thoughts down in written form (thus a major reason for this blog--too much in my brain and no real focus if I don't write).  I think that exercise really helped me come up with what my goals will be.

The deal with this goals assignment is that I'm supposed to figure out what I want out of life and figure out what God wants for my life.  Oh yah, not a prob.  I'll get right on that.  Ugh!  It's not been a simple exercise, as you can imagine.  After I figure those things out, I'm supposed to pick my top three and give a detailed description of what they are and how I'm going to accomplish them.

Because of some alone time, decisions have finally been made.  Here are my top three:

1.  I want to be around for my children's children.  I want to be able to be there (if my children want me) to help when they bring their babies home from the hospital.  I want to fill the same space my mom filled for me with my first three.  Therefore, my first goal is to work now to promote health and wellness for myself.  The steps that go along with this are:

• get enough sleep
• drink enough water
• exercise
• eat well

Sounds pretty boring, if you ask me, but my next step is to create a way to do these that will get me motivated.  I will write up a step-by-step plan that will fit with my personality--one that won't overwhelm but will be broken down into simple to follow baby steps.

2.  I want my home to be a "heaven on earth."  When my children and husband come home from school and work, I want them to find a refuge from the storms of life.  I want to incorporate, into our everyday life, things that will make our home peaceful and loving.  I also want to teach my children how to do the same so that when they're out on their own creating their own homes and families, they can follow a similar pattern and it will be second nature to them. 

In order to do this one, I got to looking at The Family:  A Proclamation to the World.  In the right hand column, first full paragraph about halfway down, it states: 

"Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.”

I'm going to base many of the things I do for this goal on this statement.  I'm still in the process of working through it, and I will post more when I get it figured out.

One thing that was stated in the course lessons were that you need to have some fun goals, thus....

3.  Take the family to Disneyland.  A few years ago, I started talking about how much I wanted to go to Disneyland.  The Warden chimed in with, "But wouldn't an Alaskan cruise be fun?"  Okay, yes it would, and yes, his marketing skills are way beyond mine because he grabbed all the kids and practically hopped them all right on board with him.  I had one little ally--my wonderful child #5.  I promised him that he and I would go no matter what.

This morning, after he asked what I was doing, I threw the Disneyland idea at the Warden again.  I explained that Disneyland would be so much more fun than the cruise for our little kids and for  me.  I think we SHOULD take an Alaskan cruise, but we should do it when all of our kids can appreciate it.  I think my skills have improved because he AGREED!  Yay! Okay, first hurdle jumped over.  Now for the others.

I think our biggest two challenges will be money and lodging.  If I can get all the family members thinking the same way, and we find some creative ways to make and save money, there won't be a problem.  Our second problem, I'm not sure how we'll overcome.  I don't think there are hotels big enough or crazy enough to allow a family with two adults and seven children to stay there, and we have no family down in California (plus who in their right mind would put up a family of nine?).  This will be an interesting obstacle to figure out.  Maybe we'll have to do some camping.  We are SO NOT campers.   Anyway, overcome it, we will.  I really want to take the family before #1 leaves for college, so we've got a little more than a year to work it out.

It's so nice to have this part of the assignment done.  Now I can work out the nitty gritty and get on to the next one--a budget.  

The first lesson in this class was on the purpose of money.  I know a lot of people who are out to have money just to have money so they can blow it on whatever they want.  This class has put money into a new perspective for me.  Money's purpose is to serve as a means not an end.  We are to use it to help us fulfill our purpose here in life--to help us reach our goals.  If I look at it that way, I can be satisfied.  If I look at having money as the goal, I will never be satisfied.