keeping it slow

For 2013, this is my mantra: Keep it slow. As Jason and I have thought about this year, we feel that this is a Sabbath year for us. Starting in 2006, when we started dating, we've gone through at least one big life transition every year (whether that's engagement, marriage, child #1, buying a home, child #2, new job, etc.)...and for the last six years, life has often felt like a whirlwind - a fun and exciting one, but a whirlwind nonetheless. This year, our 7th year together, it feels like it's time to rest, learn, receive and grow. So that is our prayer and hope for this year. Practically, we are learning to "keep it slow". This has now become somewhat possible for us thanks to the husband's new job. We can have days that we keep free - where we don't have plans, and we can stay in or go out based on what feels right. We are not rushed or stressed about a schedule, we are able to just be. These days may still be exhausting with the two boys, but it is also, in its own way, restful for us as a family - we can focus on each other, let go of schedules, and just be...together. Keeping it slow also means we do not rush through our routines - something that I am trying to improve on. In the morning, we make our beds without being in a rush - we try to have fun with it, sing a song, dance a little (at 7am in the morning? yes, well not all the time, but we try and keep it slow!). We sit down to read the (kids) bible, and are not upset when the 16-month old keeps coming over to close the book. Keep it slow. We make and eat breakfast, without a sense of rushing out the door. You get the idea...of course there are days that don't look calm or slow, but that is what we are working towards. One thing about keeping things slow is that it gives us the mental energy to learn new things... We are hoping to attend some conferences and seminar together - as a way of learning and receiving. We both have found attending conferences to be so life-giving and enriching, and we hope this year allows us to attend some. This January, I have also been collecting a pile of books I am looking forward to reading. In addition to being in the Word daily, I am excited about my list of to-reads this year. I have become somewhat of a non-fiction nerd (and currently thinking a lot about family life, if you can't tell), but here are some of the books that are at the top of my list: Living Out Loud; Last Child in the Woods; The New Strong Willed Child; Offering the Gospel to Children; and The Meaning of Marriage. We'll see what this year brings, as often our best plans and intentions do not always work out...but for now, this is our hope for this year.