Musings on Life and Beauty Archives - Page 39 of 146

Trip to the Skate Park

July 21, 2012 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty

Looks like he’s back, doesn’t it? It sure is great to have this young man walking around in two shoes again! (Although it is quite funny to see how worn his left shoe looks compared to his right.) His ankle still swells and hurts him plenty, but it looks like we’re on our way.

On the 4th of July we went to the skate park for a little family outing.

Two of the boys took their bikes and we brought a few skateboards along.

It made me a little nervous to have my little guy out there, but he did just fine.

Doesn’t he look tiny down in the bowl?

My four year old spent most of the time at the top of the slide keeping an eye on the fire that was burning on a few miles away at the time.

The rest of us went back and forth from the shade of a lone tree. It was my husband’s first time out of the house for something other than a doctor’s appointment. It was also his first trip to a skate park as a spectator instead of a participant, which was a bummer.

I love my boys!

This little lady was so adorable as she strapped on a helmet and tried skateboarding for the first time.

We had a great time until the 100+ degree heat got to us. It’s been a while since we’ve all been there together, and it added a nice feeling to our holiday.

I think that, more often than we realize, simple memories like these are the stuff of life. I hope we’ve been able to strengthen the fabric of our family this summer with lots of simple togetherness. These are the times when I am happiest.

All over the place

July 5, 2012 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty

Tuesday afternoon I was in Alpine, Utah when the fire started. I watched it go from an obscure little plume of smoke to raging flames racing up the mountainside. It’s been interesting to watch the smoke and the glowing orange of the fire from our home since then, and equally interesting to observe which of my children have been constantly on the watch.

I went on a walk this morning, accompanied by my son on his bike. It was nice to have him with me, nice to enjoy the overcast skies and cool breeze. We came home and opened all the windows before it began to rain. Off and on all day long we’ve had the pitter-patter of a perfect rain. The carpet is a bit damp, the smell of a fresh-washed earth is everywhere, my plants look happier than they’ve been in weeks. The children have played in it all day long, imaginations taking them to far off places and grand adventures. The smoke from the fire is nearly gone, evacuations lifted, and my small children have discovered the wonder of being part of a community praying for something and watching God work. Tonight I took a break from cooking dinner to watch my girls dance in the rain. Life is wonderful, isn’t it?

I feel like the day sort of ran away from me. I’ve had this feeling every day since my husband’s knee surgery, like I start off well and almost get there, but something fizzles along the way. I find myself spending many moments checking on him, sitting with him to see how he’s feeling, offer encouragement as he tries to bend his leg, and generally try to be of service. We’ve always loved sitting quietly together but in recent years it rarely happens. I guess we’ve got it back, and even if the days are running away from me I feel blessed to have this pause. It’s a pause that is underscored by little visits here and there from our children and more snuggling from our youngest than she has been inclined to do for months. Yes, there is always good that comes of the challenges in our lives. His post-op appointment was this morning, so we’re moving forward. We’ll find a new normal here soon!

I renewed my driver’s license today. Braving the DMV wasn’t as painful as I feared it might be. I got to sit and read quietly while I waited.

My grandmother is dying. Part of my heart has been with my Mom and her sisters as they sit with her.

I started a new project yesterday. As if I needed another unfinished project in my life! Still, it’s so pretty and I’m excited to finish it.

My boys have plunged headlong into the world of Louis L’Amour. They’re both disappearing at random moments only to be found hours later in some quiet spot devouring a new book. My eleven year old started his 5th one for the week tonight. It makes me laugh and I’m so happy to see them unable to put a book down.

In the quilting world I’ve noticed this quilt along and this one as well . I’d really like to jump in on both of them, but that’s a LOT of cutting and I’ve already got several quilts going. Both of the quilts are from the talented Katy of I’m a Ginger Monkey. She has templates for both quilts in her etsy shop , as well as for her spring carnival pattern. I’m tempted by them all.

