Every minute

These past couple of weeks I have had an "open" schedule for one of the first times ever.  I have a huge list of things that need to be done around the house - fix the molding, clean the basement, install shelves in the garage, fix and clean the kitchen chairs - not to mention the weekly mowing and weeding of the massive yard.  Since I am in between ministry opportunities I assumed that I would have more than enough time to get all those things done and by June I would looking for more projects to accomplish.

I looked at my list this morning and only one thing has been accomplished, the fixing of the basement steps.  That only got done because if I didn't fix them then someone was going to get hurt.  It seems as if every minute of every day is being sucked dry, yet I'm not the least bit frustrated that my list isn't being completed.

When I do inventory of my time at home, it has been consumed with my family.  I have spent more time with my kids than I can tell you and it has been wonderful.  I've been teaching Deacon fresh wrestling moves (that boy likes to wrestle and he's dirty with it too, straight from the WCW days) and watching Emme's favorite cartoons while she sits on my lap.  I take Chandler and Reynolds to school every morning and enjoy picking them up in the afternoon (Note: I no longer stick my head out the window and holler at them in the pick-up line; I was vividly reminded that this was not cool to do).  My wife and I have reconnected during times of the day when we would normally never see each other.  The Jesus Storybook Bible is becoming a fixture at night, entering its second reading.  I've enjoyed walking around the pond in our yard with the dog, watching her comb the woods while I soaked in the surrounding serenity.  The first couple of hours each morning before the rest of the family awakes is "my time" where I enjoy fresh coffee while communing with God and reading other books.

Every minute of every day holds great purpose and potential.  My desire each day is maximize these minutes so that there is no wasted or dead time.  This doesn't mean that I am forcing my kids to do origami or learn how to knit when there is nothing else to do.  What we are doing is making the time that we have quality time, whether it's quietly sitting together on the deck or playing in the yard.  Soon I won't have as many of these moments to enjoy as I do now, so I see this as great practice for how I'll use those minutes when there aren't as many to spare.