Scheduling Conflicts

Can I say how much I loooooove my snood from Garlands of Grace? I got it for Christmas, and I wish I had all the colors. It's probably my favorite headcovering. I like the old-fashioned girlishness, and I especially like the comfort. I can turn my head any which way. It doesn't budge, slip, pinch, or itch. It feels like nothing is there, which is an incredibly important quality to find in a headcovering.

I think I will love it more when I actually have the hair to fill it out. Right now, I wear a bandanna tied in a basic kerchief style underneath to give the illusion that I have long, flowing locks under there. Otherwise, the snood would just kind of hang pitifully. Someday I'll have the real thing to cover up.

No one else in my family seems to share my snood enthusiasm, though. They neither hate it nor love it. But, I actually got a compliment from my oldest today regarding my clothes. She said, "I like your dress, Mom. I mean...I wouldn't wear it, but it looks good on you!" Ah, my heart is full... :)

I'm procrastinating. I have a pile of crocheting to do. I have two afghans for family members that I've been working on for a ridiculously long period of time. There's the scarf that my daughter has been requesting all winter. I also have an afghan to assemble for the charity crochet/knit/fiber arts group at my parish.

I used to run a group online, where I accepted items from all over the country and beyond to distribute to the children my husband worked with in foster/residential care. We distributed hundreds of afghans, hats, scarves, handmade toys, and other goodies over the two years the group was up and running. It was a great experience and a deep privilege to be able to find homes for the gifts that my members lovingly made. The group kind of ran its course, though, and I admit I was burned out. I ended the group last fall.

I decided to start a new group for people I know in real life at my parish, and make it a fun social event as well. The ladies come over to my house once a month, and we eat, chat, laugh, and work on our projects. Right now, we're finishing up blankets for an orphanage in Guatemala that a group from the parish is visiting next week. That means I have another deadline to add to my list.

My basket of crochet UFO's (UnFinished Objects) is a visual reminder of all the unfinished things in my life. It seems like every corner of my world has one. They hang on a chain around my neck, weighing me down with frustration, stress, and dissatisfaction. The laundry that should be done. The household project put off until tomorrow---again. The homeschool planning that is done at the last minute rather than in advance. The paperwork for my charity work that has been piling up---for weeks. The Scripture that doesn't get read. The prayers that go unsaid. Unfinished business.

I know my health problems limit my energy. I have legitimate excuses for putting some things off. But it has to stop somewhere. There has to be a time when I accept no excuses.

For all my unfinished business, I find the time to finish quite a bit. The game with my son that has to wait, because I have to finish my computer time first. The book for my three year old that falls by the wayside, because I have to finish my phone call. The prayers that are rushed or non-existent, because I have to finish my television show. The things that matter don't get done, so the things that don't matter can.

It sure sounds bad when I read it in print. Sins are so ugly without the rose-colored glasses, aren't they? Guess I need to get down to business. Finish a few things I started, and leave a few lesser things undone.

I think tomorrow, I'll make a conscious effort to finish at least one thing on my list. Also, I'll pray like I mean it, not bits and pieces fit into the craziness of the day. Lastly, I'll stop what I'm doing to do something for someone else. When I'm asked, I won't say "wait a second", "when I'm done", or "huh? I wasn't paying attention to what you were saying, because I was too wrapped up in my selfish, self-centered universe where my own comfort, schedule, and convenience is really the only thing that ultimately matters to me". Rather, I'll answer "can you?" with "yes"; "have you?" with "already finished", and "when?" with "right now".