Sunday night before going to bed I pulled out my day planner and designed my Monday. I decided that it was going to be a “Wonder Woman” kind of day. My “to do” list was exceptionally long but I was going to get up earlier than usual so that I could hit the floor running. Normally Monday is my clean house/do all laundry day but added to this: Plan/Shop/Set up for Staff/LBA party, wrap all gifts to mail, purchase 2 more family gifts to mail, Pay USM, Send out Christmas Letter, Plan date/menu for ministry leader Christmas party and send out e-vites, set up new pharmacy for mom, pick up and mail medical letter for son, connect with a single mom about Christmas list, connect with Edith about January housing and make $1000 worth of gift baskets for sale. Sounds crazy but with focus and determination I expected to achieve this before going to bed Monday night.

What actually happened: Mid morning my college son realized he must move EVERYTHING out of his dorm Friday morning. Off campus 2-BR are going fast so it appeared I needed to drive to Hattiesburg, MS to view apartments and sign a lease for January. Prior to leaving I connected with his roommates mom so that we could search places online to save time. Made multiple calls searching for a 2 BR. Happy to find the cost is so much less to live off campus. I arrived at 4:30 which gave me only an hour to accomplish this. Though I informed Matthew that he would be picked up at 4:30 this is finals week and he forgot. I looked at apartments by myself and picked him up at 6 for dinner. At 7 PM I was back on the road headed home. The biggest adjustment to driving in Alabama after living in other states is the darkness. I took a wrong exit and found myself lost in the most dangerous area of Mobile. Prichard is full of crime and murders. Those who know me understand I have zero sense of direction. For what felt like forever I drove around for 20 min in a sketchy part of Mobile trying to find my way back to the freeway. My IPhone directions were messed up and I was on my own. Finally found the ramp to the freeway but somehow in my confusion I was going the wrong way on ramp. Realized this when I see cars coming toward me. Thankful that I was able to turn onto the correct ramp before being hit head-on. Arriving in Daphne I call my mom to inform her about the pharmacy change. All of a sudden I notice flashing blue lights behind me. I move to the right lane so the police car can pass me. He does not pass me and instead is on my bumper. Are you kidding me? I pull over and he informed me I was going over the speed limit. I received the ticket I deserved and drive home 15 minutes later.

Today was nothing like my day planner. Once again I am reminded that we can make plans but life happens and everything can change in an instant. I don’t feel frustrated because at my age you accept reality with grace. Tomorrow is another day. The key is to get back on track and keep going in the right direction. I am thankful that I have good health and can work hard tomorrow. Even if my bones ache from tiredness when my head hits the pillow I will be thankful. Because today happened.