seeking....

~my beautiful little candle holder i found in Va.~

(cheap...and it makes me happy...)

"I want to be where Jesus Is

Dwell in His Holy Premises

Where all of our petty differences

Will simply Disappear

I want to be where Love abounds

Feast on the good things to be found

Find myself gaining higher ground

Where Jesus Is Near...."

(Brent Vernon)

this song has been very much on my mind the last few days...as i've listened to my sweet old friends' cd. It's good to live seeking the Presence of Jesus....He helps us, convicts us, guides us, dwells with us. His Graciousness is overwhelming. Above all.....I want to be where He is.

i know there are some differences that are not "petty". What we think about all sorts of important and even unimportant things are based in our life philosophies....and how we believe Christlikeness applies to the nitty-gritty of living. But...i'm learning that i can learn a whole lot from even the people that i may fundamentally disagree with on some things. I'm observing that people who often seem to have a great deal of conflict often are way more alike than they are different....if the present points of crisis can be trudged through.

in on our own strength, it's easy to let our identities be shaped by very trivial things. we need His guidance on how to respond and just plain live in a worthy manner. it's not a foolproof endeavor, at least for me! but i'm trusting and believing that His Love and Presence really do Light the way as we climb towards higher grounds....

Wishes...

"Moon Over The Sea" (Caspar David Friedrich)

I have no mind-blowing thoughts to share tonight....I just really wanted to replace that "Tears" quote with something a little less melancholy!:) and that got me thinking about things i wish for...things i wish would happen....things i wish would not have happened.

Thinking on wishing made me remember this line from Sondheim's musical "Into the Woods" (prologue to Act II, i think) : "i wish more than anything...more than life....more than the moon..."

and that made me google around a bit looking at Moon paintings...until i found this one by a Casper David Friedrich...isn't it just gorgeous?!

so: there you have it...a glimpse into the loop-de-loops of my mind!!

but...back to Wishes:

at the beginning of the summer season i wished happy things upon us all. i hope there have been many happy summer moments for you, my fair reader! There have been some for me. I have followed the relaxing looking travels of some.....and the exciting looking trips of others. (somewhat enviously!) It at least Looks as if y'all are having good summers...

i've had some joyful travel fun myself this summer....and some good days inbetween, too.....but as always, my trips are kinda short lived...and that's pretty ok...really....

• ~but i can wish for some long walks on a beach....
• ~some exploring of places not hemmed in by a time-schedule...
• ~several weeks or maybe a couple of months of driving through Europe...totally away from responsibility...

These are surface wishes...i know that. And truly, the wishes my heart is carrying most closely are far more weighty and far more important than these 'easy to share' ones......I am reminded that Grace makes it possible for us to carry more than we ever thought possible. i know it to be true for myself....and i see it in the persevering hearts of friends....despite the difficult times this summer has brought. While i might Wish Life would be a little kinder sometimes..... i see hearts shining brightly even in moonlit times. His Grace is Sufficient.

“Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.” (Zelda Fitzgerald)

There is a sacredness in tears.

They are not the mark of weakness,

but of power.

They speak more eloquently

than ten thousand tongues.

They are the messengers

of overwhelming grief,

of deep contrition,

and of unspeakable love.

(Washington Irving)

i saw this poem this morning on one of my favoritest blogs Quiet Life. Mz. Booshay has been through a real time of sadness...although we're strangers, my heart has hurt with hers. Hurting with others.....that's sometimes a decision, i think. When your own plate of "hurts" and stress feels very full!!, it can be tough to have the energy to truly care. But i do think we're called to care...always....past ourselves, our own needs, our own stuff....it's called "bearing one another's burdens". And, looking around, there is no lack of things & people who elicit concern....So Many Huge problems facing people i either kinda know or really love.

Lord, Give me the patience and hope to

keep loving and keep caring in these troubled times.

...Then, when it seems we we will never smile again, Life comes back...

I've loved this card's photo and saying for years.....I had it framed in my office when i was doing therapy. Maybe i'm posting it for me...maybe for someone else who might read this, i don't know. i do know that i think it's true...even when it's raining showers, there is usually some reason to smile. I've had some reasons to smile through tears even as i've been typing this quick post.

