One More Week

Well, we have made it to the last week of summer vacation.  Cross country practice has officially started for the kids and also band rehearsals.  If you haven't noticed my kids like to be busy.  Both of their school schedules came today and they seem eager to start the year.  I get my van schedule on Thursday during my meeting.  Tonight my daughter goes in for high school orientation.  It's all happening so fast.  

The week will end with my daughter's 14th birthday.  Then will be my dad's 78th birthday over the weekend so I'm planning some things for him.  On Saturday my oldest sister and her husband came to visit them from New York so I went over to see them.  It was nice to see them but it's also not easy.  My family are loud, vulgar, judgmental and have views about things that are oppositive of mine.  This makes it difficult being around them but I do try.  I leave my parents' house with a tension headache and regret of not standing up for myself.  All I want is peace.  I no longer want to focus on the past, as my father always seems to do, and I just want to live a life honoring God and focusing on my own little family, which already has it's own little challenges.  

With the school year beginning will come a set routine again.  Every day will be busy and I'll be glad to start making money again.  I'm going to embrace these last few slower paced days and try not to think too much about what's to come.  The introverted me got used to not having a routine.  

I'll end with the picture I took this morning of another butterfly on my lavender butterfly bush.  I'm not sure it's true but I heard the Monarchs will soon be extinct.  I hope not.  We need more of this beauty in the world.