Bonus Days!

The next three days of my life are totally unstructured, totally free, totally mine!  How many times in your life have you had this gift of time?  Here in Jacksonville, Florida, USA, I'm spending the week with daughter #6, Patty, her husband, Raj, and children, Mallory, 8, and Johnny, 5.  We've had a wonderful time together since Friday afternoon. Now today, Tuesday, it's back to jobs for Patty and Raj, and back to school for Mallory and Johnny.

Not one to sleep my life away, I got up with the family.  After a slice of the creamy quiche Patty made last night, I made some coffee and leisurely started planning my Three Bonus Days. First, I like to start with my morning prayers, suspended when I'm on the road.  Now I can resume, perhaps even finish, the blue wood 'ruana' I've been knitting since late last September.  I'd like to visit and attend Mass in the oldest Catholic church in Jacksonville, Immaculate Conception church downtown.  I thought that the Cathedral, or Bishop's church would be here in town but an internet search revealed that Jacksonville is part of the nearby Diocese of St. Augustine which my friend, Peggy, and I visited last June (please see my travel blog, Tuesday, June 11, 2013, "All the Way UP!).  How could I forget the historic, beautiful, and holy Cathedral of St. Augustine, started in 1565?  I'd like to do some shopping, perhaps add a Sea Bird to my collection. Wherever I go, I find a new cross to add to my "Jesus Wall" at home.  I'll also have time to visit Facebook and Pinterest - usually I'm too busy - and write some more on my two blogs.  This will be fun!

For lunch, I'm making egg salad.  Mallory thought she'd like to try some.  I'll have a nice sandwich.

In June of 2012, I had another period of mostly unstructured time - 5 months of it!  I had a terrible fall at work at the hospital on Saturday, the 9th, slipping on some liquid, and broke my left upper arm clear through.  For the first two weeks I was taking a lot of analgesic medicine, was 'out of it,' and very much depressed.  I could not help thinking that my entire summer, to which I always very much look forward, was gone, wasted.  Then I decided that I was tired of being slightly dizzy, needing help just to walk, and quit taking the pain medicine (I can do that - I'm a nurse & know which meds can be discontinued without consulting the physician).

Then I started mulling over the thought, "Is there anything I can do with only my right arm?"  Yes, I could use the computer!  For the next several months, I spent lots of time (I was really slow at first) creating photo album pages from the backlog of photos I had downloaded onto my computer.  This was extremely therapeutic.  I ended up with more than 70 pages of photos!  Perhaps during the next three days, I'll be able to add more photo album pages.

Harold and I had two petting sessions while I was watching a recording of the Winter Olympics' Opening Ceremonies.

Mallards on the lake, at one end.

Egrets were at the other end of the lake.  I enjoyed a nice long walk around the neighborhood this afternoon.

Today was very relaxing.  The Olympics' Opening Ceremonies were nothing short of spectacular!

Now what would you do if you had several 'bonus' hours or days available to do as you pleased?

Dear Lord, we thank you for our busy days and we thank you for our leisure days!