I have been gone for a while from this place. There just wasn't room in my mind or my day for writing. But Rebecca asked, so I thought I should at least let you know I am alive. Hmm, my last post was April 22. Since then the following has happened:
- My son had surgery
- My husband graduated
- School ended
- We moved to a new house (same town)
- Same son had 2 infections
- 3 days training for my new job
- 1 theater camp
- 1 soccer camp (and our boy was player of the week!)
- vacation church school
- husband has had job interviews (2nd interview on Tuesday- please pray)
So, I have good excuses, right?
Our summer is definitely a season of transition for our family. We have settled so well in this new house, it makes me realize how many inconveniences the last house had. This house has room for playing, dreaming and living.
This fall is looking to be busy with new things for all of us. But I want to come to this space and share as I can the reflections on these days.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
the magic of three
For just 9 days (3x3)
One of us is 6 (2x3)
one of us is 9 (3x3)
two of us are 36 (12x3)
three is cool
One of us is 6 (2x3)
one of us is 9 (3x3)
two of us are 36 (12x3)
three is cool
Friday, April 20, 2012
And now we are six. . .
Oh, my little man. How my heart just glows when I think of you. I can't even count the number of times Daddy and I have looked at each other with laughter in our eyes as you come in the room with a new costume or make a wise and funny observation of life. You are outside right now, as you are all the time you don't have to be inside.
Today you are Robin Hood, and i hear you bossing around your merry men and preparing for battle.
You really love chips. As you pointed out to us, you don't just have a sweet tooth- all your teeth are sweet.
You love to move- sports, cars, scooters, bikes, and just plain running. For your party, you want to just run races with your friends. With all this movement, you are still my cuddle bug and I savor the moments you get in bed with us and just lay still, letting me smell that boy smell on you- a mixture of dirt, sweat and leftover candy.
Most of all I love your heart. How you look to your daddy for all that is good and stable in the world and how your heart broke and tears rolled as you learned of neighbor boys that don't have a daddy. You are fierce in your desires and passions and you dig in your heels on things you want. But in the end, you do what you know you should and come to us with hugs and joy renewed.
Someday this strong spirit will help you hold strong in hard times. You will live life with action and passion, and probably in the great outdoors.
Six is a wonderful year. I am so happy to be by your side as you learn and grow this year. I love you, sweet pea.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
what i have heard lately
:: two boys yelling "Christ is Risen" and "He is risen indeed" in as many languages as they can. They especially love Swahili.
:: After tucking in an almost 6 year old very sweet and very honest boy, "Mama, when you bend over your tummy kind of looks like you have a baby in it." Ouch. It's true. But don't get excited, its not a baby in there. :)
:: another precious observation from the same boy "So when Jesus went to Hades to let out the people who had died, he got to see his dad, Joseph, right?"
:: After tucking in an almost 6 year old very sweet and very honest boy, "Mama, when you bend over your tummy kind of looks like you have a baby in it." Ouch. It's true. But don't get excited, its not a baby in there. :)
:: another precious observation from the same boy "So when Jesus went to Hades to let out the people who had died, he got to see his dad, Joseph, right?"
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
He who makes all things new
It has been a while. . . have you noticed the silence?
It is a time of year and a time of our lives when much is going on. And when I would look at this blog, nothing came to mind, so I wrote nothing.
Seasons of silence are good.
I am in a spring cleaning mode- more than my regular attempt at window cleaning. I am going through the black hole we call a basement where all the forgotten toys, extra books and unwanted stuff is laid to rest.
It is not a sure thing, but it looks like we could be moving to another house in our small town.
A good reason to purge. Anyone need a lite brite?
No big inspiring words here, but I have joined Paperback Swap, which I am hoping will take away some of the not so beloved books here and get us some new ones for homeschooling next year. I love the idea of using the social networking power of the internet for almost free books. :)
I have an icon on the side and if you join, you can put my name in (for those of you who know me in real life, i guess) and I will get a credit for it.
