Last week I broke the Cardinal Rule of Bloggers. Moreover, I did it on purpose. As a rules-follower-to-the-bone, this came as a surprise even to me! So let me elaborate.
I didn’t publish a blog post last week. (Gasp!)
That may not sound like a big deal to you, but in my line of work, not publishing is a pretty big no-no. Breaking your planned rhythm of posting (for me, weekly) is bad. No new post means a dip in website traffic and a dip in traffic means lost momentum and pretty soon you’re on a fast track to Loser-ville in the online world.
It’s like “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie” but for bloggers. 
And yet I chose not to publish. And I have a good reason.
I was busy with my life!
In JUST the last seven days here’s what I’ve been up to:
1) We road-tripped with my little family of five and headed eight hours* East for a family reunion (all the descendants of my maternal great-grandparents). This is an every-several-year event and one I haven’t missed since the time I was the youngest attendee at the very first event back in 1976! I loved SO MUCH watching my littles make fast friends of their second and third cousins and rehashing family stories with this clan. Time with them reminds me of who I am in a way nothing else really does.
*yep, that’s one way
2) The next day, we hosted a 50th anniversary party for my adorable parents. Since half the wedding party was already in one place for the aforementioned reunion, we decided to use that opportunity to invite the REST of the crew for a party the next day in my parents’ honor. So last Sunday after church, fifty guests joined us at a lovely historic hotel in State College, Pennsylvania for “Brunch and Bubbly” and raised a glass to my sweet parents and their long-standing, example-setting, faith-testament marriage. What a joy to see them reach this milestone together, and to have the chance to gather friends and family to celebrate with them!
3) Three days later, we hosted my dear friend and her daughters for a two day visit at our home. As I’ve said before I love nothing more than hosting overnight guests at our house and this particular family was such a treat. My daughter teased that I was acting like it was my birthday since I was so excited about their arrival! While we missed having our spouses involved (mine was traveling and hers was litigating) we were blessed with perfect weather and lots of outdoor time for sharing meals on the patio, exploring the local bike trail, and going deep into conversation. I could not have loved this more.
And no joke, later this afternoon, we’ll pack up the car again for 2+ days with my husband’s parents and siblings and their kids! Sixteen of us in all for even more family time and memory-making.
Next week? A family wedding back East for one last big hurrah before we turn our attention to Back-to-School preparations and fall sports…
I could call this busy (and it certainly is) but lately I haven’t been thinking of it that way. Lately I find myself saying “Life is full and rich” and meaning just that. I’ve designed my life to accommodate these surges of family time without making me feel overwhelmed and exhausted. I am accepting help – from my husband, and my amazing mom, and my children – and that is making it easier to fit everything in. I’m saying no to some things so I can say yes to others.
And importantly, I’m savoring these chances to deepen relationships and to bask in the presence of the people I love.
I hope you are, too. Let’s try to remember this important advice.
Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.
Question: Are you designing your life to make room for the activities and the people you love the most? What could you shift to put even more emphasis on the most important relationships in your life? What accomplishment might you have to give up in order to do so?
