New Pictures!!

Morning Stillness

The cup of coffee in my hand
Warms me
As I quietly move into the day

The sun peers into the window
Seeking my companionship
Dancing in streaks across the floor

The silence envelopes me
In a comforting embrace
Allowing my thoughts to assemble and gain clarity

I sit and reflect upon Your majesty
My heart soars in adoration
As I find solace under Your wings

Your Word then
Becomes a lamp and a guide
Opening to me the vista of possiblities ahead

I smile within myself
Because I know
I'll run with glee down Your path

I sip
And consider
Your wonderful ways

As the cup warms me
The sun dances for me
The silence embraces me

All In A Day's Love . . .

A family self-portrait of sorts.

:)

**This Just In . . .**

Ah ~ the delicate parlay of word-play among friends.

I entitled a post:

You Are Welcome To Comment On the Delicate Beauty Of My Ear All Day . . .that contained an imbedded photograph, namely the ear picture on the left.

Quick to hear, and quicker to quip came her response:

Oh the delicate beauty of Ange's ear,

Shell-like in a wonder and tan like beer,

That wondrous contraption that helps her to hear,

Dainty and tiny, compared to her r...

Fortunately for my Aussie friend, I have a tremendous ability to laugh at myself.

Regardless of my [ear] size.

LOLOLOL!

Thanks for the FANTASTIC laugh, Amy! :)

Whirlwind Weekends and Wonderful Guys

{pant! pant!}

Give me a minute to catch my breath!

Could we possibly fit ONE MORE task into a jam-packed weekend? I"m actually looking forward to today ~ I need the REST!! LOLOL

Meanwhile, I've just got to send kudos out ~ just in case anyone is interested.

You may recall my friend Doug. If not, or if you need a refresher course, please take a gander here.

Well, let me tell ya. This weekend, I had occasion to see Doug TWICE. The first time [and this is NO JOKE!] Doug was wearing a SUIT, complete with a TIE!!! Omigosh! I have NEVER seen Doug so duded up! [I wondered if he'd secretly found his Beloved Bride, and we were arrived for a clandestine wedding . . .alas, that was not the case!] Anyway, he looked MARVELLOUS dah-ling! I was some impressed.

THEN, as if it were not enough, Doug arrives to fellowship in slammin' rustic/fall weather gear. He truly was the epitome of handsome and well-dressed.

I think it's time to get this guy married off. He's available, ya know!

However, the thing that MOST sets Doug apart is his heart. You see, Doug, following the prompting of the Holy Spirit, generously gifted Andrew with a new guitar. Andrew was free to do with it what he wished. Sell, give, use . . .it did not matter. Doug gave his best gift, and the Lord blessed Doug tremendously.

Seems Andrew fell in love. And has a new favorite guitar upon which to lift up praise of the Most High.

An analogy of sorts, in Doug's search for his Beloved? Maybe so . . .

I Don't Know About You . . .

but the suspense has wrapped itself around me like a metal chain, pulled taut by the backend of a tractor . . .

Ree is pulling our heartstrings, folks.

On purpose.

Torture at it's finest.

We must band together, and demand WEDDING PHOTOS ~ IF she ever gets around to completing this steamy saga.

Of course, she'll most likely lasso us in for the chronicle of newlywed life; her firstborn; her secondborn; etc.

*sigh*

****

WHAT? You haven't read it???!! Well git yerself on over to the PioneerWoman, pour a cup of java, pull up a chair, and get ready to ride. It all starts here, in her September archives: Black Heels and Tractor Wheels (originally titled The Night I Met Marlboro Man)

The Girl Behind The Counter

She was pretty, and outgoing, but I certainly didn't recognize her.

She knew me, however, and I gazed into her eyes questioningly, as to jog my memory somehow.

Tiffany was the one who knew. She called it, and the young woman behind the counter spoke affirmatively. Yes! That's how she knew me!

Suddenly, the realization of recognition flooded my [currently] baby-baked brain, and I saw the family resemblance immediately.

Wow.

Where did the time go? How could it be possible that this woman before me was the stringy-haired pre-adolescent that I remembered from so many years ago?

Married. With child.

I stood amazed.

Then, I turned to look at Tiffany, and found myself awash in the knowledge that she, too, had grown up too fast.

Oh, I'm hugging you, Baby Boy. I'm determined to not allow a moment of your precious life slip by me, unnoticed.

Security System? Check.

From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother's womb You have been my God. Psalm 22:10

Gloom and Dell-spair

He's a happy dog.

Normally.

Honest.

But you see, his little dog-world has been greatly impacted. His place in the people-pack severely challenged.

He just wants to know WHERE he belongs . . .

So, he daydreams of days gone by, when the little 'pink puppy' was nowhere to be found. Gee, even after the baby arrived, at least Gram was here, to give Dell top billing. After all, he's so adorable, who or what could possibly take his place??


















