Too Much Martha

Over the last few weeks I have been thinking about the story of Martha and Mary from the New Testament. Sadly I see a little too much of Martha in me. It isn't that I have let myself go spiritually. I attend my church meetings do my visiting teaching and even make time for my institute class. I try to be the responsible one. I try to see that everything gets done on time. I get so focused on being efficient that I often fail to focus on what is most important like building relationships and making a difference in people's lives.

I can't say that I will ever be perfect at it but it is my latest focus. This means that I am going to have to slow down school and I probably will not finish my degree in my 6 month time frame but I am totally okay with that. This will allow me to enjoy my time in Phoenix and now I am going to Hawaii, yes again. :) It will also allow me to focus on my sister Cate and her family when they come to visit and not get so worked up about the things that I am not getting done while they are here and just be happier to be with them.

When I was back in Minnesota I saw how good both my mother and my sister Cate are at focusing on relationships as I found myself rushed to fit everything in a very tight schedule.  My dear friend Mandi is also a great example for me. She will bend over backwards for just about anyone. I am sure it pays off for her in many ways. She has a huge network of people who care deeply about her and will jump in at any time she needs support. It also comes with other benefits like the fact that one of her friends is going to let us stay at their time share for free when we go to Kauai.

I admit it is a little sad that after all of these years I need to remind myself that it is the people in our lives that matter the most. We just all get too busy in these hectic times to remember that. We'll see how it goes, but I guess that is what life is all about, making mistakes, then working to grow and change over and over and over again.