Doing Less So You Can Do More

Last week we had an unexpected spring Nor'easter.  For those unfamiliar with the term Nor'easter, this means lots of snow and high winds. The Governor of Connecticut put a travel ban in place during the storm so only essential vehicles could be on the road.  Most people were therefore home from work.  But there was a wonderful blessing amidst the blanket of white...more time with family! 

Few people ventured out in the peak of the storm save for my husband and our three kids who thought there was nothing more fun then walking into town and exploring. Nothing was open...even the post office was closed.  With a vacant town and lots of snow there was so much fun to be had.  Konstantin thought it was a blast to slide down the stone wall that lines the stairs next to the library. I was inside for this adventure but I can just imagine it was pretty fun.  There was also the feet of climbing the tall mounds of snow created by the plows.  As we had an impressive 2 feet of snow fall there was lots of snow to move around.  The joy of playing in the snow would not end on day one.  Kids were off from school for TWO DAYS! 

Even that was not enough as this weekend more construction continued in our backyard.  Several fortifications were constructed. One in our front yard for protection from "invaders" two more fall back positions were created if retreat was needed.  Some of these walls took considerable effort to construct... one made of many show balls. Another was made with snow packed into buckets and then transferred to the wall.  The creation of forts and walls was only half the fun. Then there was a version of "Winter Olympics" that was also held...not your typical events one would see on TV.  
There was an original event created. This involved one child swinging on a swing while two other children threw snow balls trying to hit him.  In all, the snow this week brought a lot of wonderful memories. The creativity of children is remarkable. Very little was needed to enjoy each other. There was snow...yes but it was also the time spent as a family.  There is a battle these days to stay simple. To enjoy the simple things.  Our Lord gives us many gifts that bring joy but often there is so much going on that we miss them. 

Our family is a bit unique in that our children are growing up with one disabled parent who cannot drive. That means while dad is at work we can only go to places we can walk to in town. Lessons and activities are not possible. The result is more time at home together.  Yet, when I saw a phrase at a retreat recently suggesting we should do less so we can do more, the phrase rang true for us as we often cannot do very much but yet it seems we do a lot just being together.  

Other Posts You May Enjoy:
How to Start a Children's Rosary
Kids Will Be Kids
Resources to Start a Children's Rosary