Spring Sunshine

Friday March 15, 2013

What a great week!

It’s been Spring Break for me, and I’ve reveled in sleeping in, writing, reading…I’ve loved it.

I’m linking up today with Susanne at Living to Tell the Story for Friday’s Fave Five, where we recount the favorites of our week.

I’ll have a little trouble narrowing mine down to five this week.

My faves this week:

1. Having the college boy home! It’s been great having him around, and I do love to cook for him. I can tell Dad has really enjoyed the boy, too – good all around.

2. An article to write. I’m excited about an article I’ve been asked to write for a parenting magazine. It’s right up my alley.

3. Some important posts. On Monday, I wrote on something very near and dear to my heart: adoption. It’s nearer and dearer now, as our family is embarking on quite the adventure. My oldest son and sweet daughter-in-law (Aiden’s parents) have been approved for the Waiting Child Program in India. There is plenty of paperwork and there are hurdles ahead (including fundraising), but we are all SO excited. Most of you know I have four sons and one grandson…longing for some pink. And since India devalues its precious little girls so…you can see where this is going. I invite you to visit Jonathan and Kristen on their adoption blog and leave a comment of support and encouragement, if you feel led. Their blog is called Longing for India. Here's a picture of Aiden holding a watercolor of his next sibling's homeland...

4. Steps closer to a project’s completion. I don’t want to say too much, but this project is connected to my writing and Jonathan and Kristen’s adoption fund. More on that later, but I’m excited that we’re closer to seeing it happen.

5. This quote: “Wisdom is oft times nearer when we stoop than when we soar.” (William Wordsworth)

When we stoop to serve, we find treasures we might not suspect—that’s the beauty of it.

Wishing you spring sunshine today,

Real Rest

Friday April 20, 2102

Real rest.

Sometimes our bodies crave it, sometimes our spirits long for it.

I think of spring and see the fruits of it. Winter is the earth's rest...and just look at the fruit!

Counting this week's five top blessings today along with my friends from Friday's Fave Five. We welcome you to join us -- just click on over to Susanne's place and link up.

Here are my favorites from this week:

1. Progress. Another doctor appointment this week for my son Andrew, and more progress. After a major accident like his, progress comes hand in hand with work, and that’s what he has ahead. PT is stepping up, and I’m praying he does – that he shows determination, perseverance, and stamina. There are still unanswered questions ahead, but isn’t that life? As long as we have Him by the hand, we can keep climbing in spite of those unanswered questions.

2. Reading. Oh, I know I’ve said this so many times before – but I love to teach books I love. And to see high school kids interested in a book? That’s gold! For my regular classes, it’s Lord of the Flies. Quite a few of the boys have said with surprise in their voices, “I think I’m really gonna like this book.” And for my Honors classes, we’re beginning Crime and Punishment. It’s a challenge, but I have a few who are picking up the gauntlet and showing maturity beyond their years. Exciting!

3. The help of friends. I’ve needed a little more help than usual this week, and friends have been there. Very special ones.

4. Rotisserie chicken! Andrew loves it, and it’s such an easy meal to serve when you just pick it up from the store. I love to see my boy eat and enjoy it.

5. This quote from a class I’m taking:

“You stir man to take pleasure in praising you, because you have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” (Saint Augustine)

I’m reading Confessions again and it’s such a treasure trove. I just chose this out of 12 quotes I’ve noted, and I’m only halfway through the book.

Our heart is restless until it rests in You. Take my restlessness; replace it with Your rest.

Wishing real rest for you this week,

The Beauty of Simplicity

Thursday April 20, 2011


Spring -- the simplest pleasure of all.

Green grass emerges unbidden.
Annuals pop up, where cold, seemingly barren earth lay.
Even my walk seems effortless, simple.
The sun warms gently now; it will glare in the coming months.
The corner where I contended with biting cold just weeks ago today brings only refreshing simplicity.

As I rest in the simplicity, it invades my heart, my soul...
and I remember.

I need not roll the stone away.
I simply lift my head and believe.



Linking up today with Imperfect Prose. Won't you come along?

Spring Things: Friday's Fave Five

Friday March 18, 2011Welcome to Friday’s Fave Five. Join me as I look back at the week's blessings.If you’d like to join us, visit Susanne at Living to Tell the Story to find out how.

