welcome home...

A quick re-entry into back into reality as the close of our summer vacation found us last night having drunk a chilled bottle of Spatlese, a little too fast, on somewhat empty stomachs, while lounging on the couch and counting down the hours until the inevitable happened and the alarm went off this morning.

We had a wonderful vacation, enjoyed being away from our life and being removed from work and church and the small town. We spent a lot of time in the sun, doing nothing, being with cherished family members, eating and drinking oh-so-good wine and really not doing much that was constructive. I didn’t even pick up a book all week which is out of the ordinary for me. Rather, I just listened to the sounds of summer at the pool. I did however pick up a book of soduku puzzles. That was a mistake, I have such a compulsive personality that I don’t want to put something down, like a puzzle, if it isn’t finished. So, I became rather consumed with the puzzles and felt compelled to finish one before I could stop.

The mother of one of our church members passed away while we were gone and the family wanted my husband to do the funeral (this was Tuesday, three days into our trip). Not that it makes a difference but the parents are not church members, just their son. We didn’t return for the funeral and our Presbyterian friend conducted the funeral in the husband’s stead. This, of course, was not welcomed by the son and he is hurt and offended because, as he said, he thought he and the husband “were closer than that”. That ushered us into a conversation yesterday concerning putting others before yourself but also maintaining a balance of health within your own family.

Where is the line, is there a line? How do you prioritize without hurting people? Everyone believes that they should come first so how do you go about prioritizing without making people feel like less than they are? Thoughts to mull over on this very warm Monday.