Please do Disturb

On Christmas Day, I was lucky enough to go to Mass and ear the Priest Filipe Martins S. J. On his lecture he spoke about the sign that we put in hotel doors saying Please do not disturb and somehow he compared it with our life: is that the way we want to go through life? Undisturbed by others?
Since then his words have been in my head! Because it is hard to decide if you do want or not people to disturb you. And even when you do want to, how much do you really want to be disturbed? Because in a way, allowing others to disturb you is giving them time, is granting them the space and the right to come into your lives and shake them, turn them around, a little or a lot!
So when is it time to rest? When do you turn the sign round and say, do not disturb? When do you grant yourself the time to rest, to just do what you want to do? When do you listen to your heart, to your inner voice?
But then again, how do you know when and where it is time to rest and time to act? How do you measure your efforts, how much do you push yourself, how many times do you turn that sign from one side to the other?
I consider myself a Please do Disturb person. And that is what my heart tells me. Yes I may feel tired, yes there was really no need for this or that detail, yes almost no one really cares about the bows or small cards but in the end I have never ever liked an unfinished job, a missed detail, a cup half full.
I may sleep less hours and no I am not a general about organization but I have learnt a valuable lesson: listen to my heart and let it guide me to where I want to be and what I want to do (thank you Padre Vasco Magalhães S.J. for the amazing book you have written! I recommend it to everyone! (Só Avança quem Descansa)).
I had made a strict plan for Christmas this year: I would make most of my presents to give. I would sew, scrapbook and book bind as much as I could so that everyone or at least, a lot of people would have something handmade by me.
All and all I book binded more than 15 photo albums, made 10 gift baskets, 8 or 10 Christmas bags and other bits and pieces. I fulfilled some promises I had made which made me really proud of myself!

For a lovely one year old Maria

For a Broter and Sister, to remind them of how good life can be

Filled with treats they even looked better!

 A Sewing box for a no longer small girl! 

A promise long made to my brother! It is now ready and delivered and I rea,lly love the way it turned out! I hope it is as lovelly as the girl it speaks about!

For someone who cared!

For a great Sew master so he can register his works!

 This one I made for my Parents, so they can put the photos of the Famiuy Christmas day, the lunch on the 25th. As much as I love digital, I still feel the need to print some photos and for that you still need a photo album!

These 11 albums are actually a set of 12, my Wonder woman and crazy task for this Christmas! But I made it and gave them all to whom they were made for. They shall register the moments that has a family, me and my cousins spend together to honour the great life of our grandmother, known to all as Granny!
So you see, life is so much more interesting when you do let yourself be disturbed! What would I have done with my time if my sign was turned to the do not disturbed way?
I really believe that our actions define who we are, that we receive in double what we give with generosity and that it is not by closing our doors that we will live happier.
If I can ask for two things for 2013 is health for all of mine and a heart open enough to always be willing to be disturbed!
For now it is time to say goodbye to this year and as Mother of a large family.....start dinner!