Saturday, June 25, 2011

for His mercy endures forever

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good:


fresh flowers on the table
sun in my eyes during a morning run
tank tops
wild roses along the roadside
iced tea with lemon
rodeo time
asparagus from our garden
the smell of freshly-mown grass

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

western art


"Coming Down Hard"

I've been perusing my friend Abigail Gutting's collection and wanted to share the link to this painting. Abi does beautiful work with oils. My favorites are the western art, but she also does portraits and still life, which you can view at her website.

www.abigailgutting.com

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Dad's Day

When I was 4, I decided I wanted to learn to pray. I think I also believed I was inviting Jesus into my heart, but I'm pretty sure He was already at work there, and that the moment of kneeling by the couch with my parents is more momentous as the beginning of my prayer life.

At age 13, I was put in the driver's seat of the family's 12-passenger van (containing younger siblings), shown the gas and brake pedals, and told to drive the van from the barnyard, across the bridge and up the curving driveway to the house. No adults were in the vehicle with me. Only crying children. It's no wonder I didn't do so well. Yet I did learn to drive.

Year after year until I got the hang of it, someone repeatedly took the life jacket off me, took me into waist-or-shoulder-deep water and demonstrated the breast stroke and how to float. And sometimes unpredictably picked me up and threw me into water that I knew was almost too deep for me, and waited until I came up spluttering. And taught me to dive.

He taught me many things I wanted to learn. He taught me others I wanted nothing to do with. And he taught me some that I'd never even considered doing (Stick welding? Ok, sure, I guess I'd like to learn).

The example of persistent hard work is one I will always remember: a solid work ethic, provision for our family, and a dislike of being idle. I'm grateful for my dad's example, and for all the times that I've been helped and prodded to do more.

Happy Father's Day.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Things to Think

Think in ways you've never thought before.
If the phone rings, think of it as carrying a message
Larger than anything you've ever heard,
Vaster than a hundred lines of Yeats.

Think that someone may bring a bear to your door,
Maybe wounded and deranged; or think that a moose
Has risen out of the lake, and he's carrying on his antlers
A child of your own whom you've never seen.

When someone knocks on the door, think that he's about
To give you something large: tell you you're forgiven,
Or that it'snot necessary to work all the time, or that it's
Been decided that if you lie down no one will die.

-Robert Bly

Thursday, June 9, 2011

it's been too long...

...and all I want to do right now is a list of things that make me happy. Someday (I promise) I will actually create something to post.



Alyssa Rose, my newest niece, born May 27. This girl is such a good baby, she lets her mommy get lots of sleep and when she's awake she is super active and happy!




Morning runs in the dewy coolness with sisters

Moscow trips and all the delightful people who get married there, and people who worship and eat and visit with, and rescue and laugh with us when we are there. :)



Theresa Ann, my brother's fiancee. Looking so forward to October 7th, but looking forward just as much to all the good Mondays and other days discussing and planning and shopping together!



Ingrid Michaelson

The Psalms. I've been reading through Joshua at night, but I always end up getting a quick Psalm when I am done before going to bed.

Looking up and discussing the attractiveness of various movie stars with the girls. Yes, we do that sometimes...

People who hold you accountable when you aren't doing a good job of holding yourself accountable. People who encourage you to grow when you're stuck at status quo and too lazy to motivate yourself. People who love you.