Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and now...well, like many of my colleagues I'm already thinking about, fussing, worrying about Lent (and Lent doesn't even begin until March 5th!)
In between all of the work stuff I have gained a few pounds (too much information?), celebrated my grandson's 2nd birthday and my eldest son has chosen his college for next fall - Go Mustangs!
The baby of the family, or should I call Justin the youngest, is trying to convince us that he is ready to study abroad for a whole school year, and Hannah and Nelson are hurtling toward their college graduation - May 10th!.
January may seem like a time for resolutions or nesting, or even hibernating...but January is a time of planning for me. It's like a clean slate...this is when I get to take a long look at my calendar, fill in the wedding dates (6 this year - oh my!), plot and plan a vacation or two, and this year I'm even making plans for my very first renewal leave (yippee!!).
What I didn't expect, until Saturday night, is that RAGBRAI would choose Waverly for a stop over town - that makes July a bit more interesting...but its all do-able. 
Breathe...Breathe...
Breathe...
In the midst of all of this craziness it is so important to pause and breathe... If I don't I shall surely become overwhelmed, or more likely I'll just put my head down and plow through it all - but I will undoubtedly miss something.
A moment, a perfect moment... like a hug from a 15 year old boy who still thinks you're ok. Or the surprising realization that my 2 year old grandson knew how to blow out his candles - a.maze.ing (my brother Jay couldn't do it when he was 4 or 5)...but Z - blew out his candles like a pro - first time and everything!
or the beautiful hoar frost we've been having this winter...and the midwestern sunrises and sunsets that take your breath away...or the laughter from the retreat room as the women's group watched the movie Chocolat on Saturday - what a joy to hear and see and experience the light of God's love in the faces of each and every woman there.
I could go on and on but you get the idea. The question shouldn't be 'where has the time gone?' but 'what am I doing with the time I have?'
Enjoy the journey, take pictures, hug and laugh and it's ok to cry at the beauty of it all as well.
In Christ, together
Deborah
