Seize the Moment!

Life is busy for everyone. It seems like there is never enough time to do everything we need to do. Who has time to even think about fun and relaxation? One of my friends said to me recently, “I never take time to relax and have fun. I’m too busy.”

I started thinking about that. I have a full schedule as well and don`t plan for fun as often as I should, but somehow it seems to happen for me. Just a week or so ago, my 19 year-old grandson had a birthday and I was able to host the party. You can imagine ten young people around the table and everyone laughing and talking. It was wonderful - each one telling stories on the others. For about two hours I enjoyed the most wonderful entertainment. It was both fun and relaxing. I seized the moment.

Early last Sunday morning a friend I don`t see very often, called and asked if I could have lunch with her after church. It was a spontaneous invitation and I responded in the same way. She had made a scrumptious dinner and as we sat at her little table, beautifully set, we had lots of fun and laughter, as well as some serious conversation. After dinner, we relaxed in the living room and talked some more. Driving home, I realized how blessed I was. Those two hours, spontaneously ordered, were both fun and relaxing. We had seized the moment.

Eugene Peterson tells us we need to “pay attention to the ordinary,” and to realize that “God is in the everyday.” I agree. Sometimes we let the days slip by without watching for the special moments God may have planned for us - and we miss them. We keep waiting for that large block of time when we can take a big holiday when we think we will have lots of fun and relaxation. We need to keep our eyes open and watch for God’s everyday surprises - and seize those moments.

Have fun!

Till next time,
Eileen

Fun and Relaxation: Let Me Surprise You!

A few weeks ago I hosted a dinner in my home. There were five of us. When I invited the guests (one was unable to come), they all asked who was coming. “Let me surprise you,” I told them. Each one of these women was a leader and none of them knew each other. One by one as they arrived, I could see their pleasure as they discovered new friends. We visited in the living room for a while before dinner and I could not believe what happened. As they began to talk and get acquainted with each other, it was like a spark had been lit. Joy and laughter exploded into the room. No one was a stranger anymore. We were having so much fun I hated to interrupt to gather them to the dinner table.

My intention in having this dinner party was to bring together young women in leadership for mutual edification, encouragement and connecting. Well, it certainly happened. The joy continued throughout the whole meal, but now it was on a different level. They began to ask each other about their lives and ministries, and they listened intently as each one shared her story. The respect and genuine interest on each face was an encouragement to the story-teller and I could see that she was being empowered just from being listened to, and the listeners were being edified by the words she was speaking. My heart was bursting with joy as I watched.

The evening flew by as these women shared experiences that face women in leadership, each one encouraging and building up the others by the reminders of God’s faithfulness through every situation. It truly was an evening of fun and relaxation. I lived on the crest of the joyful atmosphere for several days after.

Tell me about a special time of fun and relaxation you have experienced recently. I’d love to hear about it.

Eileen

Waterloo Early Bird

Hi ladies!

Be sure to register this week for our Women Alive Waterloo Annual Conference to take advantage of our early bird offer and SAVE!

Head over to www.womenalive.org/events/waterloo09 for more details and to register.

Or call 1-800-387-4753.

~ Michelle