Friday, May 17, 2013

Happy Birthday to Joh

This is my friend Johanna.  She is far, far away today and it is her birthday...

How do you celebrate one so far away?  With just the right poem or quote or thought or sentiment.  These are for you, dear friend.

Happy Birthday!!!
  

No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth. ~Robert Southey (whoever he is!!)

                                             To me, fair Friend, you never can be old,
                                             For as you were when first your eye I eyed
                                             Such seems your beauty still...    ~Shakespeare


Promise me you'll always remember:  You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.  ~Christopher Robin to Pooh 


 


So Many Gifts by Hafiz
There are so many gifts
still unopened from your birthday,
There are so many hand-crafted presents
That have been sent to you by God.

The Beloved does not mind repeating,
"Everything I have is also yours."


Happy birthday my friend.  I am so proud of you.  You are brave and courageous, yet dependent on God.   You are strong, but still vulnerable.  You are far away, but still so very close to my heart.  I have enjoyed watching you grow more and more into a woman after God's own heart.  I hope that you have a beautiful birthday and that you feel celebrated.  You are loved!

*****

One final note - this poem always makes me smile... I remember we were having tea at the London Tea Room.  It was my very first Hafiz poem that you introduced me to.  You read it and then giggled.  Very appropriate.  Enjoy:

Two Giant Fat People
God
And I have become
Like two giant fat people
Living in a 
Tiny boat.
We
Keep
Bumping into each other and
Laughing.


 


 

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Mother's Day and Birdwatching

Mother's Day is today...  My mom is such a blessing to me.  I love her.  So let's celebrate some of the joys she brings to us.

Mom shows others that she loves them by serving them.  She bakes or cleans or shops or serves in a zillion different ways.  You can bet if it is someone's birthday she has cooked a feast!  Or if someone has a special event, she has helped you shop for just the right outfit.  Or if you need help with homework or if you aren't feeling well... she's the one my sisters and I call.  She's always there.  (And for the record, Dad is just the same!  Need a car repaired or a sump pump fixed or do you have a gardening question?  Call him!)   I know that her desire is to serve others just as Christ Jesus came to serve those around him.  She is truly a picture of the love of Christ to me.

Some people know that Mom loves to read.  But not everyone knows that she is actually a very talented writer as well.  Her letters are the best.  I still have the ones she wrote to me in college.  When my oldest daughter Victoria was away in Louisville last summer she would eagerly wait for a letter from her grandmother... then she would read them aloud to her roommates.  They were stories of daily life  and of family and of the faithfulness of God.  I know Victoria will cherish those forever.

Today I have been thinking about Mom's love of birds.  This is something I know that I get from her.  She and Dad have always enjoyed nature and seeing the things that others don't notice.  Growing up, we would take long drives through our part of Kentucky.  All three of us girls would be in the backseat -  on the lookout for anything!  Birds or deer or the perfect oak tree or the field full of horses or an old barn hidden in the overgrowth.   So today I saw an indigo bunting at my bird feeder!  It is one of my favorites.  I immediately called her knowing that she would celebrate with me.  It was fun.  And it is one of the many things I am grateful to her (and my dad) for.  Even though I don't live on five acres in Kentucky, I can still enjoy a little wildlife in the postage-stamp-sized yard that I have here.  It was good.

Thanks Mom!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Farm Dreams...

I have been in bed sick for three days now.  That makes for lots of daydreaming.  The biggest dream these days is to live outside of my little town on a few acres.  Practical?  No. Realistic? No.  But a girl can dream, right?

She can dream of five horses, five cows, and chickens.  A little red barn and a small chicken coop. (Okay, maybe since seeing all the videos on youtube I might take a fainting goat or two!)

There will be peonies and hydrangeas and roses along with corn and tomatoes and squash and potatoes.  And blackberries and grapes.

She can dream of a little lake to sit by in the evenings.  Where Steve can fish and Bear and Kentucky can swim and the frogs can croak all night long.

I think this dream farm needs a name.  Hmmm.... where would a California boy and a Kentucky girl end up?

Calitucky Farms  

There.  I said it.  Maybe that makes me just a little closer.

Thanks for dreaming with me.

Bring on Summer!

We are a house divided... Isaac and I love the fall and winter.  Steve and the girls love summer.  Now summer is here.  What will it bring?  Just heard my first cricket last night.  Lovely sound.  Waking up to a mourning dove outside my window is heavenly.  Fireflies will show up soon!  All those things are lovely... but humidity?  and sweating?  and sunburns?  Well... all of those are necessary for the very best part of summer - gardening!  More about that later this summer.  Right now, let's take a quick glimpse at what my summer holds.

Our oldest daughter comes home from her second year at college.  Hooray! 

Esther-palooza begins today!  Esther turns 18 at the end of the month.  How can this be?  Plus, she graduates!  Woah.  I am not ready for this...

Isaac will be getting ready for high school.  Can that be right?

Steve and I will celebrate our 24th year of marriage.  Seriously?  Can we be that old?

Then, at the end of our summer, Victoria and Caleb will be getting married!  Again, how can that be?  Wedding planning kicks into overdrive now.

So the close of this summer holds new beginnings for all three of our kiddos - or should I say grown-ups?  Victoria begins the adventure of married life, Esther is off to college and Isaac jumps into high school.  I am so excited for each of them... and nervous... and grateful... and praying that God shows them each a whole new aspect of His love and provision and joyfulness.  He truly is good and great and gracious and glorious!

Well, summer it is.  Here we go!  Can't wait.