Thursday, April 24, 2014

Making the time and taking the time....it's all worth it!


Well it has been way too long since my last post!  September 2013! WOW. Really!  Have I actually been that busy?  I don't think so, but then again maybe I have!!  I wish that time would slow down a bit for me. As I ponder that thought, I wonder if taking more time out for long and intentional conversations,  spending more time relaxing around a table with friends, and just sitting back and enjoying life,  would slow life down some?  My approach to life has always been to be go, go, go.  I love to be going and doing and accomplishing but I am starting to think that my definition of "accomplishing" may be a wee bit off.  

I remember when my kids were much younger, I had met with a good friend for coffee, she is about 10 years older than me and I always gladly found myself being a sponge during our conversations.  I remember her saying, as she scanned her hand across the table at Starbucks: "Rhodena, this is where things are accomplished; in intentional relationship, spending quality time with one another! Its these talks and these times together where things happen!" Then she gave a sweet little chuckle for what seemed like a dramatic effect, or at least it had a dramatic effect on me. At the time, her comment caused me pause, and in all honesty I am not sure it really sunk in until a couple weeks later.  It has, however, always stuck with me, and yet I know that I haven't always lived with that being a reality in my life.  And when I haven't I have missed out.  

It's not the phone calls accomplishing business or the brief conversations held in the grocery store or foyer at church on a Sunday morning where relationship is "accomplished" (though these times are great and nice and can be very meaningful).  Its not even the small talk banter between us moms at our son's soccer games where relationship is "accomplished".  It is getting together with friends for the sole purpose of relationship.  So, though I have been busy and in busy banter with others, I realize that I haven't been intentional about relationship over these last several months.  Now, intentional relationship has happened, but I am thinking, and believing, and learning that this intentional relationship thing should be a regular occurrence.  Not to freak you all out in our technological age, but I am thinking weekly! Yep, weekly. That's what I did when my kids were young.  I needed that to keep afloat. Why has it changed?  (Should I go for bi-weekly???? See, even I am freaking out a bit here).  Yep, weekly around a table and not with the family at dinner (though that is equally important,) but time with friends, with BFF's!  In thinking on this I realize that I haven't had a Girls Night Out with my BFF's since January. (Thanks Erin, from all of us, for the Jeff Foxworthy GNO. It was awesome!!!) We are normally better than that.  Sure we've called---more like texted which is even less relational--and we've been there for one another, but I am feeling the pull back to the good ole' days of going out for coffee, going out for dinner, real live conversations, vulnerable conversations and a whole lot of fun. Getting together just does that.  

To add to all this,  even though Dave and I have chitted and chatted briefly with friends at church, and sat with other mom's and dad's at soccer games where we have laughed and joked, we haven't, as a couple, just kicked back and relaxed, ate, drank and had fellowship with another couple, around a table, with no other agenda but relationship, for close to the same amount of time!  WOW. (That may have been an incredibly long run on sentence.)   Maybe we've been a little more faithful as a couple but it is so sporadic I feel we are missing out!  That should be a regular occurrence as well.  No wonder it feels like time has just slipped by me since September.  I think I have allowed it to by letting life take over and us not being intentional to "accomplish" relationship. Not to say we have not done anything, the opposite would be true, we've taken a few trips, had a couple hubby and wife weekends away, I've checked a whole lot of things off my to-do list, poured myself into non-profit work, have been busy with normal mom stuff, and of course have spent much needed time in the studio keeping the local shop that carries my pieces supplied with items to sell. (The shop, by sheer coincidence, is called "Table Talk"--they apparently get it!) So its not like I've been selfish or we've been selfish with our time but, for me,  I sure have been unbalanced, and I miss balance!  I miss casual conversations over dinner, or a cup of coffee, dessert and drinks.  No agenda but enjoying friends and doing life together.   I don't even think I realized how much I missed it until I started writing this post!!  

So to my precious hubby, if you read this blog.....if you don't, no worries I got us covered--he's probably freaking out right now :)......we need to reign ourselves and our little schedules in a bit, kick back, relax, get back to "accomplishing" relationship, enjoying life and living it the way God intended for us to live it. Yep, that's what He wants, for us to enjoy life and enjoy the company of the friends He has put in our path!!!  Just as I want my kids to enjoy their lives and be intentional about relationships, our Heavenly Father wants the same for us.  It's been a very eventful winter (extremely eventful!!!), and we now have Spring knocking at our door, so I personally am going to get back to making relationships a priority.  Not just "hey, how ya doing?" relationships or a call or text (way too many texts!!), but table time! Yep, table time.... conversations, kicking back, having fun, experiencing the kind of growth that only friends can inspire us too, and simply enjoying the relationships and friendships that I am sooooo blessed to have.  

Well, I didn't start out with this in mind as a post.  It kind of just went there after I wrote the first sentence.  However, for me personally, it was a good eye opening post!  I am going to share a few pictures of some gems from the kiln----even though the pictures aren't related to anything in the post I will share them anyway! Ha!! I hope you enjoy.  Think about going out for dinner with some friends, or having them over for dinner this weekend and maybe even the next as well.......(now we have to work on Dave's schedule so he has weekends off..... Forgot about that!!!  Oh well, its easy to work around that and it doesn't affect my ability to have a coffee and/or dinner with the BFF's).  

Au Revoir! 
Rhodena


This color combination is amazing.  My favorite blue. 


The always amazing RED!

And these I made for the Lake.  On our last trip up I realized "WE HAVE NO BOWLS!!"