It’s Christmas time and this is the time for gifts and gift
giving.
This year I am giving myself a gift. The gift is Permission.
I am giving myself permission to drop some spinning plates.
We are all extremely busy especially this time of year. I’ll
share with you a few of the things I have going on to show you what I mean by “dropping
plates”.
I am wife, mother, grama and farmer. I take care of all the
bookwork for our farm. I work part time at my church in the bookstore, do a
weekly radio program and the biggest plate right now is a play I co-wrote with
Lynda Lee Schab, How Christmas Saved the
Grinch. You may think that since it is written my involvement would be
done. Nope, I am on the leadership team and I have my finger in just about
every position there is. Last year we had around 17,000 in attendance and
expect more this year. We’ve had twelve practices, one huge parade and many
meetings up to this point. There are four more practices then six performances.
So, I think, eat, dream and live in Whoville.
Whilst all that is occurring I am putting in my hours at the
bookstore, making meals, Christmas shopping, baking, decorating, etc. and we have/had
four birthdays in the last/next four weeks.
Then there’s my blog, A Farm Wife, which has been sorely
neglected.
The other day when I was at the barn Jesus and I were
talking. He and I meet at the farm frequently. Anyway, he told me to pick some
plates and let them sit for a while. He never created me to spin so many at one
time. He did make me creative, healthy and ambitious. I just carried it too
far.
So, this blog is one of the plates that has been pushed to
the side and will be for the next few days. I might get a quick inspiration and
post something, but the meal of the week is definitely out as well as any other
recipes. Unless, I exchange plates.
I dropped the clean house plate a while ago. But I did have
to take an hour and do a quick run through just to free my brain from the
clutter of everything laying around.
Birthdays are a big deal here. I make them that. The birthday
boy/girl picks what they want for dinner and what kind of cake they want.
Through the years I’ve made a tractor, snake, toilet with a turd, American
Doll, fish and hunting cakes. This Sunday we are celebrating Wigglie #7’s
second birthday and I am making a farm scene cake. But, I am using a cake mix.
Shudder! I always bake from scratch. Another plate dropped. And, we are
combining two birthdays together which totally goes against my way of
celebrating.
Outside Christmas decorating plate dropped also. I just don’t
have the time and you know what? The world will spin without them. I do have to
figure out how to make my star to put on my cross. I can’t for the life of me
figure out the dimensions.
Some plates that I refuse to drop are the cookie decorating,
sleep overs, Sunday dinner with the family, dinner with friends and coffee with
the girls.
So, being the overly responsible person that I am, it was
hard to let go of things that I thought were important.
We need to determine what is urgent, what is important and
what will last for eternity.
I want to you to consider giving yourself the same gift. Permission
to let some things slide. I know there are some of you that are running around
trying to find that perfect dress for the school program for your little girl
or that special gift for the teacher or trying seven new recipes for Christmas
dinner. Hey, if you really have the time, go for it. If not, forget it. Your
little girl is just one of a hundred that will have on that special dress. She
would rather have a nice dress and a relaxed mom than be dressed like Barbie
with a mother who is stressed to the max. The teacher would rather have your
encouragement through the year instead of one of 35 gifts she’ll wonder what to
do with. And there will be so much food at Christmas no one will notice you
made only one or two new dishes instead of seven.
Give yourself the gift of Permission.
Relax, sit alone in a dark room with just the Christmas
lights on and listen to what Jesus has to say to you. Find out what he wants. After
all, this is his birthday.
