2178 and counting ...

2178.  Being well again
2179.  A great college visit today.  They are really interested in my boy.  We'll see.
2180.  An very sweet and fun early 18th birthday surprise for Joel thanks to Thomas and Kay.
2181.  Retreat planning
2182.  Detail people (not me so much!)
2183.  Little girl cuddles
2184.  Finding eggs together
2185.  Funny little mannerisms that just endear
2186.  Old favorite story books
2187.  Good, good food - not planned or cooked by me!  (Thanks, Erin)
2188.  Fresh air, country roads, horses
2189.  Eating fresh eggs.
2190.  Safe travel
2191.  The softest yarn ever becoming something so pretty
2192.  Phone calls and skype dates
2193.  Friends that just walk in the house and stay long
2194.  Friends that just sit in a comfy chair after all the excitement and quietly read
2195.  Pre-marital counseling - keeps me thinking on the things that make for a good marriage
2196.  A quick hug from a friend at church as she heads out the door
2197.  The understanding you have with friends who know you well
2198.   My morning coffee
2199.   The sound of carols filling Erin's little house; the warmth of the woodstove filling it, too
3000.  This life I've been given with an overabundance of very dear people who bless daily.

Just a few of those people and the fun of that early surprise!

Stories

"Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories.  Listening for them is something more acute than listening to them.  Listening children know stores are there.  When their elders sit and begin, children are just waiting and hoping for one to come out, like a mouse from its hole."
                                                       -from One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty

I sat in the doctor's office the other morning, blood pressure cuff on my arm, and the nurse chatted away.  She was a new one I'd never seen before.  In the course of our five minutes together, I learned that she had moved to a house with her seven year old son, down the street from her friend, a stay-at-home mom who could pick her son up from the bus stop if she was late from work, but that it was so nice that the new highway had been built because she had moved out of the city to a smaller town but it still only took her 30 minutes to get to work, even though she worked at different locations because she's a floater.

My blood pressure was 120 over 80.  I learned a lot about Elizabeth in a very short time.  She was so eager to talk.

From the doctor's office, I went to the pool.  After my swim, in the locker room, the dear, elderly English woman who swam in the lane beside me talked about her walking club and how the party this month was the next night and she'd made sweet potatoes with brown sugar and coconut and everyone loved it at the last party so she made it again and a different person hosted each month and they were going on a walk tomorrow in a park nearby and she had just heard from her friend about a daughter who had some medical problems and was going for a scope but when she got there she found out she was pregnant and she was 40 years old and they thought they could never have children so they were over the moon with joy.

The cleaning lady mentioned her grandsons who were with her in church the day before and how they went to MacDonalds after church and she made the little boys get Happy Meals because it was too expensive but of course the big boys wanted combos and she was glad they had behaved in church though she had to look over at them a couple of times when they moved a little too much and isn't it lovely that the weather is so warm, 70 degrees, it just doesn't feel like December and the boys had a good time playing outside that afternoon.

Everybody's got a story and no matter how routine they might seem on the surface, the stories matter.  The people matter.  In every encounter these last few days, I tried to listen.  I started to feel like a child waiting for a mouse to pop out of a hole.

Not all the stories are mundane.  My Burmese friends tell harrowing stories of government bullying and people jailed and no one knows why and all the family is poor in the village at home and stories of trouble since the car is broken and very expensive to fix and the Medicaid may be canceled and we aren't sure what to do and can't understand the lady on the phone and my husband works six days a week from 10 to 10 making sushi in a restaurant to make ends meet and doesn't get to see his wife and little girl very much.

I am listening and asking myself, "What does the story of a virgin mother and her baby born in a barn and an angel chorus and shepherds in the field and and a bright star and men who brought expensive gifts and an angry, jealous king have to do with all these other stories."  It's something to ponder this Advent season.

One thing I hold onto.  Love came down.  Love left the glory of heaven became a man.  Love reached out to some who were expectant and to others who were oblivious.  Jesus embodied all the fullness of the glory of God and resided for a time on this earth.  This is an amazing story.
________________________________________________________

Giving thanks these last few days for ...

2161. Morning clouds tipped with peach, promising a lovely December day
2162. Long bike rides
2163. Family close by and a day together
2164. Family far away
2165. The ways we stay in touch - skype, phone, facebook (yes, it is good for some things!)
2166. Sick son, close by and the opportunity to provide comfort
2167. Trumpet in church
2168. Little ones who read Scripture in church
2169. Burmese friends
2170. Cheap plane tickets!  Coty and I are off to see Erin, Luke, and Clara today!
2171. A job nearly finished
2172.  Beautiful yarn
2173. A listening doctor
2174. Women who pray together
2175. Women who are good organizers
2176. Morning quiet
2177. The sweet companionship of a long marriage

Back to the pool

I haven't gone to swim for about three weeks.  Back in the pool this morning at a time I've never been before.  8 AM.  The sun streamed through the large windows on the east side of the building and rainbows rippled on the pool bottom.  It was wonderful.  I am so thankful for access to such a nice facility at such a low cost.  I met a seasoned woman triathlete and plied her with questions.  I found out about where to practice open water swimming come spring.

