Yuh, 'wintah' is back! Its one of those days (weekends) in Maine when I pace around the homestead trying to keep from thinking about the fact that I am pretty-much "encarcerated" for a while; giving up the freedom to come and go as I please. The walls start closing in and the house feels 'smaller' this time of year.
I remember when -in years gone by, I longed for an unexpected day off like this. The demands of two jobs and requirements of a good deal of volunteer work kept me running steady. And there was the challenging responsibility of parenting my three children. That was in South Florida where the weather never really changes your plans, and days run into weeks with a constant and uninterrupted flow of the time line.
But all that has changed now. The kids are grown and out on their own (thank God). And now Josey & I call the extreme Northeast; "home". So I spent the morning digging out the vehicles and clearing the driveway of snow - just in case there is a pressing reason to risk my life out on the roads. Funny thing is, its so often redundant. The fact is, its supposed to snow all day and I'll probably be digging again in a matter of a few hours.
On the positive side, I can get caught-up on some of the unfinished tasks. As a pastor, "planning" for the church is a constant need - but one in which I never seem to feel content. Along with weekly sermon prep and othere regular responsibility, there is an on-going requirement to envision the future and put actions plans into place. Then there is the requirement of planning how to communicate and motivate for action. All this 'stuff' requires a tremendous amount of energy (unnoticed by most people) and a good deal of time. I suppose I could ignore most of it and still draw a paycheck. But that's not me ... and its certainly not good leadership.
So, "This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it" ... and PLAN! ;-)
