3 Ways to Make Time Slow Down
Closed Doors. Open Doors.
May 17, 2014
Page Girls Take NYC and NEXT WEEK’S *BLOG EACH DAY*
June 21, 2014
Wow, so much has happened since graduation. CCS (the school I counsel for) had their last day just a couple of weeks ago, and it was quickly followed by our church’s beach trip- easily one of my favorite things! Our church rented out condos right next to each other and we had about 300 in our group! A week with my favorite people and church family- awesome!
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| Right before we left for the beach, these 2 girls came in town, so we ran a memorial day race together:) |
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| I so loved being on the beach with my sweet niece. My nephew got to go to the beach last year, but this was Sulli’s first trip. She had a blast and absolutely loved it. I loved watching her experience the beach for the first time. |
Now that I am back from the beach, I am getting ready for a trip with 2 of my other favorite people- my mom and sister! We are going to NYC for a long weekend girls’ trip. Be looking for us on Live with Regis and Kelly on June 9 (my birthday). Hoping we can get some perks because of that little fact right there:)
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| We ate with some of our best friends in the world at one of our favorite restaurants in Orange Beach- Fisher’s- Love this guy! |
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| I promise, my niece really does love me:)
But, wow, have I realized more than ever how fast time is flying. If I am not careful, it could be August so quickly, and I will be gearing up for the next school year. While on one hand that sounds awesome, I have things I want to accomplish this summer. |
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| This is one of my sweet friends/prayer warrior. She is pregnant with a miracle baby, also named Aly:) |
No, not like write a dissertation or anything huge, but I want to make this summer matter. One of our pastors spoke one Wednesday night about not taking vacations from God.
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| This was after church on the beach last Wednesday night. Such a special time with our church family! |
For me, since I am a routine person, when I get out of my routine (summer), I can get out of my God- routine too. Not that He is a routine, but spending time with him, praying, etc…
A word that came up with many of the Seniors I counseled this year was Intentionality. I not only believe it was a word for the 2014 class, but also for me. I talked about it a lot with them, and it is a word that the Lord keeps bringing to my mind.
God wants me to be intentional this summer. I’ll be honest, one of the best things of working for a school is summers off, but my main goal is to not lay out by the pool this summer. Yes, it is huge for me to rest and relax and rejuvenate this summer, but I never want to lose focus.
I plan to reach out to others. I plan to do some projects that have been on the back-burner. But more than ever, I plan to do some real soul searching. Spending alone, quiet time with God. Allowing Him the time and space to speak to me like never before. INTENTIONALITY.
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| The day we got back from the beach, we hurried to go to my sweet cousin’s wedding. I always love getting to visit with my sweet “uncle.” |
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| So, this is one of my best friend’s daughters, sweet Brookelyn. The picture on the left is right before my mastectomies’ surgeries in 2012, and then on the right, just last week. Oh how so much can change in 2 years. Praise GOD!!!! |
So here is my little formula I am going to use this Summer to make time slow down. No, it is not proven and is totally created by Aly, so this is an experiment for me too:
1. Make a list each week of THINGS TO DO. No, not chores (maybe those, too), but this list I am meaning make of things that matter for eternity.
- Suggestions- cards to send, calls to make, gifts to buy or make, lunch with a friend, time with family (and I suggest getting REALLY specific with this.)
- Suggestions- schedule an hour/hours to do nothing. To sit outside, to go for a walk, to read to your kids, to have daddy/daughter dates, to share a meaningful conversation. When our schedules are so full, often times we rid ourselves of special moments, simply because we are so busy or exhausted.
- Suggestions- Sometimes people will make you feel bad if you put God on your “schedule”, but for me, I don’t see it as a task, but rather a necessity, so I do put it on my schedule (some may disagree, but it’s what works for me). So make it a non-negotiable. Whether it’s an hour a day, a week, 5 minutes, whatever it is. Schedule it and do it—I truly believe it could transform our lives this Summer. If I truly commit to time to be still and alone.
1 Comment
Shouting AMEN to everything in this post! “INTENIONAL” and “non-negotiables” … Love it!! Here’s to an August of looking back with overflowing gratitude and excitement for what we and God have done in our June and July!!