Stuff Happens

“Life is not orderly. No matter how we try to make life so,

right in the middle of it we die, lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce.”

~Natalie Goldberg~

I like this quote...so true.

Thankful Thursday: The Practical Wisdom of Children

Who doesn't love chocolate? Last night we had strawberries (a rare treat in winter) topped with chocolate pudding and a few marshmallows for dessert after dinner. Dessert is a one-helping affair in our house, as we are trying to learn moderation. However, one helping of chocolate anything isn't easy for most kids! So of course, our conversation naturally led to the topic of thankfulness. We talked about children in the world who have never tasted chocolate and how some children have so little, how some children have only tasted things like water (not so clean water) and rice. I encouraged them to eat their dessert slowly, mindfully, savoring the moment and the sweetness...and to be aware of how fortunate we are...to be thankful.

(good mom, wise mom)

Then my 5-year-old daughter says to me, "Mom, it's good to be thankful, but we really should do something for those children."

(still learning mom)

I'm thankful for the wisdom flowering from the brilliant souls I call my children...and how they teach me everyday...

Pictures!

Here's a picture post since I haven't posted any of the kids lately and the little jewel is growing and changing so quickly!

Here she is making her way through everything within reach:

And happy to be at the center of our attention:

Our Little Superguy:And of course the girls...they are simply fancy :

Thankful Thursday: Little Hands

Often my mother-in law comes to watch the little ones so I can walk to the school by myself to pick up my kindergartener and second-grader. I have to admit that sometimes my hands feel very empty when I'm walking alone. So I can't help but feel thankful walking home with a little hand in mine...and especially thankful that my nearly 8 year old son still eagerly slips his hand into mine, even on the school playground surrounded by his friends.

Thankful Thursday: Fresh New Mornings

Every morning brings a new sunrise, a new day, new hope. Sometimes a good night's sleep followed by a fresh new morning is just what we needed! I know by the end of my day, I am anxious to crawl into bed and welcome a new start! By the time I've gotten the kids all jammied and I think they are just about wound down for the night, something throws us off. Everyone's tired, including me! We all need a new morning.

Being a big L.M. Montgomery fan, I think back to the wise advise Miss Stacey gave Anne Shirley: "Tomorrow is a new day, all fresh with no mistakes in it." I find myself repeating similar words to myself and to my children. What a relief to know we can start over, to know we don't have to cling to mistakes. Things can be made right and we all deserve compassion...even from ourselves! If the Psalmist can celebrate God's new mercies every morning, surely we can celebrate with him.

Gunilla Norris speaks eloqently in her book, Being Home, about Awakening:

First thought--as in "first light"--

let me be aware that I awaken in You.

Before I even think that I am in my bed,

let me think that I am in You.

I am thankful for fresh new mornings and the opportunity to give my children the same sense of joy in finding ourselves once again in "You."

Peter Pan and Tinkerbel

I have a 5 year old daughter who believes in pixy dust. It works magic on so many things. If she's afraid at night, I simply add a pinch of bravery to the pixy dust and sprinkle it on (a little hug goes a long way to.) It seems to give her just what she needs to settle into a peaceful sleep.

Recently, after my 3-year-old recieved some Disney fairies for Christmas, we rented Peter Pan. The girls fell in love with the movie...Peter, Tinkerbell, Wendy, even the old Crocodile with the ticking clock inside. So much of that magical stuff of childhood...they soaked it up. Then, one night this week I found my Sophie sitting in her bed working busily writing some letters. I came in later to find the window blind raised all the way. The objections when I started to lower the blind were loud! "Mom, no...leave it up." The only response to my "why" was "please don't look at my letters (positioned toward the window on a nightstand in front of it), you wouldn't understand." Of course, this raised my curiousity and I peaked quickly while the kids were in brushing their teeth before bed. The letter were addressed: To Peter Pan and To Tenkerbel.

All the kids were amazed and excited at breakfast the next morning as they announced that the letters were gone! Samuel, being a little older, looked carefully to make sure they hadn't just fallen behind the nightstand. Of course, I reveled in their delight at the prospect of Peter and Tink making a special visit to their bedroom window!

They have been busy this week making trips to Neverland, playing Peter Pan in the backyard. Sophie tells me that she makes up her own stories about Peter, too. Childhood can be such a joy!

