BUCKET LISTS

Bluebonnets in Texas

Recently I watched a television program where one the primary themes running through the episode was that of a Bucket List.  Do you have a bucket list?

I love a quote that I recently adopted for my own.

MAKE MEMORIES, NOT DREAMS.  THE TIME IS NOW.

None of us know how much time we are allotted on this earth but I do know that it is not an infinite amount.  Having experienced the loss of loved ones and friends when it made no sense.  From infants to seniors - loss happens. 

Of this one thing I am certain.  God expects me to do my best with each and every day that he has given me to carry out his plan for me on this earth. That includes many things but mostly it is an attitude.

I am striving for an attitude that screams gratitude for all I have been blessed with - far beyond what I could have imagined.  As a girl that began this life with humble beginnings on a ranch in Texas, I realize I.AM.Blessed! 

I plan on making more memories and having fewer things that are just dreams. Take the time to check a few items off that bucket list. If you don't have one, make one. There is a great big world out there waiting for you to explore and enjoy. For indeed, the time is now!

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (NIV)

Retirement - What's Next?

How does one get to the end of a lifetime dream?  A dream that started when I was a little girl in Texas playing school with my friends and siblings. A career that spans over 30 years?  Well it is one day at a time.  I can remember when I was going to school to become a teacher with 3 kids and a husband that I didn't think I would ever get that degree and credential.  It seemed some days that this dream was more of a nightmare than a dream come true.  I sat on the end of the bed one morning crying saying I just can't do this anymore.  That's when my superhero, the mister in my life, springs into action.  He stated unequivocally, "YOU CAN'T QUIT.  YOU WILL ALWAYS REGRET IT." And he was right as usual.  I got through that day, graduation day, and now 33 years later I'm close to retirement day.  Besides being a wife and mom, teaching has been the greatest joy in my life.  It is truly the experience of a lifetime.  I wouldn't change a thing.

For all of those out there that may be sitting on the end of your beds wondering how you will get through the day, remember the journey may be hard - but the reward in the end will be worth it.  There are only 2 days left in my teaching career and I plan to relish each one of them. 

What's next?  That is the questions people most often ask me.  I don't know what's next yet.  But I do know it will be right for this season in my life.  I had a clear message that retirement was the first step to the next with this quote that came to me on January 2, 2016 - The time is now.

"There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens" Ecclesiastes 3:1

I am truly blessed beyond measure.

Blessed Beyond Measure

Clara