Who are We Really?

I am really praying for a quiet weekend, but I am pretty sure it will turn out to be more of the same that I've had this past few months - one of being scheduled to the hilt! I want two days to lay abed, to read and doze and maybe contemplate my navel!! We are way too busy and way too tired these days. I'm strugglin even to calm the days and weeks just a bit I unwind, so I'm taking the evenings (And even later sometimes.) by turning off the tube and reading or writing, or simply taking a little time in my comfy bed.

I think we as a nation are over tired, over stressed and empty in the contentment column. (Note that I did not say the happiness column - though it is used in the Declaration of Independence it isn't a reachable goal but I believe a calm, content life is something to strive for in this day of no money as we live with the reality of our economical constraints as well as the fears. It is not easy these days for those of us in the "average American" part of this country. Fulfillment must now come from something other than the gathering or acquisition of things.

Today mine comes from grandkids, and days spent in the company of those special little people; in the quiet of a very small, comfortable home that affords peaceful places to read, think and write; in the kitchen where I can mix, knead and bake bread to my heart's content; and finally in my garden where my creativity is tied up with the plants and flowers that grace that small diamond shaped piece of ground.

My personal peace is also found in the friendships that are not bound up in constant dinners out or parties, but rather in good conversations and even moments of silent companionship. We as a country really need to find our true selves outside of the jobs or the money, and find out who we are down deep inside, that way we can learn to rely on that honesty to set the tone for the rest of our years.