Take time to recharge

We all have holidays that have special meaning to us. Today happens to be Dave's birthday, so we are celebrating his birth. I am so grateful that God decided to have Dave's and my lives intersect, as I believe he is the perfect match for me.  Christmas was a wonderful time with family and friends around, a Christmas Eve service reminding us why we celebrate this special day in the first place....and way too much good food.  

In the months leading up to the holidays, I worked a bunch.  Maybe even a bit too much, as I found myself getting mentally and physically exhausted.  A few days before Christmas, I came down with a nasty chest-congestion/cold/whatever you want to call it.  Whatever it was put me down on the couch for a day and made me lose my voice for two days, as well.  I have to wonder about this. First of all, I truly am grateful that I didn't lose my voice when I was doing all my teaching and consulting. Somehow, this gunk waited until I had a bit of free time to rear its ugly head. But maybe that isn't exactly a coincidence. Maybe things like that are God's way of saying, "Shelly, you need to slow down." What if a cold is precisely what was necessary for me to take a day to lie on the couch and relax?  Dave and I call those moments "Godwinks", as they seem to be God's way of winking at us and whispering "Gotcha".  

After having company come over for Christmas lunch, everyone had left by 3:30 in the afternoon. With all the Christmas lights, low lamplight, and candles glowing, Dave and I sat in the living room with the pups and read books. If you know Dave very well, you know that this is not his typical routine, as he is much more the "turn on the t.v. to see whatever sports might be on" type of dude.  But we enjoyed the peaceful calm and restful sounds of silence that evening so very much.  

Maybe holy days/holidays have dual purposes----not just to celebrate the true meaning behind their creation but also to allow us to sit back and take a deep breath, breathing in all for which we are grateful, and breathing out all that has worried or bothered us.  Maybe we just need to take time to recharge our proverbial batteries, not to rev up for any next thing in particular but rather to revel in all we have and to take the time to breathe in and out. 

This holiday season, I am grateful for all that has been given to me, which is OH-so-much, and I am taking time to be particularly grateful for the time to recharge.  Maybe I can work on doing that without God having to tap me on the shoulder with a cold in the future.

My fervent prayer for each one of you is that you enjoy this season as well!

Happy Communicating!

Shelly
​

---