Here we are already:  Week 4 of my sabbatical time just wrapped up and I’m now back at work.  Can you believe how fast that went?!  I can’t!

I’m telling you, dear dedicated readers (all 3 of you)… taking a sabbatical is an amazing thing!  It’s been quite the opportunity (and this is my 3rd sabbatical in 17 years at this firm).  This is, by far, one of the best benefits we are offered… and believe me, I utilize it to its fullest!

Let it be known:  I did not come back to work having cleaned or de-cluttered my entire house or having marked everything off my list of THINGS TO DO WHILE ON SABBATICAL, but I don’t really think that’s what this time is all about anyway.

If I could sum up the purpose of my sabbatical to you, it would be in these words…

We need to be intentional about creating and protecting the margins in our days, in our lives.

 

So, for the quick recap…

 

Sunday

Father’s Day is an emotional one for me.  I wish my Dad and I lived closer.  I so love our conversations, his tender heart, his patience, his perspective and passion for all things right-wing.  Additionally, I miss my Dad’s Dad, Erling.  Being together with him on Father’s Day would have meant that he would have prayed over lunch and I would have once again choked up during his prayer, just as he gets choked up.

Lastly, Father’s Day is an emotional one for me because of my Grampa Marvin who is no longer with us.  He passed away after suffering from dementia and our last weeks/months together were pretty meaningful to me.

The legacy that goes before us… our fathers, our mothers, our familial inheritance … for me, it’s priceless.  I am so blessed to have the family I have.  We’re not perfect, but we’re all we’ve got.  And that’s enough…

 

Monday

On Monday morning I attended a meeting with some local movers and shakers… and we’ve got something big up our sleeves. I can’t wait to reveal more information about this Grand Scheme… oh, it might kill me!

 

Tuesday

I enjoyed a leisurely morning catching up with a good friend over coffee and a pastry.  I don’t get to spend nearly enough time with this friend, but when I do I am hungry for more.  I so love learning from older women in our church.   It’s funny, during our time together she even said “I don’t mind being old.  I mean, I am.  I’m not going to lie.  It is what it is.”

This individual, someone I consider a mentor, has a lot to teach others.  And I pray for the opportunities before her… that she will find the courage to “put herself out there”.  I know that her ministry (which is her, just being her) will bless so many others.  I pray for her daily… love you, dear friend!

 

Wednesday / Thursday

As the sabbatical was winding down I knew I didn’t want to over-schedule, over-task and over-commit.  So I left these days wide open, intentionally.

I ran some errands…

 

However, I didn’t necessarily make any big time commitments.  My life is already packed full of emails, blogging, PR, social media posts, writing, driving, calling, … the list goes on.

I wanted to use these margins a bit differently… and I did so very intentionally.  Best decision I made for these two days.

 

Friday

And then it was time to go back to work.  I was reintroduced to my pc (to which I forgot my password – of course!).  And was warmly welcomed back, by way of 799 emails.  No kidding.  And so it begins…  but I’m feeling refreshed, recharged and restored.  My focus is back.

 

And I’m reminded of Colossians 3:23… when I’m struggling at work, when I’m having a problem focusing, when I’m wishing I had more time off to adventure through life, when I’m dreaming about big Grand Schemes… I am reminded of this verse.  And I am grateful for my job, the opportunities before me, my sabbatical benefit… the list goes on!

 

My Heavenly Father knows my emotional, financial, relational, spiritual and physical  needs… and He has met them, EVERY.SINGLE.ONE.OF.THEM… and then some!  And for that, I am ever so grateful!

 

But let me go back to the beginning of this post with this question… are YOU intentionally creating and protecting the margins in your life?  Are you leaving room for the Holy Spirit to direct you to act, to help someone out, to sacrifice something of your own for others, for sitting and listening, for reading an extra chapter, for spending more time looking up at the stars?

What does that look like for you?  Leave a comment in the section below… I want to hear how YOU create and protect those margins… after all, I’ve already started the list for the next sabbatical!