There is a gentleman on my porch right now blowing away the leaves that have fallen from the trees in my front yard. There’s also a pumpkin spice candle burning in my dining room, I just finished a pumpkin-pie-flavored protein shake, and today I’m wearing a bright orange t-shirt with a blue jean jacket over it. I stopped at a road-side market this morning and bought a squash and some green peppers for soup. Do you see a theme here? It’s Fall here in “Pure Michigan,” or “sweater weather” as I like to call it (because I probably own about 40 beautiful sweaters, including one I haven’t worn yet – made by my friend’s mom to resemble one I wore back in the 1970’s). The seasons are changing fast, and we all know exactly how to prepare. We can tomatoes, store food, freeze soup, attend chili cook-off’s, and go apple picking whether we like apples or not. We start making Christmas gift lists and wish lists because before you know it – those guys on my porch will be shoveling snow, not blowing leaves!
Life has its seasons as well. Some of them we see coming, others take us by surprise. Some we can prepare for, others – not so much. Some we cherish – others are just really, really hard.
I’m not retirement age yet, so I still work full time, but always, always planning for that retirement “season” of life. But life has been unexpectedly busy for the past many months, with less time to spend with my grand babies, less opportunities to go to the gym (sorry, Doc), and a lot more time tending to family needs, and then topped off with a recent last-minute trip to Colorado to assist with more family needs. Whoever said that empty nesting would bring with it a much simpler life didn’t know what they were talking about, or must not have ever raised a family. I’m an empty nester, but I’m definitely still pretty busy.
Chatting this morning with my friend at breakfast, I mentioned that I was trying so hard to “balance” doing everything I have to do including maintaining and nurturing friendships. She was quick to encourage me not to “balance” my life, but to “prioritize” it. Ah! yes! Prioritize! BRILLIANT! I’ve been unknowingly, and unnecessarily, trying to keep everyone happy, and in the process of doing that, have exhaustingly spread myself way, way too thin; except for some reason, I’m still not thin. Who came up with that saying anyways? Geez, I wish.
Yes, PRIORITIZE! I’ve been thinking about that this afternoon and realized that I have friends who have kindly and graciously included my Mom in our fellowship, called and offered to sit with her, or even be available to drive her wherever she needs to g0, and even though she is not interested in company or help from my friends – I’ve been really blessed by those who have offered. They’ve actually helped me to prioritize the things that matter most. My authentic and genuine friends have recognized and jumped right into this season of my life as if it were a big pile of freshly raked leaves, and made it possible for me to prioritize where God would have me right now.
Friendship is so much more than lunches and dinners, road trips and shows. Friendship is about jumping from whatever season you’re currently in, to jumping in with a shovel, a rake, a phone call, or a simple bowl of soup, right into the middle of someone else’s completely different season.
And the moral of the story is – you’re not going to drop a few sizes and get your figure back by spreading yourself too thin. So prioritize instead, and let your besties help you. They’ll be around whether it rains or snows, and whether it’s been 6 days or 6 months since you’ve seen them. And those, my friends, are the ones worth making a priority.
“A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24 ESV
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