Lest I Forget

We finished up school last week. (well, not Anna and I, but that is not something to dwell upon at the moment, so let's not) Summer time is officially here for these three youngest of mine. They know how to live to the fullest, children do. Belly laughs, squeals of delight. I need to take a lesson from them. Just trying to capture it brought joy and smiles into my heart.

The snooze alarm has already been pressed once, so I roll out of bed and ask the Lord to help me through this new day. As I wait for the coffee to brew, I unload the dishes from last night. Pouring a generous splash of half and half into my cup, I head outside, wrapped in an afghan, to read my morning prayers. This day starts like most. This morning, I am thinking about words I read every day in the Canticle of Zechariah. "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people and set them free." I am always baffled at these words. With all the ugly in the world, how can these words possibly ring true? And then, I hear a little voice saying "you can be free if you rest in Me and my way." And that way is love. Choosing to love amid the ugly. Choosing to remain calm in the midst of the chaos. That choosing part is the challenging thing. It is so easy to snap back at the frustrated child. To choose a calm, quiet act of love instead is His way. How m...

Today I am thankful for... -an afternoon walk with my kids yesterday. We played "I Spy", blew on dandelions, and had a good romp through the grass and trees. -another beautiful day today. We may go to the park, I don't know, but whatever we do, it must be out of doors. -Sophie's minor aches and pains after a car accident, in which someone pulled out in front of her. It could have been much, much worse. -the fact that she was driving the car we bought just two weeks ago. It gave up itself to keep her safe. Her old car would not have protected her in the same way. -technology, and the ability to talk to Tony and see his face all the way in Korea. -the shower faucet that is either hot or cold, and rarely just right, for it reminds me that I have running water, and a roof over my head. -the messy clutter of four kids, for I am abundantly blessed. -my camera and the opportunities to capture the sweetness of life.    ...

 The weather was lovely yesterday. For the first time this year, I was able to enjoy my coffee and Magnificat outside on the back porch. The birds were chirping and flitting from the trees to the feeder. The quietness of the morning filled me with a calm, and as I sat there thinking of the things that I could do with the day, I knew I wanted to take the children on a picnic. I called my parents and invited them as well. We headed to Laurel Run Park, as I had been told we could hike from there to Bays Mountain. The hike would have to be another day, but I planned to check out the park and get the trail maps to prepare for the future hike. The kids eagerly packed their new water shoes, because the website said there was a creek. They relish a good creek walk and as soon as we set up our things at a picnic table, they were off. I sat there at the table, setting out the lunch, and just enjoying time with my parents, when Anna called out "I see a snake." Now, I appreciate nature...

It began way back when we were returning from Germany. This little voice in my head said, "Wouldn't it be amazing to buy an RV and travel to all the states while Tony is in Korea?" Reason won out, however, and we found a place to settle for a year. That little adventurous voice still called out every so often. And so, when I began to think about Spring Break, a camping trip seemed perfect. As plans are wont to do, they meandered and changed direction like a mountain stream. What finally emerged was a 5 day, 4 night camping trip to three state parks and one special family whom we hadn't seen in years. Oh, believe me, I had my doubts if I could pull this thing off! I have never driven anything larger than a van. I have never actually built a campfire without assistance. The weather forecast was not pretty. But excitement kept winning out over worry. The key to keeping this trip a success was flexibility and I got to practice that even before we embarked on the jou...

As in, we are halfway through Tony being in Korea, away from us. He took two weeks and one long flight to spend Christmas with us. We awoke at 3:30 yesterday morning to get him to the airport. He kissed each of the kids good-bye and we ventured out in the 5 degree pre-dawn chill. Immediately I noticed that the grass and trees were sparkling like I have never encountered before. It was a wonderland of glittering ice everywhere the headlights shone. Christmas was lovely and crazy and cozy, which is how it should be. We then settled into days of playing new games and enjoying our time with Tony. Jack's birthday is in a few days and he requested that we go to a railroad museum and antique shopping with his dad as an early gift. My parents joined us for lunch and antiquing, skipping the museum. The museum is on the ETSU campus, and we chose to explore Jonesborough for the antique hunting. I have lots of organizing and cleaning to do, which I let slide during Tony's visit, thoug...