And maybe that combination (tears + smiles) lends enough strength to keep carrying on.....

"Love is not a victory march

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah"

(Leonard Cohen)

~The following passage has stayed on my mind for days...and i LOVE The Message version...it convicts and challenges and moves me...and frankly i can't get over it...and i want to record it somewhere~

"But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified. Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original." (Galatians 5: 22-26)

20 Summer Questions:

there are always many thoughts running through my head...but it's definitely not always wise to blog about them:)...but i DO miss blogging...and miss the blogging "community". I saw these questions on a couple of blogs today, and thought this might be an easy, bloggable sort of thing to do:)

i'm enjoying Summer 2010 so far. Despite the sad occurrences of a big family funeral weekend and the terrible, terrible BP oil spill in the Gulf...life around here has been going pretty well. i feel level-headed...fairly hopeful....excited over some future plans. Yes, there are plenty of things to be apprehensive about...but lots of joy surrounds me, too.

Wishing all of my friends a happy summer...with as many blue skies & sunny days and as much laughter as you can possibly handle♥.....

20 questions...
(you're invited to do this, too...if you want...i think it's fun!:)

1. when you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
How old i'm looking!

2. do you miss anyone right now?
friends....days when my Mom was able to "spoil" me...

3. if you could move anywhere else, would you?
YES! and no:)

4. if you could choose, what would your last meal be?
i hope i never have to consider that question...i'm pretty much too indecisive to answer it properly! probably such a meal would include some kind of seafood and would end with something chocolate and coffee!

5. what famous person, dead or alive, would you want to have lunch with?
another tough choice...but i would love to visit with my grandparents...and lunch with Madeleine L'Engle or Henri Nouwen would be nice (Chris Botti could provide the music:)

6. what was the last book you read?
i've just finished reading Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert (very good and interesting...much better than Eat, Pray, Love) and i've also just picked back up Prayer by Philip Yancey. (i have much to learn on both subjects: prayer...and marriage:)

7. what was the last movie you watched?
i think the last DVD i watched was "Emma"...i love it so very much!

8. what was the last song you heard?
the new Point of Grace song "There is Nothing Greater than Grace." it is wonderful! i have to get that cd...

9. what is your dream vacation?
Europe again...currently so wanting to visit Italy again...i wish i was brave enough to rent a car and drive all over Tuscany and/or Switzerland...but i think i need a man to do that for me (not holding my breath for that and pretty satisfied to take European trains if i have to:)

10. what is the next trip you will take?
in 2 weeks, my cousins, Aunt Rosemary, and i will visit my cousin Rhonda in Colorado Springs...i'm so excited to be with them and to see that beautiful place...

11. Did you ever go to camp?
i went to Pell City Youth Camp and that had an important impact on my life. We were not much involved in family camps but went some...(and then there was my short career stint as a campmeeting song evangelist...my, my.....developed some pretty strong opinions about all of that...)

12. have you ever been in love?
if so, unsuccessfully:)

13. what do you want to know about the future?
i don't want to know the future....

14. where is your best friend?
in Florida...

15. how is your best friend?
she is lovely...and kind....and trustworthy.

16. who is the biggest gossiper you know?
that would be a very unwise question to answer!...i think we all fall into that hole a little too much...or at least i am wont to!

17. what does your last text message say?
i'm not sure...i think it might have been from Janet...i'm a very bad textor...

18. what are 3 things you've always wanted to do, that you still plan to accomplish?
lose a little weight, have a more disciplined prayer life, maybe write a book...

19. what is one thing you learned from your parents?
to value myself and others.

20. what is one thing you hope to teach to children?
to value themselves and others.

~Committed~

I have been reading a book called Committed (a Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage) by Elizabeth Gilbert. If you're not familiar with Ms. Gilbert she gained fame with her book Eat, Pray, Love. Both books are debatable in their worthiness and in their worldviews (not the same as mine), and i am certainly not recommending that you run out and get them (i just checked them out at the library...yay for libraries!). I'm liking Committed more....Eat, Pray, Love has some significantly silly sections....(in my humble opinion!)

at any rate, this is not a book report...but i am enjoying this book...very interesting to learn different cultural views on marriage...and frankly, refreshing to read some views on women that are not run of the mill nor as foolishly written as some of the other things in print these days (i'll stop there!:)...but which still celebrate love and marriage and commitment.

anyway, i'm writing this little post because i'm in a "Mother's Day" frame of mind. It's in a few days, you know. Over the last few years in Internet-world i've written a few words about my precious Mom. For the most part...i find words inadequate...it's living life together that helps me understand and love and appreciate my Mom more...and more.

