Lest I Forget

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...

I am most definitely not a morning person. Convincing myself to get out of bed takes prayer. However, once I am awake, morning is one of my favorite times of day. It is a clean slate. I have yet to make any serious mistakes. The air just feels clean and fresh when you breathe it in. God starts with a fresh canvas each morning too. The sky slowly comes to life with colors different than the day before, different from the moment before. I sat with my coffee and my Magnificat this morning in my comfy orange chair, now riddled with claw marks from the kitten who is now mostly a cat. As I glanced away from the page to ponder what I had just read, I saw out the window the most brilliant red horizon. I blinked and the view had changed, yet was just as beautiful. I dashed up the creaky wooden stairs to grab my camera, hoping not to awaken the kids. Stepping into my slippers and stepping out the door in my bathrobe, I attempted to capture a brief moment of the ever-changing canvas befor...

The first snow of the year is magical. Even for adults who know better. Those first flakes appearing faintly, then falling more steadily until there starts to be a blanket of white over the landscape. Snow can transform the bleakness of leafless trees and gray skies into a wonderland. Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It seems to me that Mary herself laid this blanket of white over the world to remind us what her Son can do. They seem to be gazing longingly at their destination and their destiny   I have been reading "On Pilgrimage" by Dorothy Day for my book club, underlining passages that stand out or give me pause. From my lunchtime perusal, I can across these gems: "What else do we all want, each one of us, except to love and be loved, in our families, in our work, in all our relationships? God is Love." "God sees Christ, His Son, in us and loves us. And so we should see Christ in others, and nothing else , and love the...

I woke up one morning and realized that I had let too many things go. The things that matter to me, that make up the rhythm of our days. It is easy in life to get overwhelmed and revert to what I call "survival mode". You take care of the basics of life until life calms down. Then you can take a deep breath, hike up your britches and add those things back to your day. I am starting small. Bread, to be exact.  I had stopped making bread in Germany because, well, let's face it, German bread was better, not to mention fresh baked and cheap, and could be obtained by a quick stroll to the village bakery. Now? I have no excuse for eating bread that doesn't taste good. My mother had a bread machine taking up space in her pantry. So, I brought her machine to my little condo, and started experimenting. I now have a nice white loaf that is delicious. Next up is a honey whole wheat loaf that is not too dry. My goal is to add back one thing at a time, until it is a full lif...