Illustration by Mary EngelbreitOne of our little girls used to call to us cheerfully from her crib, "Mornin' time! It's mornin' time!" It's nice to wake up in the morning with a feeling of well-being. I'm going to do that tomorrow!
For the past few months I've had deadlines of one kind or another weighing on my shoulders. I've gone to bed late, and woken up tired, certain at an early hour that I couldn't finish all that I had to do that day.
The morning after my Women's Conference presentation I was asked to be the Visiting Teaching Coordinator in my LDS ward. Julie Beck, (who is the general president of our church's women's organization) gave this simplified explanation of visiting teaching:
"This is how we help women all over the world, from Canada to Africa. We send them a little guidebook. We teach them to gather together as a group of women. Out of that group one woman is chosen as a leader. She organizes them (this is where I come in) and sends them out to visit each other one at a time. They go into each other's homes, and they come back to the leader and say, 'This sister is sick,' 'This one's having a new baby,' 'This one needs shoes,' 'This one is hungry.'
"And then the leader says, 'In our group do we have the resources to take care of each other?' And they nod. It is as simple as getting women together with a common purpose and helping each other accomplish what we have to do."
It has taken a lot of time to get myself organized to do this, and I've made dozens of phone calls to coordinate the effort. I'm amazed at the wonderful women I've talked to. One 92-year-old woman I've never met said she couldn't get out to visit, but she could supervise a district and take the reports of fifteen women by phone.
When she called back, she apologized that it was taking her a minute to find her notes. Then she dropped the telephone. When she got back on she said, "I'm sorry. I'm almost blind, and it's hard to hold the phone and my flashlight and a magnifying glass at the same time." Then she reported on a woman who had lost her job, and another whose apartment had flooded. She was so anxious to do her part. I, on the other hand, have a tendency to congratulate myself on not bothering anybody. Her attitude was a refreshing example of service. It's an awesome program that I sometimes take for granted.
Other mornings I've woken up to a pile of pages on my desk that need editing. I had a deadline of next week to finish the rewrite of some chapters, but today I finished early!! Although I really enjoy doing the work, the pressure I put on myself is exhausting. It's a free-lance situation where I set my own hours and timing, but then I put on my spurs and kick myself harder as I round the bend toward the finish line. Still, I have a huge sense of relief that tomorrow I don't have to feel guilty about reading a magazine.
Hmmm...it's already tomorrow...I better go to bed before it's mornin' time!
For the past few months I've had deadlines of one kind or another weighing on my shoulders. I've gone to bed late, and woken up tired, certain at an early hour that I couldn't finish all that I had to do that day.
The morning after my Women's Conference presentation I was asked to be the Visiting Teaching Coordinator in my LDS ward. Julie Beck, (who is the general president of our church's women's organization) gave this simplified explanation of visiting teaching:
"This is how we help women all over the world, from Canada to Africa. We send them a little guidebook. We teach them to gather together as a group of women. Out of that group one woman is chosen as a leader. She organizes them (this is where I come in) and sends them out to visit each other one at a time. They go into each other's homes, and they come back to the leader and say, 'This sister is sick,' 'This one's having a new baby,' 'This one needs shoes,' 'This one is hungry.'
"And then the leader says, 'In our group do we have the resources to take care of each other?' And they nod. It is as simple as getting women together with a common purpose and helping each other accomplish what we have to do."
It has taken a lot of time to get myself organized to do this, and I've made dozens of phone calls to coordinate the effort. I'm amazed at the wonderful women I've talked to. One 92-year-old woman I've never met said she couldn't get out to visit, but she could supervise a district and take the reports of fifteen women by phone.
When she called back, she apologized that it was taking her a minute to find her notes. Then she dropped the telephone. When she got back on she said, "I'm sorry. I'm almost blind, and it's hard to hold the phone and my flashlight and a magnifying glass at the same time." Then she reported on a woman who had lost her job, and another whose apartment had flooded. She was so anxious to do her part. I, on the other hand, have a tendency to congratulate myself on not bothering anybody. Her attitude was a refreshing example of service. It's an awesome program that I sometimes take for granted.
Other mornings I've woken up to a pile of pages on my desk that need editing. I had a deadline of next week to finish the rewrite of some chapters, but today I finished early!! Although I really enjoy doing the work, the pressure I put on myself is exhausting. It's a free-lance situation where I set my own hours and timing, but then I put on my spurs and kick myself harder as I round the bend toward the finish line. Still, I have a huge sense of relief that tomorrow I don't have to feel guilty about reading a magazine.
Hmmm...it's already tomorrow...I better go to bed before it's mornin' time!
3 comments:
I LIVE for days when I do nothing but read a novel all day (few and far between). Enjoy your day of rest!
I'm not a morning person at all. It's so hard to get out of my nice warm snuggly bed. :0)
Good Morning. :o)
May I please use your Mary Engelbreit image on my blog?
Sincerely, Trish
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