It's good to get away

Last weekend Sean took me along with him to St. Louis for the weekend. He is a T^3 Regional Instructor now. He was attending a meeting and speaking at a conference while I was making use of the free hotel accommodations.

The timing could not have been better. I've been feeling like I'm losing traction with homeschooling and have been slowly winding down on my energy. With the change of time the sun sets now around 5:45 and there really feels like there are not enough hours in the day for this mama. Also, I have been longing for some alone time to pray for my kids and consider their ongoing, yet changing needs. I was able to get some helpful books from the library to stir my thinking on these matters. More than anything, I needed to step away to get some perspective.

It had been a year since Sean and I had been away for some time together. Just having eight hours in the car to talk is a refreshment to me. It's good to hear his voice without interruption. It's a blessing to have the time to just share without the expectations of the everyday. After fourteen years, Sean continues to fascinate me.

You want to know the best part of my weekend? On Friday afternoon I was reading in the hotel lobby and overhead a conversation between two important people. They were talking about Sean. I seriously was not trying to ease drop, but there they weren't talking quietly and my little ears heard it all. They used words like, "Visionary. Hard working. Brilliant. Up and coming." By the time they were done I was sure that they would notice the smile on my face and realize something was up. They did not.

I have a lot of responsibilities, but I consider it my main purpose to support Sean in whatever God has called him to be and do. I'm certainly not perfect at this. Too many times the poor man is looking for clean clothes for work or something for his lunch. Too many times I fail to give words of encouragement, serve him cheerfully or show gratitude. Hearing those words Friday reminded me again that God is working in and through Sean to accomplish His purposes. May God be glorified.

So now I'm back home. No sleeping in until 10am, no bubble bath, no leisurely reading time, no HGTV, no time for reflection, no free breakfast, no exercising on a treadmill with it's own TV or blogging at Panera Bread. But, it's good to be back as a family and begin a new, better week together.

Okay, my other favorite was watching Calculus the Musical with a theater full of hysterical math teachers. Very funny.