"Hang Spring Cleaning!"

"The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home...Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirit of divine discontent and longing. It was small wonder, then, that he suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said "Bother!" and "O blow!" and also "Hang spring-cleaning!" and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat. Something up above was calling him imperiously....So he scraped and scratched and scrabbled and scrooged, and then he scrooged again and scrabbled and scratched and scraped, working busily with his little paws and muttering to himself, "Up we go! Up we go!" till at last, pop! his snout came out into the sunlight, and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow."

~The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame~

Sweet Sophie turns Seven!

Here's to Sophie, my very favorite seven-year-old. She's a burst of sunshine in our lives! Here's the big sister teaching Sarah her "Nintergarten" lessons (Nintergarten is the class she's teaching Sarah before Kindergarten. :)
And here's the beautiful gal enjoying the outdoors on our hike yesterday. She asked me if we could move closer to these woods so she could ride her bike here and play all the time in the trees and brush that make such great hideouts. :) She's really in her element in nature...I love to see that!

Peter and the Pixies

Again, yes we do believe...notice in the first picture, Peter is employing pixie-dust to hover above the little fairies. I found the Peter Pan costume at the Salvation Army (the girls called it the "Celebration Army" for the longest time :) They've gotten well over two dollars worth of play out of it!

Thankful Thursday: Infectious Smiles

I'm thankful for infectious smiles and the people behind them who inspire me to spread smiles too. It is true that smiles are contagious and they are good for you too!
Since I walk my children back and forth to school everyday, I am met with a large variety of faces on the playground and in the school every morning and afternoon. There are a few teachers and children in particular whose smiles are a dose of sunshine even on overcast mornings and I am always glad to smile back.
I have found myself growing in this practice too. Funny how people in this country are so disarmed by eye contact and a warm smile. Many don't expect that kind of reception from family, much less a stranger any more. We busy ourselves walking through crowds of people, and yet we are in our own little worlds.
My intent to smile is not only an offering of warmth to those around me, but also a reminder to myself that none of us are alone. It is a gift that says, "I see you." It is a chance to remember the connection between us all and to allow a genuine love and sensitivity to our fellow travelers to grow. For me, extending a genuine smile is a practice in becoming and drawing others, if just for a moment, into that experience.
Thank you to all you contagious smilers out there!
First posted January 4, 2007 on A Path to My Woods

For the Beauty of the Earth