Monday, August 06, 2007

Exhausting Week

Well, we've officially started what I've termed our "exhausting week." This is the week of the summer that, if we can just get through, I will begin to feel that I can breathe again!

Several weeks ago, when we made the decision (for our family's health and well-being) that I would step down from my job at the church office, we thought it made sense for my last day to be this coming Friday, the 10th. It did make sense...then. The one big thing we weren't thinking of, however, was that it would mean my last week at the church would run concurrently with our church's VBS program. D., as the Christian Education director, is ultimately in charge of that program and also heavily involved in the hands-on carrying out of components: the dramatic skits at the beginning (it seems that most men really harbor not so secret desires to dress up like pirates) and the Bible reflection times with the various age groups throughout the morning. The sweet girl is attending the VBS, so this is really a family affair, and we're having to leave the house early each morning to get us all where we need to go at church in plenty of time.

I've tried to help "behind the scenes" with the VBS, especially helping to prepare some of the Bible reflections on the theme of treasure. I had hoped I might be able to help with actual teaching, by my time at the office is pretty tied up. Since we haven't yet been able to hire my successor, I'm trying to wrap up all sorts of odds and ends with the administrator job: revise my job description; file mountains of papers (filing has always gotten short shrift because I'm always skimming off the top of urgent things in my twenty hours per week); make tasks lists of the basic things that need to be done each week; find and train volunteers willing to do them, etc. I spent about six hours at the office today instead of the usual four, and I'm beat.

It's all good, but all tiring...and this week too shall pass, to paraphrase one of my wise Mama's favorite sayings. (She loved "this too shall pass" and "may this be the worst day of your life" whenever I complained...which of course I did a lot during adolescence!). I'm not really complaining here, just taking a deep breath. I know we are moving toward more spaciousness and room in our schedules, and I am so looking forward to that. For now, I just need to rely on God's grace to get through a week of way too much to do and way too little time to sleep.

4 comments:

Erin said...

Whew! I'd say you have a busy week ahead! Funny, isn't it, how all of the busy-ness seems to strike at once? I'll say an extra prayer for your sanity this week! :) I always loved VBS week, and I wish we still did it. It always was a pretty stressful week but definitely a lot of fun!

Beth said...

Argh! That's my pirate voice. :-) Yes, stressful and a lot of fun about sums it up. I am just worn out...and it's only Monday!

Some dear friends of our's sent us a check, hoping we could take a vacation. We are plotting to take at least a couple of days away week after this one...assuming we survive. And believe it or not, we're once again contemplating coming your way. Would you be around at all sometime around the 14th-15th? Just in case we manage to pull this off...I'd love to get together!

Erin said...

I've got an appointment for a couple hours on the 15th; otherwise I'll be here and I'd be tickled pink to get together! :D

Beth said...

Great! The only thing standing in our way right now is one more car repair which we're trying to schedule for Monday. I don't know if we can travel much of any distance without getting it done first...we'll see.

I'll email sometime today or tomorrow and check in with you more about some possibilities we're looking at as far as where to go, where to stay, when we might be there. We really need a couple of days away!