Relishing every day

The changes (see my last blog post) to the schedule kind of freed up a week or so for me.    But to try to eat some of that, I discovered a retreat that really speaks to me on the Isle of Iona, but requires me there 6 nights, instead of 3, as originally planned.

That, and working out how things will fit around my godchild's graduation from the University of Keele, not to mention my husband's plans to join us, and his desires to also spend time visiting friends in Europe, mean that I'm doing a lot of shuffling and reshuffling.   All the same places, but in a different order.  

But it also has me contemplating how every moment will be used.   Busy days and less busy days.   Study days and fun days.  Time with family and time in retreat.  AND time in service.   It reminds me how precious every moment of this Sabbatical is, and what a gift, and at the same time, how precious every moment of my life is, and what a gift.

In that vein, I'm trying to make the reshuffling and the planning all a spiritual practice of stewardship: stewardship of this great gift I have, from my church of the time, from the Lilly Endowment of the money to do this.   Thanks be to God!

Change

It has been an eventful winter for change to my plans.   But to some extent they seem to all be God given gifts.   Some might cost me a penny or two but mostly they just enhance the trip.

First, my beloved godchild, AG, has been attending the University of Keele in England, and they will graduate this summer!   Turns out graduation will be the very week I plan to be visiting Scrooby Hall and other Puritan sites, which are located an hour or so from where A is in school.   So heck yes I am going to take time to be in attendance at their graduation!

Then, as I think I mentioned, Brot und Rosen will be shut down the first week I planned to be with them, so I can’t start there until August 10.   I’m going back and checking out Iona for my late July retreat, I discovered a wonderful weeklong retreat around worship happening at Iona the week of August 2-8;   Perfect!   I have two days to get from Iona to Hamburg and all should be great!!!!

So now I am in a flurry of replanting around these events, but definitely feeling blessed.