Last week we found out the gender of the newest Smithette!
And the answer?
It’s . . . a . . . BOY!
That means that Madi will be the permanent princess, surrounded, protected, and loved by a bunch of fellas. Who she will probably boss around.
I also grew up with three brothers (in addition to two younger sisters) and my mom said when it was time for them to get up in the morning I would stand at the bottom of the stairs, put one small hand on one small hip and bark, “Boys? BOYS! Time to get UP!”
I can see Madi taking after Grandma Smith and making them all those Smith Bros march in a straight line.
Meagan is due September 11 but her babies usually make their appearances early so we’ll see how it all turns out.
I had mentioned in the last post we would be leaving on our 30-day sabbatical on Sunday afternoon but then reality hit and we realized we would never be ready in time.
I am dumbfounded at how much work it has taken to prepare to be gone from my church job for a month. It’s been eye-opening (and not in a good way) for me to realize how many things I have done for the past 10 years that no one else had any clue how to do.
My encouragement to you is if you have tasks/responsibilities at work that no one else can do, train someone! If I had been in a car accident and was hospitalized for a month, there would have been a whole lot of really important things that would have come to a halt just because no one else knew how to do my jobs.
I have trained five people to do about a dozen different jobs which has meant working a whole bunch of additional hours over the past few weeks. But now I have the assurance that in the future, if I need to be off from work unexpectedly, I have people who can capably fill in.
In addition to working the extra hours and tending to an ongoing, never-ending list of things I could NOT forget to remember, we also decided to offer our home for two of the four weekends to the two couples who will be doing the preaching and music while we are gone.
As you all know, having someone STAY in your home is much different from having someone come over for dinner. Having someone stay means you have to think about shower stalls, and clean sheets and vintage collections of dust. (Although we are happy to host them because we are so grateful to have their help while we are gone.)
At any rate, we got it in our heads that Steve needed to clean the carpet upstairs (in the midst of all the other hecticness) so this what our place looked like on Saturday morning.
We also decided to have a few people over for dinner on Friday night because we weren’t doing enough already! But it turned out to be a great and fun night and well worth doing.
So the bottom line is that with everything that’s been going, we decided not to leave Sunday afternoon and just do the whole trip to Ohio today. (Which meant getting up at 4 a.m. Yawn.)
When people have heard we were going to Ohio the first question has usually been, “What’s in Ohio?”
The answer is a place called Emerge. It’s a large counseling service that does a lot of work with pastors and missionaries–some who are in crisis, some who are not.
In Steve’s and my case, we are going for a non-crisis tune-up. We’ll spend four days with a counselor, taking a look at our marriage, our ministry, and our spiritual/emotional/mental health as individuals.
We have always encouraged the people in our church to get counseling at various seasons of life and we want to practice what we preach, taking the time to dig deep and find out what we’re doing well and also discover what we need to pay attention to.
Steve has often been quoted as saying, “I want to finish well” and going to Emerge is part of that finishing well process.
It should be an insightful week and a great way to start the sabbatical.
I’ve never packed for such a long period of time before so that’s been a challenge.
And what makes it even more of a challenge is that little Miss Summer waits till I put my articles of clothing on the bed and then immediately runs over and lays down on them.
I think she may possibly be saying, “I am NOT moving and YOU are not leaving!”
In closing, here are a few photos from our front yard featuring the glorious colors of the azalea bush. Every time spring comes along, I am in awe all over again at the artistry of God.
I will miss our lovely abode but I am looking forward to returning to it rested, recovered, and ready to finish well.
What about you? Have you ever taken a sabbatical or an extended time away?
If you had to suddenly be gone from your job tomorrow, is there anyone that could step in and do it in your place?
In your opinion, would spending several weeks in a house with no Internet or television be a wonderful thing or a horrible thing?
(While we won’t have internet where we are staying, I AM planning on finding internet access nearby so that I can still blog and work on a few ongoing projects.)
So glad you liked Lugis.
Yay! Another little boy! How exciting! I continue to keep Meagan in my prayers.
So, you posted pics of your home while Steve was cleaning the carpets—is that NOT what a home is supposed to look like? Cuz mine looks like that often. Sigh… I’ll blame it on the 4 year old!
