We went to Heaven!

This weekend we went to "Heaven", well "as close as you can get to Heaven on Earth. We went down to the beach. We always go in the late afternoon. We started this because my son and I have that good Irish/Scottish fair, freckled skin. My son also when he was young could not have sun tan lotion on as it caused him to break out. We arrive at the beach around 5pm, walk to "Gee Gee's" the pizza/ hamburger stand. We get some greasy pizza and fries. Then we go out on the beach. The kids play in the water with my husband, and I walk the beach looking for shells. Actually this time I sat and read a book. Lately I've been thinking how nice it is that my children are older. I don't have to be constantly watching them. They don't need my constant attention. I have been reflecting on this a lot as I'm out in my garden at 6 in the morning. I can get up and go out and work in my garden and they take care of themselves. This has been the first summer that I've had this time just to myself. I have to say I love it. I also can go out in the evening, or I can just get in my Papasan and read. The kids they take care of themselves. When they were little I always had to be watching them, or playing with them. Now they do their own thing and I have more time to focus on who I am and the things in life that I want to do. Of course I still have to do stuff for them, but it's not like it used to be. In fact the other week my husband and I took a walk and the kids stayed home and it was just a wonderful moment.
I wanted to find a good beach book to read over the summer. If anyone has a suggestion of a good summer beach themed book let me know. I just finished my second book of the summer.
The book is called " I Remember You" by Harriet Evans. It was a good book. It took awhile for me to connect with the characters and I think that was because it is based in the UK. One thing I noticed was that there were 3 generations of making poor relationship choices. It had three generations of summer love gone bad, and how each affected the other. Thankfully the last generation figures it out in the end.
I did find some connections to the characters. One of the characters worked at a bank and had left for the country because they were burnt out. (Most of my college and my young single adult life was centered in the banking world. It was so stressful. I will never go back!) The character spent 5 months doing pretty much nothing and then figured out that she really needed a job and order in her life. I know this is something I desperately need in my life. I need things to be in order, and I need a schedule. Even in the summer where you kind of relax and go at a slower pace, I'm finding I like to keep a schedule. I have told my husband that despite the fact that he is unemployed he should still set up a schedule for himself. Have a schedule of things to do every day. One of the things I'm starting to do this week is get my life and house in order. I'm working through each room in our house and cleaning and organizing. No more piles. The kitchen is almost done.
A quote in the book that I really liked was this " Sometimes it's harder to watch and be powerless than to be in the eye of the storm, at least you know where you are when you're in the eye of the storm..... Being on the sidelines, watching someone and not being able to help them, if you truly love them- that's hard."
It is a very hard place to be, watching someone else struggle, but not really being able to help because you know that person has to figure it out on their own.
I'll warn you if you decided to read this book it does have some language and some descriptions that are not very virtuous.
Change... If I could give you one word that describes the course of my families life it is "Change"
2010 is to me "The Year of Change". Both my husband and I will be looking for and hopefully finding new jobs. Both my children are changing schools in the fall. My son has moved from primary to the Young Men's program in church. Many of our friends in church have or are moving. My in laws are trying to sell their house and move.... I think that the list of change will get bigger before it gets smaller. In fact I'm not sure the change will ever end. But to me today, it seems a little too much. I'd like to go back to the beach and just sit there forever... or for at least what would seem like forever!