The first 10 days have been full of changes, some minor and some major. My sabbatical began on Wednesday June 8. After my daily quiet time and reading from the devotional book which I have chosen for this year (Uncommon Life Daily Challenge) by Tony Dungy & Nathan Whitaker, the realization sunk in that Melissa would be here in the afternoon for good, FINALLY!!! I spent most of the day straightening the house and preparing for the major changes that were about to happen. She arrived around 6 and looking like Jethro Bodine coming up the driveway with her car packed the the limit with the remainder of “her stuff”. The only thing missing was Granny in a rocker on top of the car. After a few minutes of resting from her long drive and dinner, we unloaded the car and left the real unpacking for later. After four long years of waiting for this day it was finally here, and now the real fun starts.
We spent the next few days “moving in together”. This means we cleaned out drawers and closet space to accommodate Melissa’s clothes, shoes, and all the other “stuff” she brought with her. We found that I had a lot for items for Goodwill which had been pretty much just taking up space. Now the reality sets in, she’s here to stay forever this time!!! This was the biggest change for both of us, and one we have been looking forward to for a long, long time. We spent the next week together 24/7 and it has been an amazing time finally seeing everything God has put in place for us come to be. To top it all off we get to experience our sabbatical together, what a blessing! We have accomplished so many things over the past 10 days. The following is a synopsis of my first 10 days.
We have settled in to a routine of daily quite time alone. First thing each morning we find our spots to be alone and read. meditate, and pray. The book I have chosen to go along with my daily devotional is “Wild at Heart”, by John Eldredge. It is a very interesting take on how God created a man’s heart different from a woman’s. It’s full of descriptions of men in the scripture and how they are created for adventure, battle, and basically manly things. I also plan to read a small condensed book from Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life which is entitled “What on Earth Am I Here For”.
We have been shopping on several occasions. Lowes has been the number one target so far, but we also watched the bank account decrease as we have patronized a host of other local businesses in an effort to make the former single guy’s house into a home. Some of these stores such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Trees & Trends, and Hobby Lobby to name a few, were new to me but I have learned they are all part of the home improvement plan. I’m having to learn all over again that decoration is an important part of the marriage. Fortunately, I have a great teacher.
Our service project at the Ronald McDonald House ran into some timing and training issues, so we had to begin praying about finding something else. God provided that quickly for us as we stopped by The Salvation Army office on Friday. They were excited to see that we were not only looking for something to help with now, but also as an ongoing venture. They gave us a couple of events to work later in the month but also said they would like to interview us after they get our info in their system to see where we could fit in moving forward. We will be having that interview next week and are looking forward to seeing what doors open up for us as a couple.
The office: We had to find a way to rearrange my office so that Melissa could set up everything she needs to work from home. It is a large room which of course I had cluttered up with things that were not necessarily needed. We were able to find a new piece of furniture for the scanner/printer during one of our shopping ventures. Not sure what was wrong with the folding card table I had it on but she said it had to go. We bought Melissa a new office chair (much nicer than mine by the way) and set up her desk, then tested her computer and phone equipment which is all working well. We also went thru my filing cabinets which I also found were filled with old useless papers and documents. By the time we finished with my stuff and some that she brought with her to go thru, we accumulated almost 100 pounds of paper that we hauled away to be shredded. We now have one small filing cabinet and have all of our personal documents combined in one drawer and my business files in another. A sense of accomplishment was felt by all!!!
We have been busy but have found plenty of time to rest and relax. Sleeping in every morning is a pleasure. One of us seems to sleep in later than the other but I won’t get into that. We have found several movies and Netflix series to watch in the evenings. We even spent one evening watching our Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup Finals. They lost but it was fun introducing Melissa to another sport and realizing that we have crazy NHL fans in Tennessee too. We spend time just sitting outside talking and planning the next days activities, or lack of activity, whichever the case may be. We have spent two afternoons so far with more to come, at the pool in the apartment complex where we just moved my mom. My sister and I have helped mom sell her house and move her into a very nice one level apartment. She just couldn’t handle the stairs any longer so we have been dealing with this for the last few months but now she is moved in. It’s only five minutes from where we live so Melissa will be able to help us keep an eye on her. We have already been by to visit with her three or four times since Melissa arrived.
Exercise: We have made time to walk on the Greenway here in Cleveland. It is a beautiful 4 mile stretch which has been built over the last 10 years for walking/running and bicycling. It runs beside a creek, through a couple of parks, and parallel to one of the main streets in town. There are several different areas where you can park, depending on where you want to start and how far you want to go. We are walking a different section each time.
So far, just having the time off from work has been the hardest thing to get use to. Even when I’ve been on vacation, I would still get phone calls and texts from customers as I’m sure everyone else in the field does also. Being able to let everyone know ahead of time and explain the sabbatical has made such a difference. I said it has been hard to get use to, not impossible. I have adjusted and the feeling of freedom is amazing. Now that the moving in, unpacking, redecorating, and making changes is in the books, I look forward to the next 20 days which will be more calm and peaceful. We will be taking a couple of road trips to enjoy the beautiful area where we live and make sure Melissa gets to spend some time in the mountains that she loves so much. But mostly I see myself taking the opportunity to relax and pay attention to what God has in store. I’ll let you know how the next 10 days goes.