Lana Vaughan

I’m cleaning out my clothes closet. I do this twice a year. At the end of the purge there is always a bag of stuff going to the donation truck for Goodwill. The problem is with the stuff that I’m not willing to send to Goodwill just yet and so I stick it back into my closet to wait the next round.

Today I’m doing it a little differently. Instead of sticking things I’m not committed to wearing back into the closet I’m going to seal them up in a U-haul box. We have several left from the tween room remodel project and I hate to see them just sitting empty. Anyway, I’m going to itemize what’s in the box, just on the off chance I desperately need something, put an expiration date on the box and if it goes unopened until that date it will go to Goodwill and I’ll already have my donation list for the tax deduction.

Off to tackle the closet….

Last Thursday I spent the day at Great America Amusement Park with my son and daughter. We got there early and were the first ones on the Psycho Mouse. Since there was no one in line we rode it twice! Yesterday I spent the day at the WordPress Camp and left pretty sure I would not be attending next year. There have been some conferences and retreats that I have attended more than once and I’d like to share them with you today.

The first one to become an annual for me was Women of Faith. I know in many ways it’s just an arena sized book tour but I enjoyed it. I also bought a lot of books. Over the years they have changed the structure of the tour and it hasn’t been as convenient to attend but I still enjoy it. The last one I attended was 2 years ago. It was the first one my daughter was old enough to attend with me. How we ended up on stage and with front row seats is an incredible story for another day. Let’s just say she has pictures and autographs with all the main speakers and does well in front of 11,000 women.

The second one is a four day women’s retreat set in the the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. Seven years ago I read a book that changed the course of my life and has had great impact on the lives of many people I have grown to love. The challenge of attending this retreat is great. For women to set aside four days, pay for the retreat and travel costs to Colorado and then actually go is huge. With the support of my husband and the help of dear friends I have been able to go four times. The Captivating Women’s Retreat has been worth it each time.

I have only been able to attend my third and fourth recommendations once but wanted to tell you about them. The Precepts National Conference in Chattanooga, Tenn was a major stretch for me. It was a four day conference and I wish I had gone in a day early. Because of the time difference and the early program start time each morning, I found myself getting up at the equivalent of 3 am and in my seat trying to take notes at 6 am. There were two additional challenges to my time in Chattanooga as they were undergoing major road work and there was a motorcycle event in town that weekend, too. Detours and road closings made getting back and forth to my hotel frustrating.  I don’t see the national conference on their schedule but the Women’s Conference is drawing my attention.

My final recommendation is an event that only happened once. The Go Deeper Still Women’s Conference was an incredible four day event in the Santa Cruz Mountains at Mt. Hermon Conference Grounds. I recommend not the event but the experience. This event was the most challenging I have ever attended and the most rewarding personally. The team of speakers and staff were a blessing from start to finish. It was an event that I was blessed to co-ordinate. I know putting together an event is not something everyone is called to do but being a part of a group of women with the desire to draw other’s to the heart of God is something everyone can do. Stepping out in faith and making something happen that wouldn’t happen without you is worth all the risk.

So, now it’s your turn, dear reader. I would love to hear what conferences or retreats you would attend again. What would make you set aside the time, money and put your regular life on hold to be at? Hit or miss, what are your recommendations? What would get you back on the ride?

So….I haven’t managed to make a new habit yet again. Haven’t broken any old ones and my “To Do” list hasn’t had any major overhauls.

But I have been looking at things and deciding which ones I am committed to keeping and which ones I am considering letting go. Some stuff is definitely on it’s way out. Some ideas and beliefs are getting a close evaluation as well. My two main groups are “Getting me where I want to be” and “Keeping me from where I want to be”.

As I consider, I find what I value is giving me clues to “where I want to be”. I wonder, dear reader, do you know where you want to be?

Last night a neighbor brought a little wild bird over and asked if I could take it to the wildlife rescue today. His cat had brought it home. It didn’t have any visible injuries but was stressed and too small to fly. I put it in an extra parakeet cage we had in the garage, gave it some water and bird seed and left the cage on the dining room table over night. You guessed it. The little bird didn’t make it through the night.

I’m the first to admit I know next to nothing about wild birds. I fill a plastic bird feeder hanging from my cherry tree when I think of it and mix up some humming bird juice every now and then. Other than that, not much. So maybe there was something else I could have done for the little bird. I just didn’t know what. I did what I thought would help.

I’m always trying to help. I don’t always know what really helps but I try. Did I do the right thing? Say the right words? I don’t know but I know I did what I thought was best at the time. Am I going to study up on how to treat wounded wild birds? Probably not. But I am going to look a little more closely at how I handle the broken and scared people that come into my life.

God

1. Create Heaven and Earth…check

2. Divide Light and Dark…check

Mine

1. Rotate Laundry

2. Rotate dishes

3. Plan menus for the week

4. Clean out frig

5. Go Grocery shopping

6. Put away groceries

7. Rotate laundry again

8. Take out garbage

9. Set out garbage cans (Yes. That gets a separate check off)

10. Think of something to write about tomorrow.

11. Call and check on friends

12. Journal

13. Quiet Time

14. Pray

15. Pay bills

16. Balance checking accounts

17. Fix dinner

18. Make sure tween practices her music

19. Clean bathroom

20. Rotate laundry

21. Set coffee pot for tomorrow

22. Make “to do” list for Tuesday.

(Problem with “To Do” list….too many little things, not enough miracles