HOMEWORK

Homework! On the bottom is a planning notebook for her magazine articles and art; above the blue notebook are three composition books (including the green-covered one) to record sales and expenses for my books; above that is a pouch that holds a calendar, reporter's notebook and paperwork for upcoming stories, next is a book for Midlife Moms that we're reading and above that, a general notebook and mail and banking information for household bills.

Once when Ben was a kid, he said, "I'll be glad when I'm an adult and don't have homework." I laughed and told him that homework never ends, it only changes.

I'm reminded of that today as I stare down my own stack of must-dos on this brisk but sunny January Saturday morning.

You probably don't even want to ask what I have going this month. Unlike some fortunate folks who view this month as one of quiet and rest, easing into a new year after all the busyness of December, January is a hit-the-ground-running month in my world.

First up is calling hundreds of numbers for my share of verification of listings for social, service, governmental, church, and other services that will be listed in our newspaper's upcoming annual Answer Book. In addition, we have to round up a good number of photos fro
m the previous year that depict some of these community scenes and services. I've been working from home on this project because at work ...

I have to button up an early deadline for the winter issue of her magazine for women. The quarterly magazine started in summer 2011 by founder-publisher Tina West. Well, after five years away, Tina is back! And she'll contribute to the winter issue.

When Tina asked me to edit the magazine in 2011, it was a dream come true. I had always entertained the idea of working for a magazine, but with a home, family, lifestyle and no connections to speak of in national magazine publishing, it wasn't a realistic goal. I've done some freelancing through the years but with that, you are on an article-by-article basis with no promises of tomorrow.

Sometimes, though, a dream comes true through reframing it. A local women's magazine? Seriously! And here we are seven years later.

We have a special edition coming at the end of the month called HOPE. For one Sunday, there's only good news in the front section of the paper. (The bad news goes in the next section.) So that means some special feel-good stories and I have interviews for both under my January belt.

January also means my book Indiana Sales Tax is due. We're heading to our accountant next week to get that squared away.

There's the daily workload, the house, bill paying on today's agenda, and Monday night, Bible Study Fellowship resumes for 2018. A week from tomorrow, my church life group, the Midlife Moms, also resume and we're beginning a new study, the book Fervent, by Priscilla Shirer.

So a quiet January isn't part of my agenda. And today means delving into that stack of homework you see in the photo.

How about you? What kind of homework keeps you busy? Is January quiet and contemplative or do you have a lot going on too?