Other fun things are in the works. Garden planting, curriculum planning, wrapping up the school year, new chickens. Good stuff.
It is a time of year and a time of our lives when much is going on. And when I would look at this blog, nothing came to mind, so I wrote nothing.
Seasons of silence are good.
I am in a spring cleaning mode- more than my regular attempt at window cleaning. I am going through the black hole we call a basement where all the forgotten toys, extra books and unwanted stuff is laid to rest.
It is not a sure thing, but it looks like we could be moving to another house in our small town.
A good reason to purge. Anyone need a lite brite?
No big inspiring words here, but I have joined Paperback Swap, which I am hoping will take away some of the not so beloved books here and get us some new ones for homeschooling next year. I love the idea of using the social networking power of the internet for almost free books. :)
I have an icon on the side and if you join, you can put my name in (for those of you who know me in real life, i guess) and I will get a credit for it.
Other fun things are in the works. Garden planting, curriculum planning, wrapping up the school year, new chickens. Good stuff.
Friday, March 9, 2012
the rocky road of lent
If Pintarest could talk, you would think we all floated on butterflies and ate cake at every meal. You would think the Bible was in our hands from morning to noon and our knees were calloused from prayer. You would think this 40 day journey is like a monk rambling through the woods, gazing at the bright blue sky.
Lent doesn't work that way. Its a hard road, meant to cut off the fat and get to the meat of our spiritual life. Its difficult in and of itself.
And every year, but it seems more acute this year, we come under attack. We are pulled and distracted from our focus by very real happenings around us.
This year we have suffered sickness, tragedy, family struggles, money headaches all in the past few weeks. Some nights all our prayers consisted of was the plea for an hour without a sick child waking. Some days my thoughts have hovered around worry instead of meditating on scripture. Not the Pintarest picture of spirituality, but a very dirty, world-weary woman who is looking through the fog for the path.
A companion to me this lent has been N.T. Wright's Lent for Everyone. It is simple and short and gives me a window in each day to let my heart rest and listen.
One day, the scripture was about the woman with the issue of blood who reached out and touched Jesus' garment and was healed. N.T. Wright challenged to the reader to be like the woman and go to God with what we want. Not in a "I want a pony for Christmas" kind of way, but to look deep down at our desires and fears and motivations and confess to God what gnaws at us. There is no guarantee He will give it, but in His graciousness, He invites us to come to Him and ask.
When I sat still and let the myriad thoughts dance around my head and my heart sunk down into the depths, I found the word "Security" came to me. That is what I am reaching out to touch His garment for. That is what I ask my Lord to give, if it is His will. To know my feet are on solid ground, and that the ground before me will hold too.
Lent doesn't work that way. Its a hard road, meant to cut off the fat and get to the meat of our spiritual life. Its difficult in and of itself.
And every year, but it seems more acute this year, we come under attack. We are pulled and distracted from our focus by very real happenings around us.
This year we have suffered sickness, tragedy, family struggles, money headaches all in the past few weeks. Some nights all our prayers consisted of was the plea for an hour without a sick child waking. Some days my thoughts have hovered around worry instead of meditating on scripture. Not the Pintarest picture of spirituality, but a very dirty, world-weary woman who is looking through the fog for the path.
A companion to me this lent has been N.T. Wright's Lent for Everyone. It is simple and short and gives me a window in each day to let my heart rest and listen.
One day, the scripture was about the woman with the issue of blood who reached out and touched Jesus' garment and was healed. N.T. Wright challenged to the reader to be like the woman and go to God with what we want. Not in a "I want a pony for Christmas" kind of way, but to look deep down at our desires and fears and motivations and confess to God what gnaws at us. There is no guarantee He will give it, but in His graciousness, He invites us to come to Him and ask.
When I sat still and let the myriad thoughts dance around my head and my heart sunk down into the depths, I found the word "Security" came to me. That is what I am reaching out to touch His garment for. That is what I ask my Lord to give, if it is His will. To know my feet are on solid ground, and that the ground before me will hold too.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
lent is not about guilt- its about going back to the beginning
Its that time of year. We make lists of lenten foods to buy, we pull out our prayer ropes as we equip ourselves for the journey.
