I recently read a great historical fiction novel set in World War I time called After the War Is Over. One thing I noticed is that people in that time really had a sense of duty different than we seem to today. People really wanted to help in the war. After the war was over that sense of duty didn't go away:
p. 139:
Had she ever spent an entire day having fun? She sifted through her memories, but couldn't recall a single instance - not when she was at university, not when she was Lilly's governess, not in all the years with Miss Rathbone, and certainly not during the war. There had been afternoons in the park, evenings out with friends, the occasional lazy hour or two reading a book that was entertaining rather than improving, but she'd never felt she could spend a day simply enjoying life.
Times have changed. Imagine how they would have liked even a one week holiday earlier in this century? Not we feel like it is our right and we are hard done by if we do not enjoys days of leisure.
All this made me think about how I've shirked some of my duty lately. Thanks to a good rest over Spring Break I have a renewed desire to look after things a little better. I plan to get caught up in my house, Fly Lady style. It will take time time - but that's okay. As she says, you didn't create this mess in a day, so it won't take a day to get it all taken care of.
I also want to do a better job being supportive in our PFS business. We need to move things up a level, for sure.
And then there's my spiritual life. I have been neglectful with prayer and scripture study and a little too cranky about serving. I am going to aim to not be a complainer and just serve happily and refocus on daily prayer and scripture study.
