This morning there was a most spectacular sunrise. Red, purple and orange decorated the morning sky as did the under bottoms of the pink puffy clouds. I sat on my porch and watched the colors change before my eyes not daring to go inside for fear I would miss something. As I sat there, I was reminded how fleeting our lives on earth are and that each day, whether it is spent in routine chores or something new, is a gift to be enjoyed.
It was only when the sun poked its head from behind the tree covered hill that I gave myself permission to grab a cup of coffee from inside the house.
When I stop long enough to count my blessings, it is not hard to see life as a treasure. Not that I worship life in itself, but rather to be able to live this life and receive the blessings of the things my eyes see, my ears hear and my heart feels is truly wonderful. If I can get such a charge from this fallen world, just think of what heaven will be like!
The Lord has been putting on my heart lately to REDEEM THE TIME. In addition, the Lord is reminding me to be content in all things and to lean on him for all my strength. Sitting on my back porch, this morning was redeeming some of it and certainly being content as I relished the harmony of singing birds. I know not how many more springs are left in my life as do any of you, so I encourage you to stop and ponder the waking of this spring. Listen to the birds as if they were the first you ever heard. Study the flowers that emerge from the frozen ground, suck on a fireball and be thankful you have taste buds, and embrace a loved one and be thankful they can hug back. Is not life grand?
Last night we all went to see the play “God Spell” at church, and it was wonderful. I can hardly believe we have so many talented young people in our body. I was truly astonished and entertained. We sat with some dear friends that have truly become like family to us. We love the whole clan on that hill, and consider ourselves rather blessed by all of their lives.
Happy Resurrection week!
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Happy Spring
Yesterday was one of those days you wish would never end. The day was glorious in its entire splendor. As the earth warmed, the flowers poked their heads out of the ground as if to ask if it was time. In addition, the birds were busy chirping and building cozy nests for the next generation. Over all it was a wonderful spring day. God is indeed faithful and kind as he shares with us the wonders of his creation. I LOVE IT! Spring is a delightful time of year. Dinnertime always sneaks up on me, as I get lost in the day. The out of doors draws me to take care of the things that have lain around during the winter. It is time for a “dump run” as Evan and I like to call it. We will load up our trailer with stuff that was too large for trash pick-up, stop at Dunkin’ Donuts for a cup of coffee and proceed to the dump. Believe me this is one of our favorite outings; and this Friday is one of those days.
The boys are on notice that dad is staying home from work to work in the yard and their help would be appreciated. Every other Friday they have nothing to do; it is interesting that this Friday they have big plans. We can fix that though; a 6 am wake-up call will be in order.
We will celebrate Austin’s birthday this weekend. He will be 20 and I cannot believe it to be so. Where has all the time gone his mother cries.
The boys are on notice that dad is staying home from work to work in the yard and their help would be appreciated. Every other Friday they have nothing to do; it is interesting that this Friday they have big plans. We can fix that though; a 6 am wake-up call will be in order.
We will celebrate Austin’s birthday this weekend. He will be 20 and I cannot believe it to be so. Where has all the time gone his mother cries.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Thirty wonderful years
Thirty years. Thirty years of memories, thirty years of change.
I had the privilege of spending the evening with my husband of these thirty years last night. We had a lovely dinner at the Olive Garden courtesy of our son Carson’s Christmas gift card.
The dinner was rather quiet which is quite unusual for us because when we get out by ourselves we usually talk of our dreams for the further, latest projects around the house or the kids. We can never get away from the kids. Anyway, I was distracted as I sat there. I am usually a very distractible kind of person. If someone is talking to me with a speck of pepper in their tooth, I tend to zoom in on the speck and have a hard time listening to what they are saying. Believe me this flaw goes back to my school days when a teacher was lecturing. If anything was askew on their face or body, my attention span dropped to the floor.
Anyway, back to last night.
We were sitting in a relatively quiet spot when all of the sudden two couples sat down at an adjacent table. One man in particular was loud and crass, the other rather rotund. One of the wives was quiet where the other was constantly shushing her husband all the while using the Lords name in very inappropriate ways. I cringed each time. Anyway, our meal, which we split, was served, hot and delicious. I could not help but notice the food being served at this opposite table. Some kind of appetizer that looked like balls of some kind the size somewhere between golf and a tennis ball. Everything looked delicious on their table as well; and lots of it too. All of the sudden the rotund one picked up one of these balls; which I might add could have been cut into fourths for a nice mouthful stuck the WHOLE thing in his mouth followed by a mouthful of salad. Goodness, with mouth open and eyes bulging I had seen enough. I forced my eyes on my food alone and our conversation picked up a little, as did my eating. We were out of there, and onto McDonald’s for a hot fudge sundae, which we also split; extra hot fudge I might confess.