~still one of my most favorite photos of us~"Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear of God. Give her everything she deserves! Festoon her life with praises!" (Proverbs 31)

I think there are many things we women aspire to be...many of them important and some of them aspects of our God-created personalities. All of our varying roles (and our knowledge that, most of all, our lives must be acceptable to God) require our commitment and our very best efforts. But...i think in the end...once the role of Motherhood has been entered into...that role-commitment has to trump all others. I am in awe of my own Mother and of so many other Mothers who so beautifully shine in their grace and commitment in shaping the lives of their children.

In her forward to Committed, Gilbert makes a dedication to the important women in her life and uses this line:
~"It has been an education and a comfort just to have them in the room."~ and that's how i feel....so very blessed by the many lovely, smart, engaging, and committed women who have impacted me and made me better....just by their presence in the living room of my life.

~my mom and a few cousins on Lake Pontchartrain~

~a few of my best girlfriends...some incredible Moms in this group!~

*these pics are certainly not representative of all of the important women in my life...just a few of them...and these pics were easily accessible on this computer:)

"April Rain"

Today marked the 10th anniversary of my Mom's stroke...pretty unbelievable...and yet, in some ways it seems every bit that long...

lots of things could be said...but i'm not feeling all that wordy tonight (shocking, i know:)...and neither am i feeling all that dramatic (yes, also shocking:).

a couple of nights ago, we 'marked' the occasion by having a few special friends over for dinner. It was a good night.

my day of 'extremely organized' preparation for the dinner was marred by a meltdown when the garbage disposal acted up...spewed over my clean kitchen...and required repair and added cleaning...but we won't go into all the details of that!!:):) the one observation i'll allow myself is that yes, this sort of catastrophe in the middle of a perfectly organized, normal day is pretty representative of our story....and of many stories. yes, my own actions helped make it happen...but mostly it was random...unpredictable...and i had to figure out how to cope...how to not lose my mind while i cleaned up the mess...

So...i'm not exactly feeling in a 'celebratory' mood....but rather thoughtful...and thankful. With these lovely flowers, i gave my Mom a copy of the poem "April Showers"...i like it...learned of it in highschool, after a tragic death of a student. There will always be showers....but there will also ALWAYS be enough beauty and grace and love to see us through the showers.

The card we gave Mom simply says: Courage~Strength~Hope....that so describes how she has lived these last 10 years.

~'Tis Grace hath brought us safe so far....and Grace will lead us home.'~

"April Rain"
(Robert Loveman)

It is not raining rain for me,
It’s raining daffodils;
In every dimpled drop I see
Wild flowers on the hills.
The clouds of gray engulf the day
And overwhelm the town;
It is not raining rain to me,
It’s raining roses down.
It is not raining rain to me,
But fields of clover bloom,
Where any buccaneering bee
Can find a bed and room.
A health unto the happy,
A fig for him who frets!
It is not raining rain to me,
It’s raining violets."

I shared this note (with a few slight differences) over on FB a couple of nights ago. Partially, i'm posting it here since i so dislike how things disappear on FB. I'm still troubled by the transient nature of things over there (i know that's silly!!)...here things seem to stick a little longer. So many kind comments were left on that note...i so appreciate those words of support so very much...my Mom and Dad read them too, and were also touched. I am very aware that the prayers of many friends and family is one of the reasons we are as "OK" as we are...most importantly, "we have the Lord" (as Mom said to one of my aunts today)....we are grateful. I am also aware that for every good thing that has happened there are a host of conflicting dynamics and emotions that may not be openly discussed. I am certainly not perfect...not necessarily sacrificial...not necessarily "good" at all. but we are doing the best we can...again, i say...we are grateful.