See that lane number.  I always swim in lane 8.  I don't know why.  If it's occupied, I jump in, splash around and make a ruckus til the swimmer moves to another lane.  No, no, no.  I don't do that.  Just kidding. (*wink, here*)   I pick another lane which I did this morning.  It was lane 2 which was sun splashed and lovely.

Yesterday we sang ...

You're rich in love and You're slow to anger,
Your name is great and Your heart is kind.
For all your goodness, I will keep on singing;
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.

                                                        -Jonas Myrin and Matt Redman (2011)

In her book, Gilead, Marilynne Robinson wrote ...

"There are a thousand thousand reasons to live this life, every one of them sufficient." 

My friend, Ann, says ...

"Joy is the realest reality, the fullest life, and joy is always given, never grasped.  God gives gifts and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given;  joy."   One Thousand Gifts

About a year ago, I stopped counting.  I don't know why.  I just didn't do it and the days of not chronicling my thanks added one upon another and now a whole year has flashed by.  I think it's time to start again, picking right up where I left off ...

2140.  This morning's swim
2141.  Rainbow ripples on the pool floor
2142.  Locker room conversations
2143.  The fragrance of oak leaves
2144.  Time with my family, parents, sister and her family, and a few of us.
2145.  A room of my own
2146.  A thoughtful comment and book suggestion
2147.  A new quilter and her beautiful new quilt in the works
2148.  Soaked steel cut oats - my usual breakfast
2149.  Congregational singing with instruments soft enough to hear the voices of people all around me.
2150.  An old piece of furniture, getting a new life in the new room.
2151.  Cloudless Carolina blue sky
2152.  Country road bike ride
2153.  Walking buddies
2154.  Skype conversations with four kids, plus ... far away on Thanksgiving day.
2155.  Work for this day, lots of it outside ...
2156.  Lots to learn
2157.  Turkey stock made the house smell delicious yesterday.
2158.  Today, soup.
2159.  Clean gray floor.
2160.  Stars from India.

49th Tuesday

When I started this post, it was still Monday ... just barely.  Now it's Tuesday afternoon and I've spent most of the day grading biology lab reports and AP government free response questions (frq's) and trying to figure out how to weight the grades and figure averages for the semester so far.  This is the part of teaching I really don't like.   But I have reason to give thanks!  My former professor husband came down and helped me figure it all out and set up a spreadsheet for me.  So, I am very thankful for ...

2123.  an experienced grader, spreadsheet whiz, and patient husband to walk me through it!

I had a whirlwind of a weekend, full of soccer and boys and soccer families and college coaches and sunshine and soccer.  Yeah, soccer.

Joel's club team played in a college showcase tournament and won all three of their games, all shut-outs.  It was very fun to watch the guys playing together again -  the first time since last spring.  If this weekend was any indication, this is going to be an exciting soccer season.

Wait, you're saying.  I thought soccer season just ended.  That's funny.  Soccer season never ends.  Not around here.  It just shifts to a different team, different fields, different opponents.

I was happy to get away this weekend and really have nothing to focus on but following my mapquest directions (no, I don't have a gps.  I'm old fashioned that way), getting to fields on time, taping Joel's ankle, and watching a ball get kicked around a field.  Sometimes it's good for your brain to step away from all the normal activities and do something completely different for a couple of days. Very restful.

I didn't think about sheep heart dissections or campaign finances or what to cook for dinner.  I didn't vacuum or do laundry.  Wait, I take that back.  I did wash Joel's green uniform in the hotel bathtub before the third game, using his very manly scented body wash.  Quite a fragrant uniform in that last game.  Maybe that's why he did so well - he scored the only goal in that game on a header from a corner kick.  If you don't know what that means, then you probably don't keep a fold-up chair in your trunk or have a shoe rack outside your door filled with cleats.  You probably don't shout, "Unlucky" or "Clear it!" either.

Anyway, I had a wonderful weekend with my #5 son and found myself over and over again feeling incredibly thankful for ...

2124. the opportunity Joel has to play
2125. his health and strength - gifts from God
2126. the "squeaky clean", above reproach reputation he has among his teammates
2127. a nice man at Auto Zone who assured me that the check engine light wasn't a problem (he was right)
2128. safe travel
2129. time to get to know parents and teammates better
2130. seeing Joel reading his Bible in the hotel room

2131. trustworthiness, yes I let him stay in Chapel Hill and drive back on his own to Raleigh after the Carolina game we went to on Saturday evening.  He went to dinner with a friend who just happened to be a girl (not a girlfriend, though he got plenty of grief from his teammates!)
2132. teamwork - among players and families
2133. an athlete husband/father who understands and encourages
2134. gorgeous, perfect sunny weather all weekend

Shortly after we got home, it was time to head to church for the Children's Choir Christmas program and potluck.  I sat in my seat, holding a friend's six month old giving thanks for ...

