Finishing Off 2026 by Sandra Rafuse

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                                             Before                                                                           After

"What ten things will you be doing in the last four months of 2026?" the September prompt asked. "Don't be limited by the number - choose any number you like," the last sentence stated. Oh good, I thought. It doesn't have to be ten. I'll try for five. I decided to look back over the previous blogs that had been posted so far this month and jot down any topics I thought I would want to be doing also. Here are the five I chose:

• a thorough house cleaning
• writing in my journal regularly
• renew a couple of friendships that I have let go
• reduce my time on my cell phone
• work on finishing up a story I started a few weeks ago.

 1. A thorough house cleaning. Actually it's not that I need to do a house cleaning so much as I need to do a "declutter and organize" campaign. I tend to put things down and leave them right there. I don't give them much thought after that because I figure I'll remember where they are when I'm ready to deal with them . . . or so I tell myself.  Really, my thought most often is, I'll deal with it later. But it's highly likely I won't.

Reading the following quote from Elisabeth Elliot convicted me strongly of the fact that I had no excuse to have a cluttered, unorganized house. I found it hard to read because I knew it was true and it showed me very clearly that the way I was living was not honoring God. "The way you keep your house, the way you organize your time, the care you take in your personal appearance, the things you spend your money on, all speak loudly about what you believe. The beauty of thy peace shines forth in an ordered life. A disordered life speaks loudly of disorder in the soul." Elisabeth Elliot,  Let Me Be a Woman     

2. Writing in my journal regularly. I know this is so important. When it's happening, I'm feeling good.  When it's not happening, I'm feeling bad. I know I need a regular time and a specific place to do it everyday.  I'm determined to get there.

3. Renew a couple of friendships that I have let go. There are two people in my life who I was once close to and with whom I no longer have any contact with. They have been on my mind lately and I believe it's time for me to look them up. This isn't going to be easy for me; there a lot of mixed feelings I need to deal with here and they are not all pleasant. I am reminded of one of the best pieces of advice I ever heard from a pastor, "you can't control how people will respond to you when you interact with them, but you can control how you respond. You can be the best person you need to be at that time."  I've never forgotten those words and they have helped me be a better person to many people in different situations. "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Proverbs 15:1) NIV 

 4. Reduce my time on my cell phone. I want to break the hold I have allowed my cell phone to have on me. It is always with me and and it is rarely out of my sight. I put it down and then I reach for it again almost immediately. Worst of all, it takes me away from spending much needed time with my husband. Recently, I found an article on the internet called "7 Proven Ways to Break Your Cell Phone Addiction." And, yes, I'm on it!  After reading a few scary addiction facts and finding out the damage this usage can cause, I've started using two of the seven recommendations:

• Don't charge your phone near your bed:
• Change your phone settings.

5. Work on finishing up a short story I started a few weeks ago. The pictures at the top of this post come from the middle of the story and and if you've looked at them, I'm guessing you can figure out what the story is about. There's a very interesting beginning and a very nice ending. I figure it's about one third completed and I want to finish it while the memory of what took place is still fresh in my mind.

WAIT! There's one more thing to add. No one else has mentioned this.  A couple of weeks ago, one of my sons told me he thinks I am a classic case of someone who has ADHD. When he said that, I felt my entire body relax. It was a very noticeable feeling. Then my brain said, "Well that explains why . . . and my whole life flashed before my eyes! I'm going to research this in the coming weeks because I think he's right!

 Sandra Rafuse lives in the small town of Rockglen, Saskatchewan with her husband, Bob, a Gordon Setter named Sadie, and a Peregrine falcon named Peet. She is a retired elementary school teacher who still loves to go into used bookstores to comb through the shelves of books in the children's section to see what treasures she can find. Spring and summer are her favorite seasons and walking is her choice of movement.

P.S. Elisabeth Elliot was the wife of Jim Elliot, one of the five men who were killed by the Auca tribe in Ecuador when the men went to spread Christianity to them in January of 1956.