When is Too Much Too Much?

There's too much going on in my life--and it's not all good. Well, most of it is. I shouldn't complain. I have had some place that I had to be every day for the last three weeks. Sometimes I would go from one to another with no break in between. How did I get myself in this fix?

Today the retired teachers group hosted a reception for those who are retiring at the end of the school year. One thing I told them is don't jump in to things/groups/activities too quickly. Because once you get started it's hard to get out. I really enjoy the things that I do but I wish I weren't so busy once in a while. I love working at the clothes closet--and I am only required to be there every 7th week. But other churches come and help me on my week so I want to help them when needed. And then, there's the library. I enjoy being there, too. It makes me feel useful, but overwhelmed. I know I've stated this before, but sometimes I feel like I am the only one who is productive there. And the more I do, the more I am asked to do. But I would want to stop volunteering there.

Then there are the genealogy classes we are offering right now. The next classes are on technology and I am giving part of the class. I am the sole presenter of the last class. While getting ready for Tuesday night's class, my projector blew its lamp. I need a projector--for more that just these classes. I use it for Share Your Christmas and any other presentations that I may be called on to give. We used the projector at our Sunday school party to watch a video. I ordered a new projector.

So I have a question. What do retired people do with their time? What do they find to do at home? I think I would go crazy if I stayed home all the time. Now, my house would be cleaner--I think. Remember, I'm not a housekeeper! But maybe if I were home more it would be? Because now when I come home, I want to chill out and not do anything. I know that I am on the computer, playing stupid games, more than I need to be. But it is how I have found to relax.

I think that I have control over these things--the volunteering and being gone from home so much. Not sure about the computer :) The not so good stuff gets me down. I have three teacher friends who have lost their husband recently. One lost their father. One has had major surgery and recovery is not going real well. I worry about all these fine women. Then there's my brother who has cancer. No one should have to suffer like he has. He doesn't look like the brother I know and love.

Thank goodness I have God to help me through these times. I don't know how I would make it without knowing that He is here with me, giving me support, as well as those mentioned above. I know He is taking care of them. I serve an awesome God. He means everything to me. Serving Him is one thing that I will never tire of doing.

No Time to be Sick

I was sick all week. I thought it was just an ordinary cold, you know cough and runny nose. I haven't had a fever and anything that I coughed up was clear--no infection, or so I thought. After two nights of no sleeping because of the coughing I decided that maybe I should go to the doctor. Diagnosis--bronchitis. After three days of antibiotics and half a bottle of cough syrup I am feeling some better.

I didn't have time to be sick. I had too many obligations to carry out. This was my week to staff the center and it was changeover week. That's when we go from fall/winter clothes to spring/summer. I really needed to be there-at least I felt like I should be there. Monday wasn't too bad. I helped sort for a while and then manned the front desk/checkout. But Wednesday I really had no business being there. I didn't have the energy to even carry out clothing to be hung on the racks. I felt really rotten that day. They tried to get me to go home but I'm stubborn and wouldn't do it.

I had a PCGS Executive Board meeting Monday after I left the center. That wasn't too bad, I just had to take notes and will type up the minutes this week. I took pizza home for supper.

Tuesday morning I had an appointment to get my hair done. I had to do that because I had already gone a week longer than usual. My hair was looking pretty ragged by then. I stopped by the library for a few minutes afterwards and then went home. I had laundry to do!

By Thursday morning I was feeling really rotten so decided that I should probably see a doctor. I was able to get a fairly early appointment with a PA whose nurse thought I might have pneumonia. The PA said bronchitis and put me on an antibiotic and some cough syrup.

Now, you think I would be smart and stay home Friday and not go to the library, but no, I felt like I had to be there since Susan was gone. So as I'm on the phone with some one and coughing every few words, he said he thought he should be coughing for me. We had a very good conversation and I was able to help him with some research, coughing through it all. Then I had to go to the grocery store because I had to make soup for a meeting at church on Saturday. I had committed to doing a pot so of course I had to do it.

I sat through the meeting on Saturday and by the time lunch rolled around was feeling pretty bad again. And then, there would have been plenty of soup if I had not made mine. Oh well. We are going to be eating soup for a while.

I did make arrangements to have my sub do Sunday School this morning. I am at home, still in my nightie, and plan on really resting today. I didn't get up until 8:30 but have already gone through a bunch of Kleenexes. Hopefully, I am on the back side of this cold/bronchitis/coughing/runny nose. I have another hectic week scheduled and I don't have time to be sick.

The Lost Symbol

I just finished reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. It was a really good book, full of action and suspense, just the kind of book I like. It was truly a page turner. I didn't want to put it down and even stayed up till 1 AM one day, hoping I could finish it, but couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I told Charles that I almost turned to the back to see how it ended--which is what I usually end up doing with whatever book I am reading. But this time I didn't. Except that I did read a couple of pages ahead just to be sure the hero wasn't dead :-) The theme of the book is that the Masons have hidden a "lost symbol" beneath the earth and this evil person was trying to get to it so he would become the most powerful. If you haven't read the book and are planning on doing it, check out now because I'm going to write about this lost symbol and where one might find it.


The leaders of our country back in it's infancy were members of the Freemasons or Masons. It is the Masons who are responsible for the laying of cornerstones. I didn't know this but all cornerstones are always located on the northeast corner of a building and at first the cornerstone was actually a part of the foundation of a building and was underground. Anyway, as the Washington Monument was being built, a "word" was sealed in the cornerstone which is actually underground. This is the basis for the lost symbol. This "word" was what the evil person wanted. Well, it turns out that what supposedly is in the cornerstone is a Bible. And if you think about it, the Bible is the Word of God and our country has indeed "lost" the value of the Word. If we would use the Word and apply it to our lives, the world would be a much better place. At least that's what I took from the book. I didn't really care about the masonic rites it described or the scientific experiments that one of the characters was conducting. For me, Mr. Brown was telling his readers to take the "lost symbol" out of it's hiding place (or off the shelf) and study the Word.