My Side of the Family
I have not spoken very much about my side of the family in my weekly attempt at blogging but this is the day for all things 'McGowan'. I was born fourth in a family of six kids. My oldest sister, Maurita, lives in Florida with her husband Don. My brother, Bill, lives in Montana. My older sister, Cindy, lives in California with her husband Gary. My younger sister Toni is deceased. She died much too young, at age 38. My youngest sister, Suzanne, lives in Georgia with her husband Gregg. Because of how scattered we live across the country, we do not get to see each very frequently. I had not seen Bill in 12 years. That is too many years to pass without seeing a loved one. Bill planned a visit with Maurita and he invited his daughter, Izzy to join him. When I learned he and Izzy were going to be much closer to Ohio than half a country away, I decided to join them in sunny Florida. Maurita and Don's daughter Janice recently moved to Florida to be nearer to her parents and to experience the fun of living where it is always summertime and a beach is one minute away and not one day away. Maurita and Don's son, Dan, his wife, Jennifer and their two children, Pace and Oriel would be staying at Maurita's house. My gracious sister had 7 house guests and she maintained her welcoming attitude for our entire stay.
It was fun to interact with each other. We sat out on the back patio and enjoyed the breeze blowing gently off of the bay. We spent much time catching up on the events of the past years and reliving fun memories from our childhood. We promised not to let so much time pass before we reunited again. I hope and plan to fly out to Montana at least every two years because 12 years is much too long between visits.
My musings make me ponder my lack of time in front of the tabernacle. I had promised myself that I was going to spend time in our small Blessed Sacrament chapel at least once a week this summer. My plan was to simply sit in the presence of God. He knows the cares and concerns on my heart, I usually enumerate everything and everyone I need to pray for and all my worries, but I wanted to try to just sit and listen. I think tomorrow morning will be a perfect day to begin my weekly 'resting in God'.
I need to get my priorities straight and get my prayer life in order. The messy house will always be around and well, just plain messy. The piles of papers will always be around, mocking my lack of organization. The dishes and laundry will always need to be done. But I have to put the chores on a back burner and move God to the front and have my family lined up second. I don't want any additional time to go by without connecting with the people I love and without placing myself quietly in God's presence.
God's peace be with you,
Laurie