Anyway, this whole experience showed me two things. One, we American’s eat way to much and two; I still struggle with being judgmental.
Why can I not go out with me dear husband and allow him to have my complete attention. He was dressed impeccability, there were no spots to draw my attention and he is delightful company. He is worth all of my attention and I am glad God; even though at times I am a hopeless case, chooses to give me the gift of this man. In addition, why can I not see people as God sees them, pity them for being lost and pray for them right there and then. I guess I will have to bear another dinner at the Olive Garden to see if I have improved in any way. It might take several visits.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY EVAN!
I love you with all my heart. I promise to do better with my eyes the next time. See you at the Olive Garden.
I had the privilege of spending the evening with my husband of these thirty years last night. We had a lovely dinner at the Olive Garden courtesy of our son Carson’s Christmas gift card.
The dinner was rather quiet which is quite unusual for us because when we get out by ourselves we usually talk of our dreams for the further, latest projects around the house or the kids. We can never get away from the kids. Anyway, I was distracted as I sat there. I am usually a very distractible kind of person. If someone is talking to me with a speck of pepper in their tooth, I tend to zoom in on the speck and have a hard time listening to what they are saying. Believe me this flaw goes back to my school days when a teacher was lecturing. If anything was askew on their face or body, my attention span dropped to the floor.
Anyway, back to last night.
We were sitting in a relatively quiet spot when all of the sudden two couples sat down at an adjacent table. One man in particular was loud and crass, the other rather rotund. One of the wives was quiet where the other was constantly shushing her husband all the while using the Lords name in very inappropriate ways. I cringed each time. Anyway, our meal, which we split, was served, hot and delicious. I could not help but notice the food being served at this opposite table. Some kind of appetizer that looked like balls of some kind the size somewhere between golf and a tennis ball. Everything looked delicious on their table as well; and lots of it too. All of the sudden the rotund one picked up one of these balls; which I might add could have been cut into fourths for a nice mouthful stuck the WHOLE thing in his mouth followed by a mouthful of salad. Goodness, with mouth open and eyes bulging I had seen enough. I forced my eyes on my food alone and our conversation picked up a little, as did my eating. We were out of there, and onto McDonald’s for a hot fudge sundae, which we also split; extra hot fudge I might confess.
Anyway, this whole experience showed me two things. One, we American’s eat way to much and two; I still struggle with being judgmental.
Why can I not go out with me dear husband and allow him to have my complete attention. He was dressed impeccability, there were no spots to draw my attention and he is delightful company. He is worth all of my attention and I am glad God; even though at times I am a hopeless case, chooses to give me the gift of this man. In addition, why can I not see people as God sees them, pity them for being lost and pray for them right there and then. I guess I will have to bear another dinner at the Olive Garden to see if I have improved in any way. It might take several visits.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY EVAN!
I love you with all my heart. I promise to do better with my eyes the next time. See you at the Olive Garden.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Starting over
One of the greatest joys in my life has been to raise four boys. Wanting a girl each time yet, never being disappointed when announced they were all boys. Perhaps having all boys was the reason I was willing to go halfway around the world for my little girl. My last son has all but finished high school and I am about to embark on another 12 years of home schooling. I look at this time as a new beginning and I am filled with excitement as I think about the treasures I will be able to show her and the Biblical truth she will learn. I think about the unhurried mornings and reading chapter books. I will delight in the moments of feeling smarter than my student, at least a little while, and for being there when her world opens up as she learns to read. I think of our library trips before lunchtime, field trips with other homeschool families and on an exceptionally beautiful day, throwing a blanket outside as we work. Yes, I will not miss the bus at eight, the schedule, and the bus again at 11:30. She can do school in her slippers and I can begin in my robe. We can make visiting some of our older friends as part of our day and I can teach Home Economics in a real home environment. We can actually eat what she makes and see if we made the grade by the five men in her life. Our snow days will be making snowmen days and in-service days will be done at a mall as we meet our friend Amy for lunch.
I look forward in this new chapter and I pray God will give me the strength and joy as we proceed. I promise one year at a time; just like the last sixteen. One year at a time keeps the light at the end of the tunnel visible and bearable. What a privilege and journey this will be. Again.
Thanks to my boys who give me the courage. It is because of them that I am willing to do this all over again. You four are the BEST and I love you with all my heart. What a joy it has been to call you my sons and know I was a part of your lives. You have made my days full and rich and I have valued each one of them. I wish you all God’s unsurpassed joy as you begin this journey on your own.