2135. that precious little guy on my lap and his beautiful mother
2136. sweet, young voices
2137. a dedicated, creative, patient, talented, fun choir director
2138. people who cook and share delicious food - I've always loved potlucks!
2139. hugs from little people

I was mostly a spectator this weekend - a relaxed, happy, thankful spectator.  It was good.  Yesterday and today, it's back to work.  And that's good, too.

48th Tuesday

The sun is slanting early rays across the lush green of new grass planted this fall.  It is still warm-ish here, almost balmy the last couple of days.  Last evening when I stepped outside barefoot, I heard the wrens talking, and this morning, the cardinals, robins, and crows.  If I didn't know better, I might guess that we'd skipped winter altogether.  I'm sure it will come.

I am still sort of basking in the wonderful-ness of our Thanksgiving trip to Virginia and giving thanks for special time with my children:

2111. Cooking with Erin and Grammie
2112. A long walk through Ft. Hunt park and along the parkway bike-path with Kay
2113. Reading Alfie books (oh, I love those books!) with Clara
2114.Seeing cousins re-unite and enjoy each other on the football field, playing fish-bowl, walking, talking, laughing, just being together

2115.  A long evening conversation with one of our engaged nephews and his fiance with five married couples joining in to share out of our 132 collective years marriage wisdom.  Graym and Sasha (below) will be married next September.

2116. Walks in the neighborhood

2117. Sitting long at the table on Thanksgiving evening with family

2118. A fantastic trip to the zoo

Clara's first view of the lions when we arrived - pretty excited! And, of course, 

the pandas... they were so up close and active this time.

2119. Watching the adoring uncles play with Clara and seeing her little fun personality coming out more and more

2120. Giving haircuts with crazy buzzing electric clippers to Matthew and Andrew

2121.  Safe journeys to and fro for all the travelers

2122.  Getting back into the routine of reading, studying, preparing for classes, cooking ...
2123.  Anticipating ... so much.

45th Monday

Today was a long day... so long it felt like two days.  Now, I'm sitting at my desk with a cup of hot cocoa and the space heater blowing on me to thaw out my chilled body (it was cold on the sidelines at soccer practice tonight!)  I'm breathing a tired happy sigh and giving thanks for ...

two college visits in one day
a meeting with a coach that was way longer and more personal than expected
lots to think about and the peace of knowing the Lord will lead
a great group of soccer moms and dads, reunited at the first club practice tonight
Joel's club coach and words of encouragement
safe travels yesterday and today
time with my folks and Andrew
google voice and cheap phone calls to India
a short conversation with Coty's Indian host last night and laughter with him over Coty's walking speed!
the children at Bapatla - Coty gets to see them again this week
friends - I am really so very thankful for my friends
beautiful yarn and knitting in the car while Joel drives
books - so many on my list right now
my friend, Lisa's safe return to the states for medical care for a high risk pregnancy
the most gorgeous fall day imaginable
mums and pumpkins and gingko trees blazing golden
Mars Hill Audio that I've started listening to again,  and Ken Myers recovery from a heart attack
The prospect of a quiet day at home tomorrow
The gift of rest

#'s 2091 - 2110

Part 2: Soccer never ends ... and I give thanks

Actually, that previous blog post didn't start out as a defense of the large amount of time we are devoting to Joel's soccer.  I had another intention, which is the point of this post.

We are on the "soccer in college" journey.  Joel would very, very, very, very much like to play soccer in college.  And so, the search is on to find the right school that is interested in him that is also a good fit for him, academically, socially, geographically, spiritually.

It isn't easy and it's time consuming.  It's also exciting and a matter that we are committed to bathing in prayer.

This past week, Joel had a major decision to make that affects the way he will be spending his time in the coming months.  It was a hard decision.  Coty wasn't here to talk with him about it and we wanted Coty's input.  He was a standout college athlete in track and cross-country (10,000 m., #2 all-time) back in the day, and had an experiential perspective that we wanted to hear on the looming decision.  Thank goodness for email.  We forwarded messages back and forth and this morning, Coty sent us a lengthy email with some words of counsel.  I share them with you, because on this Monday, the day of the week I often add to my endless list of thanks, I am incredibly thankful for the wise words of a far away Daddy:

"We clearly must strive for excellence in Christlikeness, in general and in particular in the roles we occupy: son, employee, friend, and (later) husband and father. Striving for excellence in a secondary area – like running or soccer – can glorify God if we pursue it with the rightattitude, keeping His glory central, and showing that our success in this area is a parable of our striving after Him. Furthermore, such a pursuit of excellence can teach us and others valuable lessons about the pursuit of excellence in the mandatory areas, particularly when we are young.There is great value in making a decision to pursue a goal, and then refusing to drift along with the crowd but saying no to many other activities in order to attain the goal. Outside our family, you can see the present impact of a past devotion to athletics in the way that MrStout is approaching his fight with cancer.

But striving for excellence in these secondary areas comes at a cost. It means saying no to many other possible uses of your time, including time spent with friends and time spent on other forms of physical activity. With the exception of the minuscule number of professional athletes, itcomes at a financial cost: spending money to participate and making less money than you otherwise would because of the time you devote to the sport. And while the lessons learned from such striving can be valuable, there may be other lessons from other ways of spending time that would be yet more valuable.