Yet, if you are like me, you can become overwhelmed by all the great ideas people have out there. You see beautiful arrangements, calendars, countdowns, icons. And you want to do it ALL. You hear words of wisdom and piety and want to BE that, to DO that. Almost immediately following the inspiration is one of two reactions- setting impossibly high goals for Lent, as if it were a trophy to win. Or, feeling guilty knowing that you can't do all you want to for Lent.
And that gong of guilt can ring and ring throughout the season, each time we fall, each time we forget what we should do. Guilt can deafen us to the real purpose of lent.
The purpose is to go back.
We go back to the Garden of Eden, where our ancestors had a perfect relationship with God. Where they lived with the animals, but didn't eat of them. Where their time was spent tending the garden, but not enslaved to labor. Where they conversed with God and each other in wholeness and intimacy.
We attempt to change some things in our lives now to reflect that time. We say no to distractions so we can say yes to communion.
If we do that, we have lived out the Lenten journey.
I have found that it is better to have small, realistic plans in which we can be consistent, rather than lofty ideas that end up fizzling out. Everyone is different, and especially as a family, there are many needs to consider. This year, I hope to:
- mark our lenten journey with a special candle and a calendar at our prayer corner.
- have lenten meals for me and my husband and lenten dinners for our whole family
- say the prayer of St. Ephrem each day (my boys love this!)
- reduce our TV watching (I am the worst of all at this!)
- only be on the computer when my boys are in bed
- read spiritually uplifting books
- volunteer at the local community center
It is hard, as we have been gone from the garden for so long. Our habits are entrenched and the world around us affirms the very vices we are trying to abandon. I often hear people saying they are looking forward to Lent, but I for one, sigh deeply as I look at the list above and begin what I know will be a difficult road.
But that is the grace of Lent. We are not traveling alone. If it were up to us, we couldn't take even the first step. But God himself is in us, accompanying us and guiding us. By His grace, we will walk in faithfulness back to the beginning.
Yet, if you are like me, you can become overwhelmed by all the great ideas people have out there. You see beautiful arrangements, calendars, countdowns, icons. And you want to do it ALL. You hear words of wisdom and piety and want to BE that, to DO that. Almost immediately following the inspiration is one of two reactions- setting impossibly high goals for Lent, as if it were a trophy to win. Or, feeling guilty knowing that you can't do all you want to for Lent.
And that gong of guilt can ring and ring throughout the season, each time we fall, each time we forget what we should do. Guilt can deafen us to the real purpose of lent.
The purpose is to go back.
We go back to the Garden of Eden, where our ancestors had a perfect relationship with God. Where they lived with the animals, but didn't eat of them. Where their time was spent tending the garden, but not enslaved to labor. Where they conversed with God and each other in wholeness and intimacy.
We attempt to change some things in our lives now to reflect that time. We say no to distractions so we can say yes to communion.
If we do that, we have lived out the Lenten journey.
I have found that it is better to have small, realistic plans in which we can be consistent, rather than lofty ideas that end up fizzling out. Everyone is different, and especially as a family, there are many needs to consider. This year, I hope to:
- mark our lenten journey with a special candle and a calendar at our prayer corner.
- have lenten meals for me and my husband and lenten dinners for our whole family
- say the prayer of St. Ephrem each day (my boys love this!)
- reduce our TV watching (I am the worst of all at this!)
- only be on the computer when my boys are in bed
- read spiritually uplifting books
- volunteer at the local community center
It is hard, as we have been gone from the garden for so long. Our habits are entrenched and the world around us affirms the very vices we are trying to abandon. I often hear people saying they are looking forward to Lent, but I for one, sigh deeply as I look at the list above and begin what I know will be a difficult road.
But that is the grace of Lent. We are not traveling alone. If it were up to us, we couldn't take even the first step. But God himself is in us, accompanying us and guiding us. By His grace, we will walk in faithfulness back to the beginning.
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