I hope you have a great time and learn lots in Ohio.
Blessings!
Krista,
Your comment made me smile; having 3 grandkids, I can definitely relate. Kids have a gift for making lots of chaotic, messy fun!
Thanks for your prayers for Meagan. She can sure use them. Blessings to you today.
Being away from internet and television for an extended period of time is a wonderful and necessary respite. I do enjoy technology and all it can offer. However, the first thing we do when vacationing is disconnect any media sources and reconnect with books and each other.
Kristy,
I agree. It is a good thing to disconnect but sometimes a little disconcerting, as well. 🙂
Enjoy your sabbatical. I believe you’re going to Akron Ohio for the Emerge correct? That is very near my hometown. If you like pizza I highly recommend Lugi’s- it is a hometown favorite. Have a safe trip.
Heather,
Yes, you are right about us being at Emerge. Thanks for the Lugi’s recommendation; we will check it out.
Last night we ate at an amazing restaurant called PIADA Italian Street Food. (Right near Swenson’s drive in, which we also want to try.) We both got piadas and agreed they were some of the best things we had ever eaten.
Oh Swenson’s Is a must do- it’s an Akron Institution. For many years they only hired young men- and they still run to the cars to take your order. I highly recommend the onion rings- so good!
Heather,
We did splurge calorically and got pizza from Luigi’s last night. Fabulous! And I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant. Thanks for the tip!
Our daughter has 3 “girls” and 1 “boy.” The oldest granddaughter just got married on Sat. They are all so precious. I came from a family of 4 girls – our mom lost a girl at birth, so there would have been 5 girls. No boys. My older sister is one who can’t seem to say no at church. She is in charge of the kitchen, she gets food together for funerals, she is the wedding coordinator, helps decorate the church at Christmas, she just retired from being the church secretary. Since she turned 80 years old this year, I think she is starting to slow down, but told her that if something happened to her, she needed to train someone else in on the jobs she has had – just in case. Don’t think I could go without the internet. I have an Ipad and a Laptop, plus I now have a smart phone (had a dumb one for several years). I mostly play HO games (Hidden Object) games and do puzzles on my Ipad, but also have 3 different translations of the Bible and a devotional (on my Ipad and phone) that we read together when we go out for breakfast. Our former pastor has someone who he is accountable to and vice versa. He’s one he can confide in, pray with, etc. I think more pastor’s should have someone like this, He just finished his sabbatical. (He was not only our pastor, but good friends with he and his wife – we keep in touch). So glad you are able to go to Emerge. Know that the Lord will be with you during this session and the entire trip.
Sharyn,
Sounds like your sister is one of those people who would need to train ten different people to do the tasks she did all by herself! I know her pastor and her church greatly appreciate her heart for helping.
Glad to hear your pastor was able to take a sabbatical; they are still a bit of a rarity in some denominations but something that needs to happen a lot more often. And for him to have a confidant that he can talk to and pray with is necessary and a healthy thing to do.
I’m sure you’re enjoying finally getting a smart phone. They are amazing devices!
How exciting that another Master Smith is on the way! I’m tired just reading about your sabbatical preparations I had to train people in the past to do my job and learned to write down processes as I went along doing my job so that if something unexpected happened it wouldn’t be a total calamity. I hope your time is restful and restorative and I look forward to hearing more about it. Prayers for safe travels…
Sue Ellen,
Yes, writing things down as you go is a smart thing to do. I am a person who learns best by looking at written instructions and it’s really good for anyone to have a refresher to look at if they forget.
Thanks for the prayers and words of encouragement about our sabbatical. It will be quite the adventure.
Another boy! I was the only girl but just had two brothers and like Madi, I had brothers on either side. I know my older brother thinks I’m bossy; however, some things would never get done if I didn’t take charge.
I didn’t take time off work but in 2010, I was gone for about 7 weeks when my mom had hip replacement surgery. I was able to take my laptop with me and work from their house. Many days I would get my mom to bed and then work until late. I left Florida in late April so it was already pretty warm there but not consistently warm in Missouri. My Honda CRV was packed pretty full as I had both my laptop as well as my work one, clothes, etc. Fortunately I received most of my bills online so I could just pay them online also. I had a trusted neighbor that picked up my mail and forwarded on anything she thought looked important. She even paid my water bill at least once as that was the only bill I got in the mail and I couldn’t pay it online.