What would striving for excellence in soccer look like? I don't know exactly, but let me describe what striving for excellence in running looked like for me:

No other sports during the competitive season that had the slightest possibility of harming my performances. I remember as captain of the track team at Davidson berating another runner who twisted his ankle playing basketball and was thus unable to participate in a meet. I was incredulous that any supposedly serious athlete would let down his teammates in thatway.

Dropping my interest in other sports. When I was in 7th and 8th grade, I was an avid fan of football, basketball and baseball. Once I began to take running seriously in high school, I had to cut out more and more of the time I spent following those sports. Once I went to college I followed Davidson basketball but basically otherwise quit devoting time to following those sports.

Cutting out all watching of TV. Again, this progressed over time: cutting back while in HS after I started running and then, at Davidson, never watching.

Being very selective about non-academic, non-running activities. I did participate in cultural events, parties, dating (for which you should be thankful - my note: Coty and I met his senior year in college, when he was a very serious, successful and gaunt college runner), and selected service organizations. But I had to budget time carefully to achieve both academic and athletic goals, and I did much less of these types of activities than if I had been just a casual runner in college.

If you have a child who is making a similar decision, perhaps these words will be helpful.  Striving for excellence in any pursuit comes with a cost.  We are carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully counting it with Joel right now.  Coty ended his letter with these words:

"I love and am proud of you. Should you decide to pursue excellence in soccer I will get considerable joy out of being among your biggest fans. But I will also get great joy out of your becoming what God intends you to be if you strive for excellence elsewhere."

As we set out on this new soccer journey, I am thankful today for:

2091.   The man who walks with us every step of the way, who never ever sits down on the sidelines when a game is going on, who can retell every one of his son's outstanding plays, who delights in every one of his son's athletic accomplishments, but who knows that soccer is not life.  Colossians 3:1-4

 

Forty-first Monday

From one of my favorite books:

"It seems to me sometimes as though the Lord breathes on this poor gray ember of Creation and turns it to radiance - for a moment or a year or the span of a life.  And then it sinks back into itself again, and to look at it no one would know it had anything to do with fire or light ... But the Lord is more constant and far more extravagant ... Wherever you turn your eyes, the world can shine like transfiguration.  You don't have to bring a thing except a little willingness to see."   -from Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

I have often been reminded that giving thanks changes the way I see the world around me.  "The world can shine" when I turn my eyes toward the Giver of all good gifts. So, in the wee hours of this Tuesday morning, I give thanks for:

2080.  Erin and Clara safely here, a last minute airport switch to a direct flight, and a sleepy little girl blinking her eyes hard in the car on the ride home to try and stay awake.

2081.  Walking through difficult days with dear friends - a cancer diagnosis and a job loss -  and seeing their trust tested and strengthened in the trials.

2082.  Caring shown by many, hands-on.

2083.  A back porch full of people.

2084.  An incredible celebration meal brought by friends.

2085. Silence, which can be welcome or hurtful, depending on the circumstances.

2086.  Deep conversations with some of my children the last few days.

2087.  The communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins

2088.  New Jersey words (my friend, C knows!)

2089.  A stretch of days to put aside work, and play with play dough, read books, and push a stroller with a very special passenger!

2090.  Praying with two very special women.

39th Monday

Thankful this morning...

2076.  For these four with whom I spent a bunch of happy hours on Saturday.  We went to our last Furman Family Weekend while Andrew's a student there.  Where did those four years go!  I stayed over Saturday night and had more time with A on Sunday.  So thankful for that time.

2077.  And after Furman,  a visit with Missy, in her home!  And I got to meet John and the boys, in person!

2078.  And after Missy, a visit with my folks.

2079.  And after a visit with my folks, a safe drive back, a short wait at the airport, and Coty safely back from a weekend away in Minneapolis with Matthew.

38th Monday

Looking back this morning over the last few days and thanking God for His goodness shown in answers to prayer, faithful friends, happy new beginnings, hard places, and small graces ...


Monday morning: coffee on the porch, bread rising, J studying, C running long, lessons to plan, plans to put into action

Last night: news from a friend of a troubled son getting much needed help and a little Latvian girl who will get a new family

Over the weekend: a touch of fall in the air, walking long with something good to listen to, stumps ground, collard greens and the gourmet offerings of others for hungry men at CRM, a courageous friend not wasting her bed rest, Sunday dinner made on Saturday night

Last week: a phone call with J and K from India, great students, labs that worked, soccer, friends' listening ears and caring hearts, hard fruitful conversation, co-op moms, beginning the pre-marital conversations/counseling with R and R!

#'s 2055-75

30th Monday

Still counting, with thanksgiving ...

2038.  My mom is home from the hospital and doing well

2039.  My son and dil have made a big decision!!!

2040.  My niece and nephew came for a few fun days.

2041. Matthew's new buddy who gave him the biggest hug when he saw him at church yesterday.

2042. Core seminar (what we call Adult Sunday School at church).  I love our discussions and always come away challenged and encouraged.