Here are my favorites from this week:

1. A great weekend. Last weekend was great. Hubby and I took in a movie together on Friday, picked up our college boy at the airport on Saturday, and got to wish and hope and pray for our oldest’s big weekend. (I mentioned it last week. It went well, and we should know something definitive on Sunday.)

2. A great post on moms supporting moms. Melissa, at Confessions of a Dr. Mom has the greatest blog. This post, Forget the Mommy Wars, is one of my all-time favorites.

3. Having my college boy home. It’s been awesome! I’ve cooked his favorites, I shared his new peppermint loose-leaf tea, he’s helped me on the computer, all three of us have watched TV together. I already look forward to him coming home for the summer.

4. People who love my boys. One of my sons is student teaching, and he really likes his supervising teacher. And there’s another teacher across the hall who always checks in on him to see what kind of day he’s had. They’re both so encouraging – it blesses a mom’s heart. I could cite examples of those kind of people for each of my sons, and it’s such a blessing to know there are special people in their paths.

5. Spring Break and this quote. I’ve relished my break this week. I’ve gotten a lot done, but I’ve had time to think, to ponder, to ruminate. I’ve looked out at the sky and enjoyed the breeze and…well, it’s going to be harder to do those things once Monday morning hits. I’m hoping this quote by Thomas Merton will remind me to slow down and see Him in all.

Let me seek, then, the gift of silence, and poverty, and solitude, where everything I touch is turned into prayer: where the sky is my prayer, the birds are my prayer, the wind in the trees is my prayer, for God is all in all.

Happy Friday to you.

Rest, A Son's Voice, and Worth: Friday's Fave Five

Friday April 2, 2010
Welcome to Friday’s Fave Five. It’s all about looking back at the week’s blessings. If you’re a blogger who would like to join us and link up on your blog, see Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.

My five faves for this week?

1. Rest in spring. Oh, the beautiful weather! We all enjoy it, but only if we take the time. I have time in spades right now, and I’m relishing it. Here’s a quote from J. Lubbuck that sums it up for me.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer (spring) day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky is by no means a waste of time.

2. A day to sleep late. That would have been yesterday, and it was heavenly. I didn’t even set the alarm. How long has it been since I did that? It was great.

3. A call from Germany. My son is on a choir trip to Austria and Germany and I got a call from him Wednesday night. It was just great to hear his voice! He’s having a great time and I’m glad he could go, but I’ll be glad to get him back in the nest.

4. A C.S. Lewis quote. “There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.” Lewis was, of course, talking about heaven, encouraging us to set our sights and hearts toward the Creator. And because of the empty tomb, we have much better things ahead than any we leave behind. As we learn to lean on Him more each day, His grace makes even the earthly days ahead easier to bear. Because He lives, I can view this quote in heavenly and earthly terms – there are better things ahead.

5. A mom’s worth. Mom, what we do is important. We take little souls and nurture them, teach them, discipline them, and we get so much in return. What we do lasts a lifetime and beyond. I ran across a quote by G.K. Chesterton this week that underscores the importance of the foundation we work to lay each day:

Happy is he who still loves something he loved in the nursery: He has not been broken in two by time; he is not two men, but one, and he has saved not only his soul but his life.

Those early lessons – the memories from the nursery – will serve our children well into their adulthood.

What are your favorites from this week? Leave a comment and share your blessings.

Happy weekend -- Happy Easter.

Home Sweet Home, a Book, and Spring: Three Words to Start the Week

Monday March 8, 2010

I've had an interesting (and exciting) four days. Here are three words to start off my week:

1. HOME - I've been away for several days and while it's been great, it's good to be home again. Yes, there was tons of laundry to do (they tried, but it was still in stages), and I did have to hit the grocery store, but all of that just made me feel needed. Well, I wouldn't have minded if they'd finished the laundry. Regardless, it's great to come home to open arms and eyes that light up when they see you.

2. NOVEL - I was at a writers conference and it was wonderful. I took a novel I've been working on and a publishing company has asked to see the complete manuscript...so I have some completing to do. I am shocked, thrilled, and overjoyed -- not to mention scared.

3. SPRING - It's coming, isn't it? It's March, after all. That's a good sign. Our climate here is much milder than most, but regardless, the idea of spring makes me smile.

What's making YOU smile as we start this week?