3 Day Weekend......Here I Come!!!

Since school started, my schedule has not been as laid back as it was over the summer. Dinner has to be served at a reasonable time. Homework needs to be done. Everything has to be routine and scheduled, in order to reassured that my children can get to bed at a decent time, guaranteeing a good night's sleep. Just to do it all over again the next day...that is...until Friday!!!

I love my Fridays. It's laid back. No homework. No must-have routine/schedule. Dinner can be whenever (but still not too late) and whatever (more like burgers and fries or pizza). I can catch up with friends that I haven't had a chance to talk to all week. And if I want to live on the edge a little bit, I would even try to find time to put up my feet and say, "Awwwww!". And if I really want to push my luck, I would sneak in a nap!!! I figure, after a long week of school, work, dinner, getting up early in the a.m., rushing, beating the clock, etc., etc., and etc, I am more than entitle to a few luxuries!

With all this being said, that's why I am more than excited about my 3-day weekend!! I repeat....3 Day weekend!!! Woo Hoo!! I am looking forward to catching up with some of my girlfriends, blogpeeps, spending quality time with my family (especially my hubby), and most of all...getting some much needed rest!!! That's what Labor Day is partly about.....taking a break from work and getting some rest and relaxation.

In that time of rest, I, alos, plan to spend more time in God's Word and His presence. God is all about making sure His sons and daughters get the rest we so desperately need. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," (Matthew 11:28).

I love the amplified version. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls].

Ease - freedom from labor, pain, or physical annoyance; tranquil rest; comfort: to enjoy one's ease. 2. freedom from concern, anxiety, or solicitude; a quiet state of mind: to be at ease about one's health. 3. freedom from difficulty or great effort; facility: It can be done with ease. 4. freedom from financial need; plenty: a life of ease on a moderate income. 5. freedom from stiffness, constraint, or formality; unaffectedness: ease of manner; the ease and elegance of her poetry.

Relieve - 1. to ease or alleviate (pain, distress, anxiety, need, etc.). 2. to free from anxiety, fear, pain, etc. 3. to free from need, poverty, etc. 4. to bring effective aid to (a besieged town, military position, etc.). 5. to ease (a person) of any burden, wrong, or oppression, as by legal means. 6. to reduce (a pressure, load, weight, etc., on a device or object under stress): to relieve the steam pressure; to relieve the stress on the supporting walls. 7. to make less tedious, unpleasant, or monotonous; break or vary the sameness of: curtains to relieve the drabness of the room. 8. to bring into relief or prominence; heighten the effect of.

Refresh - 1. to provide new vigor and energy by rest, food, etc. (often used reflexively). 2. to stimulate (the memory). 3. to make fresh again; reinvigorate or cheer (a person, the mind, spirits, etc.). 4. to freshen in appearance, color, etc., as by a restorative.

Just reading these definitions, give me goosebumbs. I am thinking....God wants to all this through His Son Jesus and by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit...for me!!! WOW!! How can you not be amaze by that?!? So, that is why I am planning on taking full adavantage of this weekend. Because I want God to ease, relieve and refresh my soul. If I don't take time to rest in Him, I will not be able to operate in my full potential due to the fact that I am tired, weary or burden down. I would like think of it as myself.....arriving at my pit stop after a long week of racing.


How do you plan to spend your labor day?


Blessings to you!!!
Toia