Summer's  over, and with school starting up again, my life will be in the fast lane. With the right fuel, I will have the strength for each day.

The strategy required was intense; the planning, extensive. Plotting for success required deep premeditation, and the execution needed to be flawless.

Was this a top secret military maneuver? Could it be an undercover operation for the Witness Protection Plan? What would possibly require such intensity?

It was nothing quite so intriguing, actually. I was just mapping out how to get the four kids to all their activities each week.

Running on fumes

The slightly sluggish pace of summer quickly takes on a different feel when the school year starts up again. Suddenly everything goes into full swing, and life pulls into the fast lane. Between the different starting and ending times of two schools and bussing schedules to track, there are the after-school football practices, wrestling meets, piano lessons, and dance classes. Then add in confirmation classes, choir, and other church activities, not to mention weekend wanderings to friends' homes and birthday parties. I need a good road map or a GPS to keep track of everywhere that everyone needs to be. Perhaps I ought to charge cab fare for the service I am providing!

And I'm not the only parent who has this hectic life pace. I have marveled at others with more activities and more kids as they juggle everything and remain looking so sane and in control. I remember my college roommate's mom managing to keep track of more than a dozen kids, several paper routes, extra kids coming over for the weekend, plus an in-home daycare. And she was always so cheerful, despite severe sleep deprivation. I often wonder at the secret to the sanity displayed by these super parents. I think it has something to do with the right focus and fuel.

Life sometimes makes me want to slam on the brakes. Wait a minute! I can't possibly get everything done that needs to be done when we are going so fast! When do I have time to listen to my children as they recount the best—and the worst—parts of their day? When do I have time to lead them in the way they should go and direct them on the path that they need to be on? When do I have time to fill up my tank? When do I have time to refuel my soul? I feel like I am running on fumes or, even worse, on empty. And if I am running on fumes, it won't be long before I am breaking down or ending up with an empty tank.

Following the road maps

Crashing into the realization that rest stops are so very important on this hectic life highway, I stop and catch my breath for a blessed moment . . . when it dawns on me that this type of trip was taken a long time ago.