2043.   a handwritten letter.

2044.  a phone call from my oldest (meaning longest) best friend who always keeps up with what's going on and is the very best about remembering.

2045.  Joyful sounds from little people, including this little guy who knew ALL the words, too!

2046.  The team effort of VBS and the happiness of those days.

2047.  Our trip to Bolivia in August to visit these dear friends.

2048.  An exuberant African wedding!

2049.  People who reach out to refugees and invest in lives - Ed and Annette, Jonathan and Kandyce, Thomas, Sarah B., my sister.

2050.  Friends that drop by.

2051.  Impromptu game nights.

2052.  More days of quiet work.

2053.  Getting a long overdue household repair done this week!

2054.  Picking summer blueberries and buying fresh-picked-that-morning peaches.

29th Monday

Yesterday we sang these words from a hymn written by Joseph Addison in 1710:

When all Thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view, I'm lost
In wonder, love, and praise.

Unnumbered comforts to my soul
Thy tender care bestowed,
Before my infant heart conceived
From Whom those comforts flowed.

Ten thousand, thousand precious gifts
My daily thanks employ;
Nor is the least a cheerful heart
That tastes those gifts with joy.

Through all eternity to Thee a joyful song I'll raise.For oh, eternity's too short to utter all Thy praise.  

I stopped numbering back in May.  Why?  Inertia, I suppose.  A bit of malaise.  The crush of busy-ness.  These are not good reasons.  They were, like life often is, unintentional.  And the days continued and the gifts went not entirely unnoticed, but uncounted, and my heart was less cheerful.

This life is far too short for inertia, malaise, and busy-ness. So, I go back, thankful for new mornings and fresh starts, to counting and more intentional thanksgiving.  There are, as the hymn says, ten thousand, thousand precious gifts and I'm only at...

2025. music of the summer morning: cardinals, crows, cicadas...

2026. the play of morning light on oak leaves

2027. metaphorical language in Scripture (Isaiah 28:23-29)

2028.  helpful commentaries and new insights.

2029.  a couple of quiet days to be guarded from interruptions

2030.  morning smoothies to handed to one boy on his way back upstairs for his quiet time and to another on his way out the door to work.

2031.  good work for sons to do

2032.  starting fresh, knowing the pay-off of perseverance and that slacking off doesn't have to continue in a downward spiral.  Get up and keep walking - literally and figuratively.

2033.  librivox.org

2034.  After church lunch time conversation and reflection around the table.

2035.  a table full of books and papers to help in completing this day's task of syllabus writing.

2036.  energy and time for the job!

2037.  the promise of a walk and a swim

Eighteenth Monday

Mostly thankful today...

for our oldest son, Jonathan and his wife, Kandyce and for the opportunity to visit them here in Denver;

for meeting their Iraqi family and spending an afternoon in the beautiful Denver Botanic Garden with them;

for Jonathan and Kandyce's compassionate, giving hearts,

for their good friends,

their church,

their work,

their home;

for shopping (Fancy Tiger!), yoga class, knitting, and talking sewing with Kandyce,

for cooking and cleaning up together,

for hiking and seeing strikingly beautiful places,

for great conversations,

laughing over old stories,

and seeing a child I butted heads with so often in his younger years grown into such a fine young man married to an amazing woman I dearly love.

hiking with J and K in the Flatirons today

2004-2024

Forty-second Tuesday

Today is another of those glorious autumn days.  Cool to start, bright clear sky, plenty of sun.  As we drove to co-op this morning, the mist was rising over the fields.

As we started our day, Coty was ending his.  On the other side of the globe, he looked forward to a night of rest after a long, long trip.  Over here on this continent, we welcomed the morning.

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!"

Psalm 118: 24 and 29

1367.  Safe travel to Indonesia for Coty

1368.  A wedding planning evening with Kay and her mom

1369.  Amy's help in planning

1370.  A friend who sticks a dead bird in the freezer so I can use it in class!  I know.  That sounds weird, but I am really  thankful for a friend that knew I'd appreciate that and got excited about saving the beautiful cardinal for me to use!

1371. Helpful landscape and nursery people who take time and answer all my questions

1372.  Feathery pink plumes of muhly grass, now waving in my front garden

1373.  Hard river rock

1374.  Soft, rich humusy soil

1375.  The slanting afternoon sun glinting on water droplets in a newly watered garden

1376.  Colors of pansies

1377.  Praying friends

1378.  Offers of help

1379.  Boys at home

1380.  Long-distance phone calls

Fortieth Monday!