And, yes...the letters are tucked away in a special place for priceless keepsakes. We'll pull them out when the magic fades and a little girl becomes a lady.

Thankful Thursday: Sticky Tac

While I'm talking about refrigerators magnets, I might as well voice my praise for this gummy stuff. I am truly glad for sticky tac.

Last weekend my husband and I began working on patching cracks and redecorating one of the kids bedrooms. I started by pulling everything off the walls that my son had collected over the last 7 years since we moved him in there...he was 6 months old. When I was done I had a ball of blue sticky tac that was slightly smaller than a golfball. That's a lot of goo. I was surprised with all the memories held up all those years. The sweetest to me were two letters that I had written to my little guy. The first one when he had finished his reading lesson book and the second on his first day of kindergarten...both big milestones for my firstborn...and for me. Another place I have gained an appreciation for sticky tac is on my kitchen cupboards, which have come to be a collection place for artwork and notes from my children and quotes to inspire me while I cook and clean.

Tape is nice, but oh sticky tac---is magic.

Thankful Thursday: Refrigerator Magnets

I love refrigerator magnets....not because of their collectability or souvenir quality, although we have some from varied places like Massachusetts, Great Britain, Hoover Dam and even one from the Old Cow Town Museum in Wichita, Kansas. We have a few sentimental ones as well, but really my affection for these handy little items has been a recent development. There was a time when I found them somewhat of a nuisance, making it hard to clean the refrigerator door, always falling off and getting lost under the monster-appliance. And we have magnets not only on our refrigerator but also scattered on the back of our front door. Of course, underneath all those interesting magnets is an ever-revolving display of child-art, snapshots, inspirational quotes, light-hearted comic strips, and school reminder notes like "Popcorn Sale Friday, 25 cents." There was a time when I would have told you that for the most part, the magnets were just a functional convenience. But everything changed a few weeks ago as I was sitting, a little bit sullen, in my kitchen rocking chair. Just casually glancing over towards the fridge, I noticed a couple of upside down magnets, then another and a few more. As I looked closer, it slowly dawned on me that every magnet within the reach of a 3 or 5 year-old had been carefully inverted. Knowing the two little girls well who had devised the scheme, I could easily picture them talking and giggling together over the upside-down magnets. I smiled. Then I laughed. Sometimes it's the smallest things that open up the well inside and let it all flow out. It was a quiet peaceful sort of laugh that I indulged in that night, as I realized, really everything is well.

Let the little things bring perspective back into sight. It's amazing how something so small can cause such an explosion of love and thankfulness for the little people in your life. Funny, the next day I overheard the girls talking to each other about the upside down magnets and laughing. They don't know how their play blessed mom...and gave her a lasting appreciation of refrigerator magnets.

Rocking Chair Kitchen Prayer

A few weeks ago my littlest one had some restless nights, so my husband moved the rocking chair from our closed in porch into the kitchen (my special place) so this tired mama could rock and rest with the little jewel in my arms. She seems to have a little trouble with reflux that was causing her a great deal of discomfort at night, especially when laying on her back. So I went to work investigating my diet, in hopes to bring her some relief, and made an effort to keep her propped up for sleeping. She is much better now so mommy's catching up on sleep, too. But the rocking chair has found a permanent home in my kitchen. The kitchen is my sanctuary...I spend the greatest portion of my day there. In the early mornings (except for when the sunrise beckons me from my front porch) you will most likely find me in my kitchen by candlelight, huddled in the rocking chair. The more time I spend there, the more my heart takes joy in serving my lovely ones, the more I delight in dinner to be served, dishes to be washed and rewashed and rewashed. My heart begins to be thankful that my little dishwasher has proven itself a better rinser/sanitizer than washer! Because now I have the opportunity to learn to lovingly wash each dish with my own hands, an act of worship from a thankful heart...yes everything imparts His grace.

The Sacraments

The Sacraments

I once spoke to my friend, an old squirrel, about the Sacraments--

he got so excited

and ran into a hollow in his tree and came

back holding some acorns, an owl feather,

and a ribbon he had found.

And I just smiled and said, "Yes, dear,

you understand:

everything imparts

His grace.

~St. Francis of Assisi~

Translation by Daniel Ladinsky

Love Poems From God: Twelve Voices from the East and West