From Sammie:

 

Go Gently Into the Day

            All my life – until retirement six years ago – I bounded out of the bed, hit the shower, and raced off to school or work. Many times that meant getting in the car and backing out of the driveway only to find that I’d forgotten something and had to go back, unlock the door, and go through the leaving process all over again!

            Of course, when my family was growing up, it also meant getting a herd of other people ready to get out of the house with school supplies, lunches, and signed homework.

            Needless to say, mornings were not gentle during those years.

            Now, one of the greatest blessings of retirement is going gently into the day. For the first time in my life, I sleep without waking to an alarm. If I read until 1:00 a.m., I may sleep later. If I have a specific project on my mind, my internal alarm sounds earlier.

            A well-planned, healthy breakfast (as opposed to a Pop-Tart) and reading the paper start my day. Then my quiet time with God when I read a devotional and have some prayer time. (I save my in-depth Bible study time for later in the day after my mind is working better!) Next, I tackle whatever housework needs to be done – and, in the summer, add some gardening to that.

            So that’s my morning NOW. But it wasn’t always so.

            I remember the “not gentle” mornings so well. Screaming at my daughters to “Hurry up! You can’t be late!” Breakfast was pretty much what we could find. Lost shoes. Forgotten homework. And I loved the, “Oh, Mom! YOU didn’t help me with these spelling words!” So we would call out spelling words in the car on the way to school. I’d arrive at my work completely frazzled to start my day there, and my children remembered a mom who last words that morning were, “Get out of the car! Hurry!!.”

            So for those of you who read about my gentle mornings now and you’re thinking, “Well, good for her! But that’s surely not my life.” It wasn’t my life until recently, either.

            Here are some ways you can make your mornings more gentle:

·        Get up in time to get yourself ready before the kids wake up. Exercise, shower, makeup, whatever. You’ll be in a better mood for your children when they do wake up.

·        Do whatever you can to prepare for the next day on the night before. Have a special place to put backpacks and whatever else needs to be carried out of the house. Make lunches, if possible. Check to see that all homework is done. Lay out clothes for the next day. (I well remember the clothes battles in the mornings when we had no time for that!)

·        Most Important: Resolve to stay calm. Believe me, I was anything but calm in the morning during those years when my children were at home. But I think now about how much better their days and mine would have been with a peaceful start. Smile. Sing a morning song together. Sit at the table and have a real (simple, gentle) breakfast. Allow enough time to avoid hurrying.

·        Pray with your children in the car on the way to school. This is something my friend, Lisa, always did with her children. Frankly, I was usually screaming at my children or giving instructions. But Lisa asked her two boys what they needed to pray about that day. They prayed for their day, for their teachers, for each other, and any other concerns. Eyes open and hearts alert!

No matter what your circumstances in life, with some planning you can go gently into the day, too.