Bits Of Random

I can't seem to shake the zero ambition for writing. I tried to trick myself into the mood yesterday by saying if I got my cleaning done early enough, I could write a blog post... but it didn't really work. I thought of copying a fellow blogger who pretended to sit down with her readers for a cup of coffee but that idea kinda fell flat for me too. Maybe, the best thing to do is just to sit down and write. Or maybe I will discover the best thing is actually to just shut up; we'll see.

Today is the third day of sunshine in a row; I nearly forgot such a thing was possible! The breeze is still pretty chilly but that sunshine does wonders for the soul.

It's a busy time of the year, (Wait. Is there even a time of year that isn't?) with the last couple months of school ahead and a myriad of activities, especially for the high school students. The younger ones have had all kinds of special days at school including dress up ones.

 

And the high school spent a night and day going to REACH; which it sounds like everyone else and their neighbor also attended. Next week they reap the fruits of all their fundraising and take a trip to Washington D.C.  And then there is Choirfest and track and field to prepare for, not to mention graduation coming up and this year we are one of the parents...

Yeah. My head feels like it's spinning too. I have a feeling we're only beginning to get a taste of this stage of parenting.

It's a good thing we still have a healthy dose of a different stage of parenting to keep us amused most days.

What? You don't all have your bookshelves labeled by in house librarians?

We even have a library sign prominently displayed on our living room wall. You should come check out the great service!

I'll never get tired of this little voice sounding out new words. He loves bringing home new "books" to read. You know he has a good kindergarten teacher when every sentence with an exclamation point has to be carefully sounded out and then repeated in a loud, excited voice because he's been taught what those marks mean! It is also very amusing.

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At the same time as I am making my way through Deuteronomy and now Joshua as I read the Bible chronologically, I've also joined my girls as they begin working on their quiz passage for next year. Much to my shame, it's been years since I've memorized Bible verses! It's a little shocking to realize how hard I have to work at it compared to brains that are so much younger than mine. With 7 chapters in their passage this year, I am not making any bold promises about keeping up with them but I have really actually enjoyed the challenge of working on the first chapter.

Reading through the Bible in a year means reading chunks at a time rather rapidly. I've been enjoying that. Listening to it in the NLT version makes it feel more like listening to a good story book. At the same time, repeatedly going over the same words time and time again as I memorize has been therapuetic, like a gentle, soothing cadence.

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I know I have not updated you on our foster care story lately. It is complicated. We are right at a year since taking classes and still have no license in hand. I have no doubt that God has a reason for every odd detail in this process but I confess that I have no idea what all those reasons are. I'll also confess to tears and frustration but ultimately, it's pretty clear that He is in control, not me. I only ask that He makes the way very clear that He wants us to take. Maybe you could put in a few petitions for me to that end?

I hate being vague but the subject is too personal and a blog is too public...

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I should be in the kitchen right this minute, working on food for a fundraiser supper tonight. Someday, in another life, I'd like to actually enjoy being in the kitchen. At present, let's just say the words 'enjoy' and 'kitchen' don't belong in the same sentence in my mind.

How people can be so different from each other is a never failing amazement. I told Jasmine how I actually made myself breakfast the other morning and even took a picture so she could see it.

She said something like, "Oh, wasn't it just fun to create something different and delicious?!" Ummmmm. Not really. I mean, it tasted good...

I'm not sure if one can change that perspective? Maybe. Or is it like our 2+ hour conversation after a Sunday lunch where we hashed all the sides of how two members of our household think, compared to two other members. All we could really conclude was that we believed the other side but we sure couldn't imagine being that way.

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This is now getting beyond bits of random. High time I shut it down before I hit delete and decide it really would be better to remain silent.

I am going to go listen to an audio book, cut up salad stuff and, as *Susan would say, "If I can't look pleasant, I'll look as pleasant as I can."

A happy day to you, and twice on Thursday!

*Susan, in 'Rilla of Ingleside'

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PS. Sometimes I really wonder what I'll be like at sixty. Totally forgot that the first thing I needed to do when I got home from school was mix up a batch of sourdough bread. Then, when I was mixing it, I dutifully get the bread flour out and when I get ready to put in flour, I promptly pull out the regular flour and measure it in!

That's not all. I needed to get gas after dropping school children off at school this morning. I grab my credit card and keys and hop out of the van. As the door closes I hear this beep and the sound of the doors locking and I have this moment of sheer you've-got-to-be-kidding-me panic.... until I realize -- Oh. Yeah. I'm holding my keys.

If this is forty, send help.

Remember To Remember

The alarm went off this morning, and I remembered that I needed to get up. I remembered that it was Tuesday and that I didn't need to take the children to school, that Isaac would do that. I remembered that I needed to pack lunches and that there was pizza in the fridge. I remembered that one classroom was trading lunches, which meant I wasn't actually packing a lunch for my daughter but for someone else. I remembered what time everyone needed to be ready and heading out the door and the things that needed to be done to get to that place.