Dell-spondent.
Dell-irious for attention.
Dell-termined to not be forgotten.

Not to worry, my little fur-baby. You'll be around for many years to come. You'll chase baseballs and ride in the car with glee once again.

And maybe, just maybe, if you're fortunate enough, the L'il Tyke Keller will drop his ice cream on the floor.

Ah. Won't THAT be the day??

Indeed! :)

What's This? A New Breed, Or A Remake Of An Old Classic?

The deluge was the worst I'd seen since the spring rains before Katrina. It began raining in the wee hours of the morning, and revealed no desire whatsoever to let up.

So, newfound Domestic Engineer that I am, I arose with an innate desire to prepare some yummy rain/snow/bad weather comfort foods. You know: chili. navy bean soup. apple crisp. pumpkin pie.

What better way to spend the day with my new son, all warm and cozy. After all, it would just be he and I, as Aubrey and Israel were tasked elsewhere for the day.

***
I found I was out of bacon. (Who on earth could possibly create a yummy navy bean soup without bacon??) So . . .why not?

I bundled up the little tyke and headed out to the grocery store. In the torrential rain.

hmmmmm ~

I was empowered! I could indeed manage this task once again! I COULD bring home the bacon! It didn't matter that it had been more than 13 years since I'd toted car seat and baby, grocery cart and endless aisles of canned goods. I was WOMAN!

Elated, I returned home, planning on plugging into my idyllic fantasy of how the day was to play out.

And then, the phone rang.

My beautiful daughter had hit a snag in her babysitting exploit. Umm . . .namely: Her charge did not arrive on the bus. She had walked the 1/4 mile to the bus stop in the [at her place of employ, drizzling] rain with an 18 month old on her hip. Seems little charge did not want to ride in the stroller. And big sister did not exist. Or, at least her bus didn't.

When I picked up the phone, Aubrey was reduced to tears . . .and I, wonder woman that I am, rebundled my little package of joy, and headed back out.

Alas. We located the missing bus. Aubrey presented her ID, and we signed our life away at the little schoolhouse that sought to keep the young girl.

By the time I arrived home (again), it was supper time.

No delicous soup.
No yummy apple crisp.
No pumpkin pie.

Just a crumpled, fatigued body that demanded Jasmine Tea and tylenol.

*sigh*

Looks like the (re)learning curve is a bit wider than I anticipated it to be! :)

The Kare and Keeping of Keller

It would be easier to peel myself away from my little boy if he didn't have those incredible curiosity-filled eyes.

Looking, looking ~ a studious read of every item that catches his penetrating gaze.

Then, filled with new knowledge, satiated by the educational value transmitted via the silent speech of visual communication, he turns his head and continues on.

I watch and wonder and learn right along with him.

What wonders this world contains.

Ever Present Past

It struck me, the title of Paul McCartney's new single: Ever Present Past. (It is playing on spinner.com, in a format that I'm unable to copy to blogger. Click on the link to listen and view the video.)

Looking back across the horizon of his amazing life, I contemplate which memories might possibly be most poignant to him.

Or most haunting.

As he rounds out his time in the courts, seeking divorce from a woman who most likely brought him solace at one time after the death of his previous wife, Linda, it becomes quite poignant indeed.

Will he now be happy?

Was he ever?

And how can one escape the past in truest fashion?

Does the memory of days gone by, in hazy frame of gurus and guitars; of fame and fortune beyond comprehension; of late nights and screaming fans parlay his thoughts to regret? Relationships gone? unRealistic expectations?

We cannot know. At least not now.

Certainly, the past seeks to swallow up the present and the future by projecting itself upon the movie screen of our mind's eye . . .there only seems one way of escape from the Ever Present Past:

• . . .We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Romans 14: 10 -12
• That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9
• If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
• As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12

Motherhood Revisited

Once a mother, one never loses such status. A mother one will always be. But every once in awhile, a profound event occurs. An event so enormous that if it were an elephant in the room, one might just miss it.

I've held my newborn baby boy again today. I've looked into his eyes, full of curiosity about his world; I've squealed and jabbered to him, as tho he can understand every word. He takes it all in, as if to reaffirm my communication, then, contentedly, he falls asleep.

My memory searches for recollections of such moments with each of my children. The discoveries of temperament with each; the interactions that determined the way they take on the world; the bond and love that deepened with each passing day.

I looked at my oldest son today. And my eyes welled with tears. Such a handsome young man he has become. Responsible. Fun. Caring.

Why has it taken so long, this journey of discovery of the preciousness of life? With every butterfly breath upon my cheek, I long to capture the moments so as to never lose the wonder of them.

May I one day look upon my second son with the same awe and wonder of his development as I do with my first.

Ah. I said it to my husband, and it has turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy:

And what happened then...?

Well...in Who-ville they say

That the
Grinch's small heart

Grew three sizes that day!

Welcome to the world, Keller St John. You've already made it a much more beautiful place.