Wine to Water

The hubs and I just returned from a family vacation on Douglas Lake in Tennessee. Not only did I love that the house was right on the water, but the view from the kitchen was spectacular. I could make breakfast in the kitchen while looking out the window at the mesmerizing water accentuated by an incredible mountain backdrop. You know I’m a true mama if a kitchen gets me excited! My children have all flown the nest, so I get excited about cooking for them. I’ve shared a few pictures here, and if you’re interested in the listing, let me know. I’ll send it to you. 

In years past, my family and I have either gone to whatever part of Charleston my sister currently resides in or headed out to the OBX to stay in a timeshare my mother-in-law had on Duck. Since my mother-in-law’s passing in February, my crew wanted to go somewhere other than Duck this year. They said it would not be the same not seeing their Mama Woody standing in the kitchen, ready to fix them something to eat. 

Weeks before it was time to go to the beach, my mother-in-law would drag out her much-used list and begin organizing things. This woman packed sheets, towels, washcloths, kitchen supplies, food, drinks, bandaids, etc. You name it, and I swear she had it stashed somewhere. My kids and I wanted for nothing because she had already planned for it. I have a list I started years ago with all the “necessities” on it, and over the years, I perfected it. The list is useless now because now I’m the mama in charge. 

After spending two hours and two hundred dollars in a renowned club store, loading 120 bottles of water, 40 cans of Spirit, and the food into my car all by myself, I found a whole new appreciation for my mother-in-law. One man did offer to help me, but he was in much worse shape than me. There was no way I was going to let his crippled little body heave those cases of water into my car. So, I sucked it up, Buttercup, and did it myself.

In my first experience as a trip planner and provider, I pretty much crashed and burned. Compared to my mother-in-law, I fell immensely short. Because of my lack of preparation, I had to make three supply stops in the three days we were on vacation.

But I learned from the experience and have already begun editing the list, adding disposable coffee cups and Ziplock baggies of every size! Disposable coffee cups may sound like a desire instead of a necessity. My husband and kids are all PKD warriors, so I’m a little OCD about germs. If you ever see me at a buffet, just know it isn’t by my wishes, and I will be wearing gloves. The place we had rented was spotless, yet I wasn’t letting anyone in my family use plates, cups, or silverware from there. 

My current list will require many trips before achieving perfection, and I’m happy to make more practice runs! Maybe when I do have it perfected, I will designate it in my will. LOL!

A Vacay List may sound silly to others, but having a plan in place before sounds like a good idea. It reduces my stress by trying to recall everything I took on previous trips and increases my positive thoughts. In other words, I’m not freaking out that I have early dementia because I can’t remember squat right now, thanks to the beautiful world of menopause brain. And, my vacation will be better because I’ll spend more time with the people I love doing what I love instead of running back and forth to the store. More importantly, the list will keep me focused so that life’s distractions don’t impede my thoughts. 

Isaiah begins chapter 46 of his book by contrasting some Babylonian idols with God. He points out that idols can weigh a lot and become heavy to carry, while the contrast is that God carries us. Idols never physically move. If one is set on the mantle, there it remains. God is always moving and physically present through the Holy Spirit living in every believer. Idols can’t even save themselves from being discarded and tossed aside. Yet, Jesus gave His life to save anyone who believes in Him. Idols represent many things in our lives today as they aren’t always metal images. 

Towards the middle of the chapter, God tells us to remember everything He has done for us and never forget He is God. There is no other God like Him. Then God points out my favorite piece of the chapter. He reminds us that He knows the beginning and the ending. He knows the past and what will come in the future. 

I am so quick to forget what God has done for me in the past. I constantly worry about today, tomorrow, next week, year, etc. I don’t want to worry and need to be more mindful about it. I need to be on guard because all those worries and distractions are from Satan. He wants to keep my focus off God’s work; he wants me to struggle with life, make me speak negatively to myself, beat myself up, tell myself I’m not smart, I’m not motivated, etc. Much like those idols are sent from Satan to be distractions, so are negative words. And, having a great plan sometimes won’t work either.  

It is frustrating to spend hours/days analyzing why something I want to do won’t work, only to finally realize who I am arguing with. For me, writing for God is a constant struggle in my mind. It doesn’t have to be revolutionary or even Billy Graham-worthy. It just has to be me. And, honestly, it doesn’t even have to be read by others. It must be about me doing what I think God wants and giving it to Him. If He wants to make “wine out of water,” He will. (John 2:1-11).

I don’t know if my new Vacay List will ever be perfect. I doubt it because I know how I am, and I’ll decide out of the blue to fix S’mores! There are always things not planned. I think the “list” will help me prepare with necessities like toilet paper and disposable cutlery. Satan is crafty, and he is constantly creating ways to distract me, whether I think I’m groomed with a list to battle him or not. He knows I am easy prey for negative self-talk, so he constantly fills my mind with them.

This month, let’s all be more aware of the negativity we allow Satan to spin in our lives. Let’s take our heels and squash it. God knows our today, tomorrow, next week, and year. He has a plan. Satan does not know our future. Satan doesn’t know what tomorrow will bring for us, but he does know how to make us worry about it. God gave all of us a purpose. We just have to show up. It has never been our job to turn the water into wine, but it is our job to be like the servants who brought the water to Him.