What would it be like to not remember?

Chris and I once watched a dvd about a person who suffered from antegrade amnesia. I'd never heard of it either. Basically, it means that a person suffers a brain injury and looses their ability to create new memories. They can remember events from before their injury, but no matter how much time passes, they wake up every morning thinking they are back at the day before their injury occurred. As you can imagine, this condition would lead to huge issues in trying to lead a normal life. Our ability to remember impacts so much of our every day work and quality of life.

I am reading through the chronological Bible this year -- along with everyone else in our church, I might add, but maybe I'll talk about that some other time. We are currently in Deuteronomy and that's really what started all my thoughts about remembering.

I'm intrigued with this theme in Deuteronomy; with the way Moses leads the Israelites back through the archives of their memories. He relates to them their whole story, starting back in Egypt. This is not a short little discourse on the highlights of their history. No, Moses drags it all up; the hard, the amazing, and the terrible. He recounts all God's mighty acts, all the Israelites pathetic failures and all the details in between. But that isn't all. He tells them to keep remembering. And he gives them a reason.

After Moses describes to them the land they are about to enter -- a land that is beautiful and plentiful; full of food and comfort and wealth -- then he tells them this:

“But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today." Deut 8:11 NLT

When I am reading about the children of Israel, I almost always start comparing them to 'my people'. For some reason I'm constantly drawing parallels between them and my Anabaptist heritage. As I've read through Deuteronomy, I can almost hear my ancestors saying, "Beware lest you forget!" And I've looked around with tears and aching heart and wondered, is this what we're missing? Is this where we're failing?

If our ability to remember impacts so much of our every day work and quality of life in the physical world, is the same true for the spiritual world? Is it critical to look back and remember as a people; as a church; as a family; as individuals? I can't help but think it is important. Looking back and remembering my own story -- the good, the bad and the ugly -- has been a good checkpoint for me. A good reminder to beware.

What do you think? Is remembering an important part of your spiritual quality of life?

P.S. The pictures are to

help me remember 

that winter 

will not

last forever...

February In Review

I loved reading your comments, I think I'd like to come gaze out y'alls windows!  Scene 1 was my current view... And by the time I had finished writing, it had changed to scene 2:

 

The winner of giveaway #4 is Karen, who commented: "I see my bird feeder  (which is empty) I'll fill it up yet before leaving my classroom... blue sky, brown field, an astute brick southern mansion up on the hill beyond the field that separates our little white school house from them. "

Karen, email your address to christopherbethany@juno.com and I will get "The Ministry Of Ordinary Places" sent your way!

I really enjoyed doing this month of giveaways; thanks for participating and making it fun! The only thing I don't like about giveaways is that I can't make everyone a winner. I'd love to. ☺

February held more than just giveaways and more cold days. I thought I'd give you all a little review of the highlights with pictures....

On February the 4th, I turned 40.

That's a big number.

But the celebrating made it almost worth it   -- there were no less than six different celebrations, each one special and unique. It made me feel humbled and tearful. 

My youngest came home from kindergarten reading words and little stories!

There was a school open house with a powerful speaker and fun exhibits. Lillian's classroom made this little town...

Complete with so many fun details...

She was proud to point them all out. 

Jasmine turned 15 on the 8th.

Yes, she's that much taller than me. 

Current favorite game. 

This particular time his first question was

"Does your person have a mustache?"

You can imagine his glee 

when the answer was yes!

My birthday surprise from Chris was scribbled on a napkin at the restaurant...

After consulting my children, everyone wanted to go back to Florida again!

As I told a friend 

who asked about our trip afterward --

"It was good, in a 'very-much-not-how-I-envisioned-it' kind of way".

We got an Airbnb in northern Florida this time and the weather didn't cooperate very well -- not so much lovely sunshine and blue sky as we were hoping for, the promised pool not open... but we really did have a good week together. 

We have a science museum membership right now, so we enjoyed two museums!

The first one had lots and lots of hands on projects we all loved. 

This was a challenge to hang 10 to 12 nails on one upright one. 

Chris and I managed to get

 20 nails on there!

This fellow showed up one day to check out our picnic. Came right up and snatched a tidbit off of the picnic table!

The second museum was a Naval Aviation Museum. Simulated flying with The Blue Angels and watching a video about the space station had to be the highlights here. 

Blue skies and sunshine though we may have lacked, it was still a lovely far cry from the snow and cold of Ohio!

Putt Putting was a big hit. 

Twice. 

And the most fun of all was having our own little house to hang out in. It meant cooking most of our meals but that was actually kind of fun too, to see how efficient we could be with using up every little bit of food by week's end. 

Scum was the game of choice, 

even while traveling home. 

I also had discovered an app that allows me to borrow audio book through our local library so we enjoyed "Cheaper By The Dozen" and "The Phantom Tollbooth".

And then it was back home and straight back to real life the next morning!

And this was my view on March 1

And now I really must run along and take care of laundry and get something else done. Happy Monday to all!