Now that I’m retired, I don’t have to worry about anyone doing my job while I’m gone. I had lunch with a former coworker and she commented that the person that took my place had said that the project they are working on now (it happens every year at this time) was so complicated for her first year. I just had to chuckle as there were many curve balls the last two years.
Hope you enjoy your counseling in Ohio and you come back with renewed energy!
I could probably live without TV for several weeks although I have it on almost all the time – primarily for noise I think. Internet might be another story. I would hate to come back to several weeks worth of email. When I worked, I had switched to reading books on my Nook. Since retiring, most of my reading is actual books although I have listened to several books on Audible with my trip to Florida in January plus several trips to visit my parents.
Phyllis,
I’m like you, switching back and forth between reading actual books and reading them electronically. In the end, actual books are always my favorite but when traveling, it’s nice to be able to “pack” a bunch of books on a small device.
It worked out great that you were able to do your job on a computer while caring for your mom after surgery. It was good for her, good for you, and good for your company! We are blessed to have that kind of technology.
I have tried hard to make sure my co-workers know how to cover the very most important things. (It would be nearly impossible to train someone to know everything for an occasion that may not happen.) For the less vital things, I have documented some instructions, sign-on id’s & passwords, etc. I have been at my job for 35 years and so much that I do is just second nature so trying to document it is difficult. 🙂 I plan to retire in 4 years and have already begun to think about how that will happen.
Congrats to the Smith clan on another boy in the making! Miss Madi will have 3 awesome protectors!
Enjoy your time away!
LeeAnne,
That’s a good way to put it, that so many things on your job are second nature. THOSE are the things that are the hardest to write down and explain.
At least you’ve got a few years remaining to prepare your replacement. After that many years, that is going to be a difficult leavetaking–for you AND for them!
I went on sabbatical 2 years ago and thankfully, they brought in a temp and he was there before I left so I trained him on a bunch of stuff. I also documented a lot of it. you are right, it takes a lot to get ready. When I was on sabbatical, we went on an 82 day road trip. I had someone come in and professionally clean my house before we left because I wanted it to be clean when we returned and I didn’t have time to get it that clean. best money I ever spent!
I can’t remember, are you taking the dog with you?
Have a safe trip!
Nicol,
You never realize how much you do on a job until you have to train someone else to do it. Sounds like it went well for you.
And what a great thing to take a long road trip! A dream come true. That will be something you will tell stories about for the rest of your life.
Having my house professionally cleaned would be another dream come true. Maybe someday I will splurge. In the meantime, it’s just Steve and me, swabbing toilets. 🙂
Congrats on soon to be grandson #3. I liked having 3 nephews and 1 niece as it allowed me to spoil my niece as the only girl.
I have never been on a sabbatical, but on some extended vacations. It is indeed hard to pack for that-one never knows what outfit will be right for the weather etc…
I am retired now, but when I was teaching it usually took me a long time to prep for a sub. It almost was just easier to keep working. When I had to suddenly be away due to my husband or my dad’s health issues. I had one great sub who didn’t need lesson plans. She would step in and do her thing and never complain that I left no sub plans. She was a gem, and I so appreciated her.
I have been without TV for up to 3 months and that is easy for me to do. Internet I have only been away from for 2 weeks and I do fine while gone, but when I return I feel I never quite catch up to what everyone has been doing in those 2 weeks. Facebook is my way of staying in touch with friends and family in other states so it is my link to them and that I miss.
Prayers for your sabbatical, that all goes well and you get that much needed rest and refreshment.
Patti,
Subs like the one you mentioned are a true treasure, aren’t they? She sounds like quite the rarity.
Since we also live far from family, we love FB, too. It helps us to get to get to see pictures and hear stories we would probably otherwise miss.
We are definitely looking forward to this time of rest ahead of us. Don’t know quite what to expect from it all but I guess we will find out as we go along.
