Reaching

January is always a special time for me. Not only because it is my birthday month and I celebrate all month long, but also because it is the time after all the rush of the holidays. I love the holidays, but the time afterward is special too. Life gets back to normal. You can catch your breath a bit and relax. The decorations come down and life is not so rushed.

The week has been a wonderful combination of cleaning, organizing and planning. It may not sound that fun, but it is spectacular for me. There are so many things for which to be excited. Starting a new project, finishing another, getting the house back in order and back to my home. I am making the plans for this years garden and already starting to gather seeds for the spring planting. And learning to can and freeze those delicious vegetables. Indeed, we will have a feast of a harvest to feed us. But there will be learning and hard work first.

There is saving for the future, plans for parties and celebrations for accomplishments and turning points. There is the study of the Bible and the history. There is the continuation of the conversion to which I am deeply attached. There is optimism, that even now in the unknown, that the future holds so many possibilities, it is easy to be excited.

There are nights of quiet snuggling and making lists, reading great books and writing my own. There is a sense of accomplishment in making it through to this point and knowing that it will continue. There is a lot of hard work involved too, with the garden, with the projects, with the building for the future, but it is all so worth it when you know the goal you will reach.

Life is short, so reach as for as you can, as high as you can for as long as you can.