The break is over. Tommorrow we begin our routine again - I'll drop the kids at school on my way into the office. They are excited about seeing their friends again. This morning at church they were thrilled to relive Christmas morning with friends they have not seen for almost a month. We have been trying to get them back into a routine of "early to bed, early to rise" over the past week. It has been rather difficult to rediscipline them. Actually, I'm looking forward to the normalcy the school schedule will bring. I find it difficult to be very productive when there is nothing to keep me on task. It has been wonderful to be able to wake up late, read some great novels, spend hours pondering the meaning of the universe, and play games with my family while still in our pjs! But now that I'm rested I'm ready to dive back into the world. This past week I had to work. My children accompanied me to the office, reading, playing games, and entertaining themselves while I sought to organize my desk for the weeks ahead. I've found that the rest cleared my mind and gave me some new creative energy for the days ahead. I'm looking forward to working with my students to bring about some of the changes my inspiration will bring.
This morning I was alone at home for a while after my family headed off to church and before I head to leave for services at the little church down the road. It was an incredible time for me. As I thought through this past year I was filled with a sense of awe at God's work in my family. Both of my children made professions of faith this year, my wife is "great with child" and we will be adding another family member in just a few weeks, and I began work towards a PhD - a dream I've had for many years. Some of the changes have been rather stressful for our family, but we have all adjusted quite well. This week we have been struggling over names for the baby. We have been calling her "peanut" (after the first ultrasound), but figure that she'll need a more normal name on her birth certificate. I think we have finally arrived at a great name - but we aren't revealing it until she makes her appearance next month.
Being middle aged has brought some new insights - I've begun to look at life as a big picture, not as individual minutes. It's a neat perspective. I hope I can carry the perspective over into each aspect of life, not just this new year moment. I can see how viewing life this way will give me more day to day patience, more optimism, and more strength to work with those who are hard to love. It's in revelatory moments like this that in my mind's eye I see God smiling a knowing smile.
