Friday, March 6, 2009

I'll Have Joy, Excitement, and Mystery . . . to go, please.

She walks into the kitchen,
As she does numerous times per day,
And notices the dirty glass on the counter.
Eager to preserve the tidiness she strives for endlessly each day,
She reaches for soiled glass to quickly swoop into the dishwasher.

But . . .
UGH!!!!
She recoils as soon as she sees the contents of the glass:

SNAILS!!!
YUCK!!!




Deep in her throat forms the strident call to her youngest,
For surely this collection of snails has her fingerprints all over it.
Of late, Rachel has been wandering the woods in search of Spring . . .
Always searching . . . always finding
the delights of her adventurous heart.

She found something alright.

"I simply cannot endure this!" She says to herself sharply.

But then she catches sight of a sweet sentiment,
Placed in the windowsill as a steady reminder
In just such a case as this:


God Makes All Things Beautiful in His Time



Placing glass of shells near the delightful promise,
She chooses to join Rachel's game of wonder
And believe there is beauty to come,
While encouraging her to secure these treasures in a safer place . . .
(With Dad's help).



She promptly leaves the kitchen
Returning at a later (and snail-free) time.

[Thanks Dad.]


* * * * *


If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder
without any such gift from the fairies,
he needs the companionship of at least one adult
who can share it,
rediscovering with him the
joy,
excitement,
and mystery
of the world we live in.

~~ Rachel Carson ~~

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Sticks and Stones to Heal Thy Bones


"I need to get some rocks from the river for my class on hot rock therapy. Any one feel like helping me out?" a very tired Elizabeth queries after a loooooong week of massage therapy classes.

Hands shot up in the air as volunteers eagerly joined up for an afternoon at the Yuba River. Wedged between past and predicted storms, the 69-degree temps offered no hardship as Dad, Lydia, and Rachel set off with a detailed list and a treasure sack. Let the games begin!

A short drive from home brought the collectors upon the rustic beauty of the Bridgeport Bridge.


In addition to its obvious charm, this bridge holds title as the longest single-span bridge in existence. Yet another piece of yesteryear that puts our little corner of the world on the map for those seeking pioneering/mining history of California.

In use since 1862.

Dedicated to those who sought a new life here in California.

Both inside . . .

. . . and out,


This beauty beats the competition by a mile.


But, lest they forget why they came . . .

The girls grabbed the list and set to work.


They searched far and wide for this shape and that,


Taking time to enjoy rejecting those that just didn't quite measure up.


Some wore out before others in the quest. ("Always carry a book," I have counseled through the years. Nice to see they listen.)


One even had energy left to craft some comic art along the riverbank -- a gift to future passersby (until the storms return).


Finally the hunters returned home and spilled out a trove most plentiful.


Some enjoyed studying the flecks and musing over the origins (budding petrologists?). Another merely enjoyed the hunt (rockhound?) and set off to journal the experience. (Wanna guess which one?)

A third gathered up the stones as tools (massage therapist?) and set about warming them for the next homework item on the agenda -- putting these stones to play in an actual massage.


At which time I began waving my hand wildly in the air, volunteering to help her with her homework . . . like a good homeschooling mom.

; D


PhotoStory Friday
Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Potential: The Realm of the Possible



This day the weather dallies with me. A bit of sun and blue sky greeted me upon rising, only to be drowned in a bucket of rainfall, which promptly transformed into floating flakes . . . but only for a moment. Just now, the sun has broken free and bathed the dampened gardens with an iridescence most magical. Plink! Returns the rain. And so it will go throughout the day and week as foretold by the foretellers.

I see beyond the wetness and chill winds to a cozy possibility. With a stewing pot and rising bread, all worries over dinner preparation vanish and I freely indulge in thoughts of warm chocolate pudding baked in a bowl to be ladled out in slabs. Can’t you just smell that gooey goodness? Imagine the smiles as each returns to be greeted by a chocolatey whiff-like-a-kiss at the doorway. I giggle at the thought of such an intangible gift.

These days I delight in musing over the intangible gifts found in a day. At a time when the news flashes doom and financial crises cloud the coffee-shop conversations, I gaze beyond what I can hold and celebrate along with Helen Keller:


The Best and most Beautiful things in the World
Cannot be seen or even touched,
They must be felt with the Heart.

~~ Helen Keller ~~


My heart grows each time I close my eyes and imagine . . .

A neighbor loving a neighbor . . . really
A treasure chest . . . brimming with faith, hope, charity
A life devoted to peace . . . true peace . . . quiet, lasting contentment
A viewpoint without gain . . . only gift
A prayer to last a lifetime . . . and beyond
A contented meal of daily bread . . . fearless of tomorrow’s hunger



A Utopian at heart, I seek the beauty and joy and potential therein of a sun’s journey from dawn to dusk . . . and beyond. The noun “Potential” contains possibility, but the adjective contains power:

Potential – n. Anything that may be possible.

Potential – adj.
1) Having power to impress on us
the ideas of certain qualities, though
the qualities are not inherent in the thing;
2) Efficacious, powerful. (not in use.)
From Webster’s Dictionary 1828

What? Definition #2 for adjective goes unused? WHY? I think we should take back the definition of potential and all its power.

Imagine a cake . . . freshly baked -- tasty with a cup of tea. Now spread a bit of frosting o’er top and my whole perspective changes. I always see frosting as a signal to celebrate, even though butter, sugar, and a hint of tint do not inherently produce a celebration. Just take a simple cake and add the adjective frosted and you get a frosted cake, which leads me to smile and think joyful party thoughts!

So, I see that today has the potential to be more than just a day of pondering the weather or the next meal. With a bit of sweet icing or pudding or . . . it can be a celebration. What shall we celebrate? How about our potential to efficaciously and powerfully spread intangible gifts? Close your eyes, open your heart, and give . . .

Imagine the possibilities . . .

* * *

Every good gift
And every perfect gift
Is from above,
And cometh down
From the Father of lights,
With whom is no variableness,
Neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17



---------
*Flower bud pictured atop from my Magnolia x soulangeana bush, sporting the potential to explode in beauty and powerful fragrance come warmer weather.

Monday, March 2, 2009

A Promise in the Midst of the Storm

"Oh my!" She cried
As she stepped through the front door.
"Water, water everywhere!"

But rather than scan about
For gopher wood and pitch,
She decided to take comfort
In the rainbow's promise.

I set My rainbow in the cloud,
And it shall be for the sign [that] . . .
The waters shall never again become a flood
To destroy all flesh.

Genesis 9:13,15


From her weekend waltz around the gardens she recalled:

The RED of the flowering crabapple


The ORANGE of the Narcissus Cragford


The YELLOW of the first forsythia bloom


The GREEN of the weeping willow


The rich BLUE of the sky


And the deep VIOLET of the fragrant lilac
Completing the rainbow's spectrum.


Today, with the exception of the blue sky,
All gemtones remained, albeit soggily.
She knew the blue would return
Whence the storm had run its course.

And so she smiled,
Having found her colorful promise,

Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day . . .
Ezekiel 1:28


Sunday, March 1, 2009

Sunday Wonder

The Lord is my Shepherd
I shall not want

He maketh me to lie down
In green pastures

He leadeth me beside
The still waters

He restoreth my soul

Psalm 23:2,3





Sunday Comfort





When He giveth quietness

Who then can make trouble?
Job 34:29