"Sitting there in the moonlight, I came to the knowledge I had so hungered to find. God is the lover and maker, the friend and creator. He reveals his goodness in the tastable, touchable wonder of his world. His love is felt in the fellowship of his people. His joy is what sings in the wind and spices the best wine, and glimmers in the gold of sunset. In the savor of feasts, the cadence of seasons, in apples crunched and friends touched, God is known for the eternal Good that he is."  -Sarah Clarkson at The Rabbit Room

 My husband went out of town this past week.  He left Wednesday night.  He is due back here in a couple of hours.  A few weeks back, as I contemplated his absence, I expected a quiet weekend of reading, sewing, and working outside.  I thought that the boys would be busy with their jobs and other activities and I would be alone for a good bit.  The approaching solitude was a welcome break in what has so far been a full, busy, fall.

It was not to be.  Ten days or so ago, one of our adopted, honorary Pinckneys sent me an email asking if his aunt and uncle, who were to be visiting this weekend, could stay at our house.  I confess that my very first and very selfish thought was, "Well, there goes my weekend."  My second thought, which thankfully, followed closely was more gracious, "Of course.  They're your family.   You're part of our family here.  Of course, they can stay."

Fast forward to this Saturday.  I was busy cleaning - scrubbing the tub, washing the mildewed shower curtain, covering up the hole in the bathroom shower tile, changing sheets, vacuuming - hurrying so that everything would be ready when our guests arrived.  As expected, the boys were gone and I was alone.  But I wasn't doing what I had anticipated.  Instead of sewing, I was cleaning.  Instead of working in the yard, I was on my knees in the bathroom.  But I was not unhappy with it.  I was glad to be doing some of that deep cleaning that gets passed over most weeks. More than that, I was really and truly happy to be welcoming Albert's relatives and looking forward to dinner with them.

Then a phone call came.  From Thomas.  At my sister's house.  Asking if my two nephews and niece could come back with him and spend the night.  Three more people.  Well, I'd already let go of the idea of solitude, so why not three more.  The more the merrier, right?!

Exactly right.  The kids arrived in an hour or so.  The house was mostly clean and I had turned my sights to dinner.  Kay and Annsley wanted to cook, so they got busy in the kitchen.  John and Linda arrived a couple of hours later.  Albert showed up soon after.  Full house, smells of ginger chicken on the stove, piles of bok choy in the sink.  Rice cooker going. 

Over a delicious meal, prepared by several hands, instead of mine alone, we laughed and talked. Through the evening, we shared coffee and tea and goodies brought by Linda.  We watched a homemade video starring my youngest nephew, we discovered mutual friends and connections as we lingered at the table. 

This morning, in a quiet house again, the guests all gone, the boys still asleep, Coty on a plane headed home, I am thankful for a weekend that turned out very differently from the one I was expecting.  I am thankful that God's love was tastably, touchably experienced in the goodness of food and fellowship this weekend. I add to this weekly numbering of God's endless gifts:

1333.  New friends
1334.  Old friends that feel at home here
1335.  Fellowship around the table
1336.  Delicious food
1337.  The smell of ginger, garlic, onions
1338.  The slightly bitter goodness of greens
1339.  The way vinegar enhances that flavor
1340.  Connections - across miles and years
1341.  Connections - because of fellowship in Christ
1342.  A son who is a very wonderful older cousin
1343.  Girls who like to cook
1344.  Sitting and knitting with those same girls!
1345.  Worship
1346.  Fred's sermon or should I say Santo Frederico!  Listen.  You'll understand.
1347. Coffee time
1348. An afternoon, even with a house full, to sit and rest
1349.  The opportunity for hospitality
1350.  The bonds of physical family and church family
1351.  A dear friend and the sharing of hearts and concerns over coffee
1352.  And joy, the showers and crisp cool air - so welcome

1353.  But most of all, for God, the eternal Good, lover, maker, friend, creator, who is the source of every one of these very good gifts.

Thirty-seventh Tuesday

"We want life to have meaning, and want to be fulfilled, and it is hard to accept that we find these things by starting where we are, not where we would like to be.  Our greatest spiritual blessings are likely to reveal themselves not in exotic settings but in everyday tasks and trials.  No less a saint that Therese of Lisieux admitted in her Story of a Soul that Christ was most abundantly present to her not 'during my hours of prayer...but rather in the midst of my daily occupations.' (emphasis Norris's).  The twentieth-century martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote from the illegal seminary he had established in Nazi Germany: "We prevent God from giving us the great spiritual gifts He has in store for us, because we do not give thanks for daily gifts...How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him little things?"    -Kathleen Norris, from Acedia and Me

I returned from a lovely, restful time away almost a week ago now.  Of course, I didn't ease back into the action here, but jumped in feet first, very early the morning after I arrived, driving the co-op carpool, back home to clean, unpack, and do laundry, back to pick up from co-op and then to a soccer game, and so on into the activity of life here.  Back to traffic lights, back to interstates, back to shopping malls (well, not really.  I haven't entered the mall, but I do have to drive past one fairly frequently).  It would be natural, easy even, for me to mourn this return to schedules and places to be which can feel at times quite hectic; to miss the quiet of Erin's, the slower pace.

I haven't, however, felt mournful at all.  Instead, I have felt a very happy gratitude for this full life and especially for Coty, Thomas, and Joel, the men at home, and for their school and work and activities that fill the days in this household.

