Looking Ahead & Planning for 2023

I THINK I've sent out all my Christmas letters for this season. Oddly enough, by Saturday night it appeared that I had only about dozen names (or families) to whom I wanted to send my letter yet. However, on Sunday and all day yesterday, it seemed that each time I sent out one or two letters I came up with another one or two names to whom I should also send a letter. Somehow that to-do list stayed at about 12 most of the day yesterday.

By late afternoon I was getting somewhat exasperated at myself. Why not just decide I'd done enough, and quit when I got to the end of the present list?

But in the back of my mind I could hear my Mom saying in Plaut Dietsch (low German), "Van aul dan aul!" Which translates roughly in English to, "IF you start, go ALL the way!"

So... by the time I was going into the kitchen to make supper I had come to the end of my list. But I haven't put that list away yet, because I know another name may come to me today yet or even later this week. Since it doesen't cost me a stamp, just another 2-3 minutes to address another letter, save it as a PDF and start the email to these friends or relatives. (Often what takes longest is looking for their email address).

When I consider that I used to spend most of December making/sewing gifts, and making dozens of cards, and cranking off up to 100 of my Christmas letter from stencils on the Gestetner - it is obvious that I've already shortened my pre-Christmas workload a LOT! So why am I sighing because of another email to send a digital edition out?

Oh, I know! It's because I'm impatient to get to the roasting and baking towards the end of this week, and I'm getting rather excited as I daydream about next week.

Now, I don't know anyone else who does this, but it has become my private little practice to set aside the last week in the year (next week!) for a Prayer & Planning Retreat. I set aside my usual schedule and agendas (Right! That means there will be no RoseBouquet next Tuesday!) and I spend time talking over with the LORD, all the things that were on my daily and weekly agendas for this year. We decide which items have to go. Probably because they were not productive enough. Maybe useless.

I ask the LORD, what projects HE wants me to continue, or take up and we look at my daily and weekly schedules to see when exactly I will work on these things. Experience has taught me not to cram too many things into those schedules; else I will become frustrated to the point of tears. But this weighing the purpose and value of certain projects is good for me. I get a new enthusiasm for the best ones, and become willing to let go of the unproductive ones.

Sometimes we review my hobby/interests. Arts and crafts often come up, but don't show enough value so get shoved off. Gardening usually wins some place because it gives me some physical exercise in the summer and some free vegetables to eat. But this past summer it ate up more time than I'd meant to give. I'll have to find ways to streamline that better.

I can give you some idea of my priorities the first Tuesday of January.

My bedroom cactus, after a week of dripping with theses pink blossoms. (This shade of pink is my most favourite of many colours!)

The same cactus after a half turn so as to see all the new buds. Did you know that the best way to get a Christmas Cactus to have lots and lots of flowers is to let it sit near a cold window in winter? The chill triggers the creation of blooms! Once I see buds up against the window, I turn the plant so I can see the full-sized blooms in the room, and new buds can start next to the window.

The leaf-branches of two cactii up in the high east window each sent a leaf-stem through the screen mesh and grew a flower between the screen and window pain. I've hesitated to pull the plant away as it will ruin those flowers. This shot gave the best view of this.

The backyard garden is taking a winter holiday, but I do get to enjoy some indoor plants. Maybe another time I'll show you all the baby aloe vera plants I've potted. Rows upon rows! (These only bloom very rarely).

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