Last week was really nice. I took some time off of work to celebrate my wedding anniversary. The week before our anniversary flew by, then we took Friday and Monday off work to make a long weekend.
We tried to work hard the week before our anniversary so that we could truly relax and enjoy some time together over our 4 days off. So, we worked hard then we went fishing.
We spent one day at Meridian State Park (a place that I had never been). The park held special memories for my husband so I was happy to be there with him while he told me about each place we visited while we were there.
He had spent a lot of time there as a kid. As one of 3 boys, he enjoyed summers camping there with his parents. My mother in law had always been an avid fisherwoman so it comes as no surprise that the woman my husband married loves to fish.
Of course, he took his son camping there, as well. Now I know why he loves it so much. It is truly a lovely place to be, fishing or not. It was windy the day we were there so we fished in a little cove. The water at the end of the cove was covered with large water lilies. I had never seen anything like it before.
We didn’t catch many keeper fish, but I had fun catching perch when nothing else was biting. I also got to watch some unusual looking ants going about their business around the tree that was shading me.
The very next day we fished a little on the river behind our house. The river was at a higher level than normal due to the lake up stream letting water out, but there were a couple of places that looked like good places to fish.
There were a lot of little ones biting, but we eventually caught a couple of keeper catfish. After using up nearly all my bait on little bait stealers, I finally hooked into what turned out to be the biggest fish I have ever caught on the river. It was a catfish that looked to be about 5 pounds. It will add nicely to our Father’s Day dinner!
We had to do a little weed pulling and gardening, but I suppose that’s ok. You have to take care of the things you care about. We made sure that no work was done on our actual anniversary. We spent a quiet day at home, keeping out of the heat and enjoying the day.
Then, before we knew it, our time off was over. It was back to work and trying to get things done before Father’s Day weekend. Have you ever noticed how fast time seems to be moving? It feels like I am constantly running from one place/thing to the next.
Having the proper priorities has always been important, but these days it seems imperative. First, my sleep and self-care are very important to me. The older I get, I realize how not taking care of myself affects my ability to care for others.
Taking time to meet the needs of my loved ones is equally important. I have come to cherish moments as they happen so that I can be present. Lost opportunities to make a difference in others’ lives can never be replaced.
Timing is so important, and careful consideration of what is more important paramount because authenticity is always apparent whether it is good or bad.
So, occasionally I get behind in areas such as housework, farm work, writing for my health coaching business, and flower beds; those things are not as important as my relationships with people (and even caring for my animals).
Instead of getting this blog out on time, I baked my husband a cake for Father’s Day. I used a recipe that I got from a friend years ago before we began avoiding gluten. It was the very best carrot cake recipe ever!
This time I used gluten free flour and coconut sugar to make it fit our lifestyle a little bit better. Let me tell you that it is still the best carrot cake I have ever had. I will send it out to my subscribers within the next few days. You can make it traditional or gluten free, both are amazing.
I hope your Father’s Day was full of fun and great times. May your week be blessed.
Luke 6:36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.
