3) Nature's Beauty: The cottage is surrounded by the beauty and splendor of the Canadian Shield and I was overwhelmed with the importance of stopping and noticing everything around me. It's easy to be exclusively focused on the tasks of the weekends, without taking time to enjoy the majestic beauty. My father-in-law took this picture of a bee in daisies, which now graces my computer desktop. It's a good reminder of the sights and sounds of that special place, which I hope will inspire me into the winter season, after the daisies have faded and the bees retreated into hibernation.
7/05/2005
Cottage Weekend
Ahhh....Summertime at the family cottage. I spent last weekend with my husband's family at the cottage in the Whiteshell in Manitoba. Eight adults and six children between the ages of one and four. You get the picture.
Aside from the normal pandemonium of having so many people in such a small space, the weekend did cause me to reflect on a couple of important priorities in my life:
1) independence & Togetherness: How clear it was to me that being able to create one's own life independent of parents and family is critical, yet at the same time, having the ability to merge that life with family for a short period of time is also vital. There we were, five families that needed to coexist comfortably with our uniqueness while all the time bending and blending to create a cohesive whole, at least for that one weekend!
2) Contentment with Career: Everyone at the family gathering has a different vocation, from stay-at-home-mom to professor. I came away happy with my situation - business owner, stationery designer and author, mom, wife and violinist (yes, I play the violin!).
3) Nature's Beauty: The cottage is surrounded by the beauty and splendor of the Canadian Shield and I was overwhelmed with the importance of stopping and noticing everything around me. It's easy to be exclusively focused on the tasks of the weekends, without taking time to enjoy the majestic beauty. My father-in-law took this picture of a bee in daisies, which now graces my computer desktop. It's a good reminder of the sights and sounds of that special place, which I hope will inspire me into the winter season, after the daisies have faded and the bees retreated into hibernation.
3) Nature's Beauty: The cottage is surrounded by the beauty and splendor of the Canadian Shield and I was overwhelmed with the importance of stopping and noticing everything around me. It's easy to be exclusively focused on the tasks of the weekends, without taking time to enjoy the majestic beauty. My father-in-law took this picture of a bee in daisies, which now graces my computer desktop. It's a good reminder of the sights and sounds of that special place, which I hope will inspire me into the winter season, after the daisies have faded and the bees retreated into hibernation.