I look forward in this new chapter and I pray God will give me the strength and joy as we proceed. I promise one year at a time; just like the last sixteen. One year at a time keeps the light at the end of the tunnel visible and bearable. What a privilege and journey this will be. Again.
Thanks to my boys who give me the courage. It is because of them that I am willing to do this all over again. You four are the BEST and I love you with all my heart. What a joy it has been to call you my sons and know I was a part of your lives. You have made my days full and rich and I have valued each one of them. I wish you all God’s unsurpassed joy as you begin this journey on your own.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Life as a Domestic Engineer
I cannot actually say I hate being asked what I have been up to lately, but it is close to the top of my most dreaded questions. Yet, I find myself asking the same question to other people who share my job description. I wonder why I ask the question and why I loathe the question so much. I have a clue as to why on both accounts.
To quote Meg Ryan in the movie “You’ve Got Mail”, “I live a small life; valuable but small. Do I do the things that I do because I like them, or do I do them because I have not been brave”?
Sometimes when people ask me what I have been up to, makes me confront the fact that my life is small and routine. Very, commonly routine, void of a paycheck, monetary bonuses and yearly reviews. Hey, one of my sons, the only working one got a nice gift card for the extra long hours he put in for a few weeks. What’s up with that? I am only truly irked because my eyes are on my fleshly desire to be important in the eyes of the world. However when I remember that my job has eternal rewards and earthly joy; I see it in a different light.
Yes, I do the same things every day. Oh, I mix it up on occasion to keep from feeling like a robot and spiraling down into the depths of despair as I realize the very things I did yesterday need attending to today. Hey, I spent a lot of money to see my clothes spin dry with a money saving, front loading washer. I still get a kick out of knowing I am saving money, using less water and spinning every little drop of water out of my clothes before I hang them up to dry. Yes, I hang up my clothes on a 110’ line that goes from my porch to a huge oak standing in what we call “the lower forty”. I spend most of many afternoons wondering what delicious dinner I will make for my family, and playing Wal-Mart Wal-Mart, Library, Library or Go Fish with my 6 year old. Those are real stimulating games where she insists on scripting my lines as we play. Are you intrigued yet? I could go on if you would like but I believe you have heard enough.
However, the joy and the blessing this job offers is compared to nothing the world has to offer. In bringing these children into the world I was able to assist God in a miracle, I am able to see the fruit of my long hours and feel the peacefulness of my unhurried home almost daily and knowing I am doing the job God has called me to do is beyond description in the way I feel about it. Furthermore, I truly would not change what I do for anything. I love my job and feel privileged to do the tasks that are needed to run a home. Therefore, if anyone out there can help me wrap what I do in a small, interesting, verbal package I would be most grateful because being a stay at home mom is a very brave, honorable thing to do.
To quote Meg Ryan in the movie “You’ve Got Mail”, “I live a small life; valuable but small. Do I do the things that I do because I like them, or do I do them because I have not been brave”?
Sometimes when people ask me what I have been up to, makes me confront the fact that my life is small and routine. Very, commonly routine, void of a paycheck, monetary bonuses and yearly reviews. Hey, one of my sons, the only working one got a nice gift card for the extra long hours he put in for a few weeks. What’s up with that? I am only truly irked because my eyes are on my fleshly desire to be important in the eyes of the world. However when I remember that my job has eternal rewards and earthly joy; I see it in a different light.
Yes, I do the same things every day. Oh, I mix it up on occasion to keep from feeling like a robot and spiraling down into the depths of despair as I realize the very things I did yesterday need attending to today. Hey, I spent a lot of money to see my clothes spin dry with a money saving, front loading washer. I still get a kick out of knowing I am saving money, using less water and spinning every little drop of water out of my clothes before I hang them up to dry. Yes, I hang up my clothes on a 110’ line that goes from my porch to a huge oak standing in what we call “the lower forty”. I spend most of many afternoons wondering what delicious dinner I will make for my family, and playing Wal-Mart Wal-Mart, Library, Library or Go Fish with my 6 year old. Those are real stimulating games where she insists on scripting my lines as we play. Are you intrigued yet? I could go on if you would like but I believe you have heard enough.
However, the joy and the blessing this job offers is compared to nothing the world has to offer. In bringing these children into the world I was able to assist God in a miracle, I am able to see the fruit of my long hours and feel the peacefulness of my unhurried home almost daily and knowing I am doing the job God has called me to do is beyond description in the way I feel about it. Furthermore, I truly would not change what I do for anything. I love my job and feel privileged to do the tasks that are needed to run a home. Therefore, if anyone out there can help me wrap what I do in a small, interesting, verbal package I would be most grateful because being a stay at home mom is a very brave, honorable thing to do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)