I really want to stitch this embroidery . It speaks to my heart. I’ve wanted to stitch this one ever since she designed it. I’ve been in the mood for embroidery lately.

I tried this recipe for dinner earlier in the week. We loved it.

I can’t believe it’s July. So many things I planned to do in June went undone for more urgent issues. I can’t believe how much of the summer is already gone. We’ve made great memories, but wow! I’ve got to get to work! There’s so much going on in July and early August that I’m afraid I’ll be swallowed up by it and not at all ready when school starts. These thoughts keep coming at random moments and I have to breathe slowly while I look around so I can ground myself in the moment and be grateful instead of stressed.

Yes, today was a nice slow day. Who can be stressed when there are puddles to jump in?

Pressed Down and Running Over

June 25, 2012 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty

There is a verse from the Book of Luke which has been running through my mind for months now. It’s found in the sixth chapter. Jesus has called his disciples and healed a multitude. He then began teaching his disciples, sharing teachings that are difficult for the best of us to observe… things like “love your enemies” and “be ye therefore merciful” and “judge not, and ye shall not be judged… forgive and ye shall be forgiven.”

And then comes this little verse stuck in there after all the counsel:

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38, KJV) These are the words that I can’t get out of my head. Good measure. Pressed down. Shaken together. Running over. They’re always marching with imagery and feeling that really grabs me. And while I’ve been working on being more forgiving, less judgmental, and more merciful (with some success I feel good about), the words have taken on sort of a life of their own in my heart.

I feel like they describe my life.

In the book of Malachi we read about the law of tithing, where the Lord promises a blessing to those who pay it. He says, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Malachi 3:10) Great images here as well. The windows of heaven open, blessings being poured out, not enough room to receive them.

I guess I feel like the recipient of open windows right now, and the blessing being poured out in such abundance that there isn’t room to receive it is simply this: life. Experience. And although my efforts to give are so small and halting, life’s experiences seem to be tumbling down upon me, the good and the bad, but they’re coming with “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.” Truly, God seems to be sending more to teach me and try me and touch my heart at a rate that leaves me breathless and exhausted. There is just so much of LIFE being lived in our house right now. I realize it’s partly a result of numbers, but it’s taken on a quality even more intense in recent days, weeks and months.

This feeling represents a paradigm shift of sorts. I have wondered sometimes about the windows of heaven, about blessings so tremendous we can’t fully absorb them. I can imagine all kinds of blessings I’d love to receive even in small doses, and there are other matters about which I have wearied the Lord for years.

The other day under our cherry tree, as I was laughing to myself about our cherries, I was also pondering my husband’s recent injury, the new violin I need to purchase, repairs that need to be made, and things that will now be delayed for health reasons. I looked up at that tree and recognized that we had more cherries than we knew what to do with, which reminded me of the windows of heaven. I laughed as I thought of all the forms I’d like our blessings to come in, yet there we were.

It was raining cherries.
So I smiled and opened my heart up wide to receive so great a blessing.

I’m learning some good things. I’m learning how to plant my feet on solid rock and open my arms up wide to what is ahead of me. Firm at the feet and open at the arms. I want to live that way.

Tonight I feel like I get it. It’s raining life at my house. I’m trying to leave the umbrella in the closet and look up at the rain. Surely the Lord knows he’s overwhelming me, which perhaps means I’ll be forgiven for missing some parts of the downpour while I’m learning to smile at others. We can’t watch every raindrop’s race down the window but we can do our best to benefit from the moisture. The rain feeds our flowers as well as our weeds and I’m doing my best. It’s coming faster than I can process, faster than I can write about it, faster, almost, than I can feel. Yet having relief and disappointment so close together, the blessings and the trials linking arms, gives me the feeling that it’s all being tumbled together for our good. That’s what I mean by pressed down and shaken together and running over.

And so my heart is running over too. Running over with countless different feelings which, when pressed down and shaken together, take on the form of gratitude.

And it’s still raining. How blessed I am!

Jennifer