It has not felt hectic, but abundant.  Instead of feeling irritated at the need to drive 25 minutes in traffic, stopping at red lights, I have appreciated having a son who is a safe driver and the gifts of teacher and friends with whom I'll share the co-op day.  Rather than being frustrated that the "to do" list is long and the hours seemingly short, I've felt glad for good work to do each day... 

hanging towels on the line
making the bed
peeling apples
making pie crust
reading stories and doing puzzles in nursery
changing diapers
making the coffee
wiping the counters
making homework assignments
printing handouts
sewing a border
knitting a sleeve
scrubbing a sink
watering plants
transplanting seedlings

and for pleasures...

eating baby kale and black beans out on the porch
feeling cool air in the morning
drinking tea
watching soccer games
listening to Chopin waltzes
making applesauce in the slow cooker
smelling applesauce!
identifying a bird by it's call
talking with the boys
going away for a day with Coty, even though the trip was to visit a friend in difficulties
walking in the woods with middle school students
seeing orb webs glistening in the sun
reading

So very many good gifts.  So many places to feel God's hand at work, to see His glory.  In rest and in daily tasks.  In quiet calm of rural retreat ...and in the car on 485 on the way to soccer.  In and for all of it, I give thanks. 

#'s 1241 - 1268

Twenty-eighth Monday

What a weekend we have had!  On Friday, I drove up to camp to deliver the fireworks.  Matthew and Kennan had driven to SC to buy a pack of  Primo 12 fireworks (can't buy those in NC), and I was the pyrotechnic courier.  I also got a sneak preview of the proposal site and ran into Asheboro to pick up a few more candles, flowers, and other miscellaneous items that Thomas needed.  Then the hour drive home and the wait for the news that she had said yes!

Saturday included going to the church for instructions on helping with Josh and Shelley's wedding decorations, and then in the afternoon, the first annual DGCC Summer Family Picnic!  What a lot of fun we all had, all ages, all sizes, everyone, running the obstacle course, water on the head and dump into a bucket, and silly dress up races and more.  And what an amazing spread of delicious food shared in the evening!  After our meal, it was back to the field for the slip 'n slide for the little ones and speed volleyball for the big ones.  So much laughter, lots of good time to sit under the shade canopies and visit, plenteous food, and sweet cooperation in pulling off a splendid picnic.

Sunday morning, I was so happy to sit between two Joel and Thomas at church and occasionally glance over at the sparkle of diamond on Kay's finger.  Matthew played the piano and nephew, Kennan joined the worship team playing his ukulele.  That was a first!  Coty preached on the fifth commandment and gave us much to think about and discuss in our Wednesday small groups. We shared the Lord's Supper.

In the afternoon, we pushed back the furniture to make room and a crowd joined us to watch the World Cup final.  A bit of friendly Spain/Netherlands rivalry in the room will result in someone who was pulling for the Dutch dancing a tango at the wedding this weekend.  Or so I heard! 

After the game people swam, nibbled at snacks, rested, and talked.  At 9:00, the ones still here watched a new Poirot on Mystery. 

At the end of the evening, a little cleaning in the kitchen and then I fell into bed.  Happy.  Tired.  Full.  Thankful for...

1092.  Kay and Thomas and all that is ahead
1093.  Thomas's friends who helped with the proposal
1094.  I get another very special daughter-in-law

1095.  Josh and Shelley
1096.  Getting to spend time with them the last few weeks
1097.  Sweet families planning a special wedding together
1098.  Amy, amazing Amy! (everyone should have such a helpful, organized friend to plan their wedding)
1099.  So much joy surrounding this upcoming day
1100.  So many in our church family helping in various ways - makes me so heart happy to see it!
1101.  Boys, excited about being ushers for their good friend, Josh

1102.  Lori, the picnic mastermind!
1103.  So many helpers - many hands truly made light work
1104.  Little ones and big ones all playing together
1105.  People being willing to look silly with water spilled over their heads and crazy costumes and all the laughter and cheering.
1106.  So. Much. Good. Food!
1107.  A church family that makes new folks and internationals feel so welcomed and loved
1108.  Chinese young women throwing water balloons!
1109.  Soccer chairs and sitting in the evening quiet with just a few to talk and relax
1110.  Clean-up helpers

1111.  Worship
1112.  Scripture read aloud
1113.  New faces
1114.  Old friends
1115.  Families with lots of children
1116.  Singles welcomed into families
1117.  Compassionate ones who care deeply and listen, rescue, and open their home to a hurting one
1118.  A glimmer of a smile on a hurting one's face
1119.  God's mysterious, sovereign purposes in an incidental meeting almost two years ago
1120.  Singing
1121.  Sharing the bread and wine
1122.  Coffee time conversations all around

1123.  Banter of good friends
1124.  So many who just walk right in
1125.  Treats shared
1126.  True fellowship

Yes, it was a very full weekend.  My heart is glad, rejoicing in so many good gifts.  We have prayed for Thomas and Kay and God's leading in their lives.  We have also prayed for greater closeness, bonds of friendship, sharing of burdens and laughter in our church family.  God's answers to these prayers were so evident this weekend in so many different ways.  I give thanks! 