We have been married 47 years. After graduation from Bible College we worked in a college ministry for 4 years. We then went to a pastorate in western PA. We retired from that ministry after 40 years there. We only attended conferences 3 times during that time period. As I look back I wish we had known of sabbaticals, conferences etc. when we would go away, we never went very far, but emergencies would always come up and we would have to run to hospitals or funeral homes. My husband was never able to have a total rest. As I look back, I wish we would have taken a sabbatical, conference or something every five to seven years. The stress of everyone’s needs is very demanding. My husband has a very precious pastor’s heart, but he needed some rest time for himself (and me). I heartily recommend it. As we entered retirement he is so tired and weary. After three years his energy level is not back yet. When he hears of trials our church people are going through, he wants to go and sit with them to encourage them. I will be praying you will enjoy your time together and will be refreshed! You guys are great examples of a ministry couple for those of us who faithfully read your blog. Thank you.
Candy,
I was so touched by your comment that I read it to Steve while we were driving on Monday. (And it was sort of a coincidence that we happened to be driving through Pennsylvania when I did so!)
We were both sad to hear that you and your husband that you didn’t have more opportunities to rest and get away during your years of active ministry. We know all too well both the honor of getting to minister and the exhaustion that can come from ministry, especially without a break.
I love the way that you describe your husband as having a precious pastor’s heart and that even in retirement, his heart is still concerned with his people. And I was sad to read your words that he needed some rest time for himself–and for you. There are doubtless many tears behind those words.
You both served God and your church faithfully for many decades; my prayer for you both is rest and restoration and the quiet joy of a job well done.
Thank you for leaving a comment and sharing your heart. Blessings to you today.
I will echo (or amen) Deb– R&R sounds like just the thing for you guys–enjoy, enjoy! Ruth
Ruth,
And enjoy we shall!
Well, I’m glad you’re done with the frantic preparation and now let the sabbatical begin!
Sending much love and prayers to you both for abundant supply of all you need during this time to fill you up body, mind and spirit.
Love, Deb
Deb,
Frantic is a good word for it. I don’t know if my body or my brain was moving faster–a close call.
Your advice about training others to do your job is my daily mantra. A few years back I tried to leave a job – it took me almost 6 months to extricate myself without damaging the company and I vowed never again! I did switch jobs and now I try hard not to put my company in the position of being reliant on me for anything, of course it is speedier for people to ask me about things but if they had to they could find everything they needed for business to go ahead without me. I am most definitely not ‘born organised’, more ‘distractable butterfly’ but nowadays, processes are documented, people are trained, stuff is filed, the diary runs out to the end of 2020 for ‘things that must be done’, emails are in shared accounts accessible to multiple people; these things are great habits to form, and importantly to revise and revise. For me, I find it frees up the mind from the daily clutter, and for the business – someone once told me to have the self-confidence to manage myself out of a job by growing those around me, this is all a part of that process and right now, if I chose to I am free to go on to bigger and better (or just different) things, or be ill, or have a vacation and the probability of the wheels falling off because I am not there…much reduced.
Wendy,
For someone who was not “born organized,” it sounds like you’ve got your organizational tasks down pat! I was impressed to learn about the steps you’ve taken to make sure all the bases are covered–even to the end of 2020.
Your words about “freeing up the mind from the daily clutter” are so important and ones to take to heart. If we take the time to organize and write down and disperse the necessary information, we no longer have to cart it around in our heads.
Your comment has inspired me to work even harder at this task.
I cannot imagine having someone stay at my house while being gone. Too much stuff around and not enough space! I wanted to shampoo carpet last night when we returned home from a weekend away at Pilot Convention but choir practice and unpacking took over. I will pick the pups up from boarding later this morning. Thankful I am retired so do not have to worry about training someone. Seems like boys are the going sex this year. Of the five pregnant women I am praying for there will be 4 boys and only 1 girl. One of Jim’s nieces is having a girl but the others are boys including your up coming grandchild. Safe travels and enjoy your time away.
Ann,
You are one busy woman even without working a job! I love to read about all your activities and be inspired by all that you get done and all the things you are involved in and the people whose lives you touch.
I saw some of your Pilot pictures on FB. Looks like it was a great time!