My Mom's Here

I have been reminded in this season that our horizontal relationships need to be cleaned exceptionally more frequently than our vertical ones.  Unless someone pulls a crayon attack on your walls, I doubt you are scrubbing away, the way you clean your table after a meal or your desk at the end of the work day.  A failure to clean, will allow buildup of clutter and/or dust and crumbs on the horizontal spaces, but it rarely builds on the walls without a conscious deliberate work of defilement.  We had three strategically placed tiny green x's right by our kitchen door to the garage.  One on the light switch, one on the wall, and one on the molding.  It took someone rather intentional, to have a green crayon in hand, and look around at the clean beige walls, and letting a desire of making their mark become a reality, officially make his or her mark. My response is,  "Grrr.  Who did this!?" And there's the powder room.  I realize we are fortuna...

My days have been filled with an extra pumps of Chai.  Have you experienced a Chai Latte at Starbucks? Usually, the spices bite the back of your mouth, and about where your molars meet your tongue the sensation lingers beyond each sip.  Last week I had a Chai Latte, and it was mild, like a cup of warm milk with a subtle taste of the exotic spices.  Today, while explaining what I was looking for in the Chai Latte to Jack Fritz, the kind and well articulated barista at Starbucks this morning, he recommended an extra pump of Chai.  It was fantastic.   Have you done this to your days lately?  As my limits of what can be accomplished in a day or a week are stretched, with all the complexities of spice found in my latte, it also brings an awareness of the necessity for a quiet soul and a content-with-to-do list posture.   We bought a house!  We are not in it yet, so it seems a bit surreal.  Then again, weekly as we go in to assess and...

While sorting through fresh pile laundry, I noticed a little midnight blue splotch here and there.  As I pull up more and more clothes to fold, there is not just a little splotch here and there, but streaks, huge splotches, whole white toddler collars turned to a tie-died blue-fest.  My C Wonder shirt that I wear weekly no longer has crisp thin navy lines over white, but blue and white meddled together as if to portray an overcast day's sky.  Now, rather than pulling for clothes to fold, I'm digging for the culprit while I intermittently spew out questions.  "Was there anything in your pocket from school this week? Did you happen to stick a crayon in your pocket?  Or one of those gel writers? Do you remember putting anything in your pocket? What could this be?"  The response is a stream of "no. no. no." Then, as if clarity hit, "Mommy, maybe a long, long time ago someone had something in their pocket and you forgot to check the pocket and then you wa...

This is my kind of vision.  There is nothing like a two year old wanting to jump on the moon.  Vision for it, that it will happen and what he will do once he gets there. "Go on roller coaster then fall down on the grass.  Then fall down on the grass.  I go be right back.  I'll be right back." And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. Mark 10:13-16 ESV I am habitually turning off our outside lights each morning.  Their insignificant glow looks like a waste as soon as the sun rises. Can you envision this? The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like cl...

Have you been reading your clothing care labels carefully?  Many that I have come across recently have said, "Wash garment inside out. Gentle, cold water, with like colors.  Low heat in the dryer." I can understand this for the printed tees and the beaded tops, but the basic shirts and pajamas for the kids, I'm kind of tired of turning them inside out, then right-side out, only to be turned inside out again.  Who knows the reasons for this, but since I am still learning about doing laundry properly, I read all these things and follow along. I have a few bad habits, and those who know me well already know some of them, hopefully not too many!  One really bad habit is when we come in from somewhere, a vacation, day trip, outing, I have this bag from the day and I dread unpacking it.  The most embarrassing thing is when I totally forget about it, and find it when I need the bag again. "Where's the sunscreen?"  Oh, it's in the brown bag that we took to t...

You know the time of day when your bare feet and fingers are free from restriction and adornment, and subdued time reigns? You can breath a little deeper, you are used to the noises, and which seats have the best lighting and the best views of what's going on. We are here. It has taken over a month physically and mentally, emotionally and logistically to get here and call it "settled in."  We were welcomed with open arms to our potentially new church, and I have already met with about 5 moms for play dates and park expeditions at the local "Castle Park," as Naomi aptly named it.  We even had people over for dinners and desserts, which is never perfect with lots of little ones, but always entertaining.  I think the record so far was 7 kids and 5 adults over for David's 2nd birthday.  After a birthday morning of me feeling heart-wrenched that no one was here to celebrate with us, we had a house full by evening.  God supplies with more than we need, even w...

After missing the road to turn right on while chatting with cousin Jamie, I made it up St. David's Road to the correct golf course.  The triangular entrance greeted me abruptly, and I slowed down which seemed to be the only way to fit in on the windy road to the main building, beyond the impressive line of trees.  The small grass landing before the building had about seven well-outfitted children each being taught privately, swinging at golf balls along straight lines, being instructed, or calmly observing.  As I saw the parking lot far off to the left, I followed the valet signs around to the main door, exchanged the ticket for my car and walked confidently up the stone steps. Once I found the room with the Cardiology group, I ran into Mike's program director and he introduced me to a well respected doctor who will be joining the company Mike is graduating from.  The program director was pleased to see me and very complimentary, since he knows all about my Myasth...