Winter Break Camp GiGi

Week one of 2018 was a Camp Gigi week.  I met my daughter halfway or so and we switched vehicles...her SUV packed with 4 of the 5 grandkids and all sorts of their stuff to survive winter at GiGi and PaPa's for a few days.  

It was a good time. We were under a snow deluge that kept us from actually going anywhere except out in the snow.  The youngest girl was not a big fan of the snow.  This meant I spent a lot of the time shooing the bigger kids out in all their gear and staying inside carrying the 3-year-old from window to window, following the older kids as they went from snow bank to snow bank, encouraging her to fall in love with winter play…not successfully. So, it didn’t go exactly as planned, but, it brought the grandkids together here, gave their parents a bit of a break, gave them a bit of a break and I hope, created some memories.  I survived numerous cups of hot chocolate, enough marshmallows to choke a horse, and only three major spills.  Those came on one day, within about two hours of each other and only slightly tested GiGi's patience and good humor.  

I am in a county in Indiana that is known for its lake effect snow.  Ten miles away could have zero snow and we’ll have a foot of the fluffy stuff.  I am really not kidding when I say snow deluge.  The week of Camp GiGi, initially projected for an  “accumulation of 1” to 3” possible”, drastically changed to dumping 24” to 30” of snow.  Yes, that’s right…30” of snow in about 3 days.  It is magical, yes, and beautiful to be sure, but, come on.

 

The good news was there was little to no wind so there was no drifting, the roads were very clear, considering the amount of snow.  Secondly, it remained super cold and the snow remained light and powdery and fun.  It did trash the ice on the lake so our planned skating was a bust, but, the days of snow without end really went very well.  I had planned a family gathering for skating and brunch.  Skating was out but snow play and brunch was in.  We had a great time together, as we usually do, eating way too much and enjoying each other’s company.

Now, the kids are back in school, the parents are back at work…we are back in our routine.  I look forward to 2018 and trying a new program for staying organized called Bullet Journaling.  You can find out more about it at bulletjournal.com  I am going to incorporate budgeting into this format, too.  This time next year both hubs and I will be retired and our income significantly reduced…I have some lofty goals for 2018, and am spending this next few days setting up the format and our budget.  Have also made the Christmas returns I needed to make and scheduled some medical appointments that have been looming.  Reminding myself again of my word (see last week’s post) 2018 has begun and I am in with INTENT! 

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Days of love.

After a particularly horrific national event on October 1 of this year I began posting a “days of love” on Facebook. Pretty much without fanfare or announcement,  I wanted only to post reasons for us to love, to feel love, to give love, to just love.  I have posted pictures on my timeline of kids, dogs, nature, my kitchen, coffee cups, crab cakes.  Everything, from minor to major, of love.

 

A few years ago there was this big push, I think because of something Oprah, or one of her guests, said, to keep a gratitude journal.  Before long, there were journals, books, devotional readings all centered around gratitude.   I wonder how many of us are still keeping those journals? Those lists? Are we sufficiently grateful now, ten years or so down the road?  I occasionally see reflections of gratitude posted on social media, mostly around Thanksgiving, but are we no longer thinking of gratitude daily? Or did we train our minds to center on gratitude so well that now we don’t have to be purposeful? Those that went through that exercise and made those lists are caught up, so to speak?

I have a confession.  I didn’t do a gratitude journal or list, or a page a day calendar.  It’s not that I wasn’t grateful at the time, or that I’m not grateful now…it’s more like procrastination on my part or even (I am reluctant here, but transparent) disorganization, apathy, laziness…a possibility of any one or a number of those traits.

I have never been much of a joiner, or a trend/fad follower.  I have been isolated and independent,  a loner, an observer.  May be because of the childhood traveling thing,  but,  I am not the first to volunteer, or contribute…I am a hand sitter.  So while many were expressing their gratitude and seemingly taking pleasure and satisfaction from doing so, I sat on my hands. 

When the attitude of gratitude campaign was underway, we were not on Facebook.  There was no daily sharing of our item of gratitude that day, so it was very much a personal list.  Maybe we spoke it to each other in conversations; we were also encouraged to express our gratitude of a person to him or her, so we shared it to some extent with each other.

I started posting my “days of love” on my Facebook timeline in response to some awful stuff. I post a picture or comment daily on Facebook because I’ve set myself out there as a writer, as someone who shares. For this non-joiner, non-fad follower to share a post of love, to expose my heart and raise my hand …it is a bit of a big deal.  I appreciate, very much, those of you who have sent me messages of support, of encouragement, and even of gratitude. Thank you. 

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