Thoughts | Ramblings

Sometimes, you get caught up in the whirlwind of life and think, "if I can just get past this crazy week, or month, or year...then afterward things will slow down and I'll have more time to spend with people". Until a week ago- that was me. Through my senior year, I've been incredibly busy and on the go...there's always something else that needs done. But though I can oftentimes go without time with friends thinking, "I'll be much more relaxed when I hang out with them if I put it off until after I've studied for this test or I've gotten a good amount knocked off my ever growing to-do list", what I hadn't thought about is that sometimes, people need me to invest in them! Even if it's just homework, it's selfish of me to put that in front of people. My feeble excuse of "school will be over soon and then I'll have more time to hang out" was essentially saying I didn't care much about those around me-- even if I didn't intend it that way. My 8 yr. old lil sister opened my eyes to all of this last week when out of the blue she said, "Emily! You have been *so* busy all school year that we haven't had a date since last fall! You and I are going to have one this Friday."

As you can imagine, it was more than a wake up call for me! She was pointing out the fact that though I had spent time with her at home and such, I had not taken the time to do something special with just her.(something which means a lot to her)  Many of my siblings are in crucial stages of their lives where they need investment from me as an older sister. The same goes for friends and others around me. This may mean simply chatting, having tea, praying, writing a note or taking the time to do something that they really want to do. In the end, it all comes down to giving some of my time to let them know I love them.

So Elisabeth and I set up one-on-one time for Friday night. We had less than two hours free because of other events but that time was sufficient.  Elisabeth loves details, sophistication and girlishness so our date was full of those! On our way to the mall, we picked up an Apple Crisp muffin at Panera for her. Then as we walked through Macy's we admired prom dresses and spritzed ourselves with Juicy Couture perfume;) Next we settled in some comfy chairs at Starbuck's and ordered two Passion Iced Teas to enjoy with conversation while Elisabeth ate her muffin. Then we pulled out the latest Anthro catalog and used it to play I Spy while singing along to Norah Jones and painting our nails. And right before we had to leave, we did a little window shopping and found some new hair flowers for Elisabeth. You would have thought she was walking on air after that night! It just meant so much to her that I took the time to treat her like a little lady-- and blessing her, blessed me in return.

Ciao.

 This was taken a few years ago... but currently, Elisabeth is about to turn 9-- which is how old I had just turned when she was born;)