Mike tries to slip out of the house unnoticed so I can stay burrowed under the covers a little longer, but this morning I smelled coffee brewing and followed my nose to the kitchen.

“Good morning, sweetheart. I hope I didn’t wake you. Why are you up so early?”

“You didn’t wake me. I have a column to write, goodies to make for our church party, a gift to buy, and still haven’t decided where to hang those garlands I bought that are sitting on the floor in their boxes. I had such a busy day ahead that I decided to get up early.”

We made small talk as we sipped our coffee, and soon he was headed out the door to begin his bus route. This time of year, particularly, can get really busy and a bit hectic if I don’t pay close attention to scheduling. This can be a challenge for me, but I keep working at it. I never want to be one of those people who say that they can’t do anything to change so I continually strive for better ways to keep up with appointments and such.

At first I balked at putting things on my phone calendar because I really like to use the old fashioned “real” calendars with the beautiful photos on them. But my hubby finally convinced me to try my phone as a way of helping to manage my schedule. I have to admit that technology can sometimes be a real pain, but the reminders help make keeping up with things pretty easy.

If I set my phone up with reminders a couple of days ahead of the event or appointment it really helps me to stay on track and manage my time better. Actually, it has helped me to realize that I tend to plan too many things in too short a time period. I want to do everything that looks like it is worthwhile or fun, always have and probably always will. This isn’t really a bad thing, but we all know that one person can’t possibly do everything.

At Christmastime, particularly, I love decorating and going to parties. I missed several things I had scheduled for last week. Planning is good, but God’s plans are always bigger and better than ours. Spending the week at my son’s house taking care of his wife and son while he was away at work and she was recuperating from surgery was better than anything I could have planned.

Cherrie is recovering nicely, but will take things a little easy for the next several weeks. Gauge and I were up and out the door early each morning to get him to school on time. It was a pleasure to be able to help out, and brought back so many memories of those busy, busy days when my own children were growing up.

Once more I was reminded that the most important things in this life are faith, home, and family.

Jan Penton Miller can be reached at lilsisjan@yahoo.com.