I'd settle for a slow down...

Take time for all things; great haste makes great waste.

-Benjamin Franklin

I'm back in Illinois from my vacation in Tennessee. It was a nice vacation but I was ready to come home. After my relaxing summer where I could do things at my own pace, vacation was almost too rushed. To get everything in we had to keep moving and there was no time for relaxation. Isn't vacation supposed to be about relaxing?? LOL. Here is a picture from vacation of the family in front of our gorgeous vacation home.

Now we are back at home and life has resumed back to normal. Today I will be heading into my classroom to work on stuff for the fall. I went to Target and Dollar Tree yesterday to gather basic supplies, so I will be taking those into school today. My goal this year is to make my classroom feel more "comfortable." I am adding wall art instead of typical posters. I am hoping to get an area rug and some bean bag chairs. I need to make an IKEA trip (possibly tomorrow).

My devotional for the past 4 days have been about taking time to slow down. This was a very reassuring 4 days. Through my fast paced year last year I kept getting sick (and I mean REALLY sick). I think that was God's way of helping me slow down. Since I wouldn't do it myself something had to do it for me. So this summer my number one goal wasn't anything on my list of "to-dos." Instead it was a time to rest and relax so my body, mind, and soul could relax and refocus. I feel very accomplished in doing that and my whole spirit is renewed because of my time of slowing down. When we take time to slow down we get things accomplished like I have this summer - and we do it well! I even enjoyed most of it because it was something I could do at my own paced (unrushed).

"Winners take time to relish their work, knowing that scaling the mountain is what makes the view from the top so exhilarating." -Denis Waitley

Have you taken time to slow down and

just enjoy the small things in life???