Binge and Purge

My theme for this summer has been "Binge and Purge".

My goal has been to binge on building relationships.  At work I have been building, or attempting to build, relationships with those I work with.  I am taking the initiave to get to know others on campus. I am celebrating with peers as they celebrate and grieving with others when they grieve.

I am taking this season to enjoy life.  Over the past year I have recognized the bounty of the relationships I do have and want to foster those, as much as I can.  The past year and a half have taught me how short live is.  Our lives can change so quickly.

This was also an opportunity for me to take a random trip to visit my Father.  I told him I wanted to spend time with him doing whatever he wanted to do.  I did not want to spend my entire trip cooking in the kitchen.  Dad and I have had a couple of visits over the last several months about our family's heritage.  He has a grandfather who immigrated to the United States.  Dad has an Aunt who has an amazing memory and before she got sick I sat down with her and had her share with me our family history.  It was for a project in college, but I took the opportunity to see how far back Aunt Rosie could remember.  She is an amazing historian.  As Dad and I worked on this project during my trip I see the details she remembers.  Within a few months of time my great grandfather lost a child and his wife.  He had a daughter named Annie, who died at 8 months old.  They named one of the next girls Annie.  My ancestors used a lot of the same names repeatedly and I found it hard to keep track of who was who in the family tree.  

This has also been a season where I have been working to purge things I do not need.  I am making regular trips to the local Goodwill with things I cannot use, with shoes I can't wear, etc.  I am taking things I do not need on a regular basis to storage.  There's not room for things I do not use on a regular basis.  I recognize a lot of things have started to accumulate and it's time to minimize.