Slowing Down

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A hyacinth I did not take time to smell this spring.

This has been a year of thinking fast, working fast, and reading fast…and even of feeling fast and praying fast.  Although the first three can be positive, the last two most certainly are not.

Therefore, I’m slowing down this summer.  I’m not making a huge list of things for us to accomplish.  We’re having minimal summer lessons for the girls, applying that wonderful 80/20 rule.

And for myself?  Well, I’ll be reading a fair bit but more slowly, especially the Bible.  I have it on my phone, and it has been a wonderful way to read the Bible in snatches of waiting time while I’ve been rushing about, but it’s good to read for longer periods of time, too—like last week when the doctor was over an hour behind schedule.

I can also put Veritas Press’s Omnibus teacher’s manuals on my phone, so during our 50+ hours of cross-country driving this summer I’m going through some of the Bible sections Omnibus VI that Miss 16 is studying next year.  I also plan to prepare for her study of Pascal’s Pensees and Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, also with Omnibus VI.  The actual ebooks are available from Gutenberg and my teens found me an app for that.

My summer ‘to read’ pile also has a few health books, some history of science titles, and some blogging websites and books.  I’m also still looking for an inspiring homeschool book or two.  Love the Journey sounds interesting, but I should probably just reread some of the books on my shelf.

Other than reading, I just want to focus on family, relatives, friends, health, and relaxation this summer.

Carol wrote a very inspiring post about really experiencing life as we go through it.  This winter I moved too fast to do that.  This summer, though, I want to take more time to thank God, go for walks with my husband, laugh with my kids, and make memories with the people I love.

May God bless your and our plans for summer!