Twenty-first Monday

I keep saying it. What a day!

Yesterday was one of those special days when everything seems to go right.  The caps fit, the friends and family arrive, the food is plenteous, the sound system works, the speeches and slideshows are moving and funny and not too long, the music is lovely, the helpers gracious and untiring, and on and on and on.

And while one event is going on, an hour and a half away, boys are running and passing, kicking, blocking, sweating, heading, scoring penalty kicks, and one very good goalie is blocking a shot that gives the team the sweet, sweet victory.

Most days are not like this.

In the ordinary days, I give thanks for common things - flowers and birdsong, food on the table, work, rain, the cat, walks; and for hardships, too.

But yesterday was not ordinary.  It was one of those golden days, long remembered, to look back on in humble, thankful rejoicing.  I am so grateful for...

971.  the Goetls, who give Joel rides, when we can't
972.  the Stubbs, who call and text to tell us what's happening, when we can't be there and manage the team, what a full plate!
973.  Coach Kyle, who cares about character, too, and was jumping and celebrating with his team at the end
974.  sixteen hard playing young men
975.  no injuries
976.  sweet, hard-fought victory
977.  parents with hearts in their throats, watching, who told me about it today
978.  son who asks us to pray before each game
979.  Joel's joy in playing and his example of sportsmanship and integrity
980.  safety on the road and back for all the team

981.  Heidi, Teresa, Gail, Kathy, Lisa - we started planning together in January.  I sure do love these moms.
982.  Tracey, Robyn, Joy, Cindy, Charlene, Karen - co-op moms who supported and helped and kept things running smoothly
983.  Abundant and beautifully presented food
984.  Family and friends who came to support Matthew, thanks Mama and Daddy, Annie and family, Ed, Natalia, Amy, Josh, Rick, Albert, Blake, Helen, Shawn, Paula.  Their presence meant so much.
985.  Friends who aren't afraid to do something a little crazy to say "we love you."
986.  Words of encouragement, words of thanks from parents and students
987.  Smiles and a few tears
988.  Reaching a goal
989.  Dreams, goals, plans for the future
990.  Apt words

These boys of mine, together at home right now, supporting, encouraging, loving one another...

991.  Joel - the soccer player
992.  Matthew - the graduate
993.  Andrew - photographer for the day, thanks sweetie
994.  Thomas - one of the crazy ones and yes, Matthew loved it!

At the beginning of our graduation ceremony, Coty read these words from 1 Chronicles: 11-14...

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.  Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.  And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.  "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you....O LORD our God, all this abundance ... comes from your hand and is all your own.

Who am I, indeed, to be blessed with such abundance.  All praise and thanksgiving, all credit and honor belong to the Lord.

Nineteenth Monday

 
933.  Peonies on the windowsill
934.  Learning the birds by their songs
935.  Porch mornings and evenings
936.  It fits!
937.  Less than three weeks til the wedding

938.  Candlelight dinners on the deck
939.  Germaine and a happy birthday celebration.
940.  How we laugh with those Tshamala girls and Angie!
941.  Heart to heart

942.  Fun times with these little people
943.  Time with our dear Sneads, on their way back to China tomorrow
944.  The starfish story - "it made a difference for this one"
945.  Babies and little ones dedicated in church on Sunday, gifts of God by biological birth and adoption
946.  Aprons and flashlights and capes and gingerbread necklaces and little one's happy faces

947.  Music from these hands
948.  A college decision
949.  Finishing up
950.  Boys home

951.  Fence done
952.  Good work in the garden
953.  Scent of honeysuckle on a morning walk

Eighteenth Monday

It is rather dark this morning.  It feels humid and warm. As I sat on the porch early, a small breeze rang the chimes and whispered promise of rain to come.  And then, a little while later, it arrived, a few big drops at first and then a more gentle constant shower.

On a morning like this, I rejoice that I can hear...

917. the rain, as it begins to fall gently on porch roof, hitting dry oak leaves on the floor of the woods, and pattering on the red-tip leaves just beyond the screen.

918.  the rich, liquid, flute like song of the wood thrush, heard early this morning. Scroll down on the link if you'd like to hear and enjoy.

919.  quiet morning sounds, boys moving about, getting started on their day

920.  sweet morning greetings

921.  the cat's meow

922.  the roiling, bubbling of kettle water at a full boil

923.  the whir of the coffee grinder

924.  the knock of a moth's wings against the front window (which also makes me chuckle remembering this story we read aloud and loved).

And I'm thanking God, too, for the gift of smell and the scent of ...

925.  roses and jasmine

926.  rain

927.  coffee

928.  garden soil

929.  homemade bread, toasted

And eyes to see...

930.  peonies

931.  rhododendron blossom

 

932.  abundance of roses

These old hymn words come to mind...

He gave us eyes to see them,

And lips that we might tell,

How great is God Almighty,

Who has made all things well.

-from the hymn, All Things Bright and Beautiful by Cecil Frances Alexander, 1848