Dusk

"The heavens declare the glory of God at every hour, but sometimes, in these cracks between day and night, they shout. The sight is so intense it threatens to spill over to ears, nose, fingertips, - what we see is a blast, a ringing chord that hangs in the air for a glorious moment and begins to fade so imperceptibly we don't notice at first.
A beautiful sunrise can be explained scientifically, but what explains the leap of our hearts when we see it?" Janie Cheaney

Siblings

Rose's Sunday School teacher informed me upon pick-up, "We were learning about Saul being mean to David today. Rose kept interrupting, saying 'Ro-Ro mean'." Sigh. Of course she'd say that on the weekend that he decided to give her a haircut. He was so proud of his handful of blond silk.

When Rowan was born Grant looked at him and asked, "Is he going to be a somebody?" I remember that as I watch them become the "somebody's" God created them to be. It's not always the "somebody" I want them to be. But that's kinda the point. I learn and they learn to pull together, to delight in the differences instead of just tolerate them. We make light of it, training laughter instead of anger. I hear Avonlea laugh, "Oh Grant, everything about us is opposite, it's amazing!" They learn who they are by learning who their siblings are. We encourage them to love eachother, yes, but more than that to like eachother.

So the teacher's words bring a sigh but also a smile. We are not conflict free but we are not laughter free either. Thank God.

Decorating with Dave

Let me tell you something you may not know about my husband. He has opinions. Yes...opinions about...wallpaper. I somehow stumbled into the mess of redecorating our living room and dining room. Somewhere in the chaos I decided to order wallpaper samples instead of just ordering the whole batch. Bad idea. Windows of red and green and beige stamp the walls and give us a peek into our future home. Lovely, really, a glimpse of things to come. One problem, Dave likes one glimpse I like another.

On many occasions Dave is putty in my hands. He loves me, he wants to please me, decorating is not usually on his list of passions. So I was a bit surprised to find this wallpaper resistance. He liked the red. I liked the green. I told him the red was too dark and we don't have a chandelier in that room so it would be a bloody tomb (or something like that). He punched a hole in the 100 year old ceiling and found wires and annihilated my light argument. "Red is victorian, red is regal, red is passionate." As much as I appreciated this burst of unusual eloquence, I liked the green.

Finally after 5 long hours he said, "Okay, you're the one who's home all the time, you're the decorator, get the green." I breathed a sigh of relief. As an afterthought he added, "I'll just hate it." Hhmm. I went into the parlor and ordered 20 rolls of red wallpaper. Who wants their husband to hate the living room?

Thus ended the wallpaper saga. We are now beginning the upholstery saga, for it seems my husband has a preference for what material will look best with his red room. I find it extremely diverting that my big, strong, utterly manly husband likes decorating. And really, I'm glad he cares. Even if he cares in red.

Random Joy

All of my pumpkins.












Grant's face after he found a frog.


My little Beka (who I nannied when she was two) and her Mommy came for a surprise visit!

Page, my Alaskan psuedo-sister came for a talk-as-fast-and-as-much-as-you-can-in-24-hours visit.

Rowan and his side-kick love to dance with guns. (At least they're well rounded).

October was a month of friends and family. I grab a handful of the beautifully hued blessings falling from the trees right now and wax paper press them here. Many more litter the lawn and I lament that I am unable to capture them all! Thank God for bounty!

The hunters and the hunted...

So my husband announced his intention of going hunting (deer/gun) this year.........and bringing our seven year old son with him. Okay. I trust my husband with Grant, but more than that, I trust my God with my husband and son. He justified my trust last weekend.

I had my own share of adventure during the two days they were gone. My dear friend was moving and I wanted to help, my best friend from Alaska was visiting, etc. I prayed for my boys whenever I thought of them which was often, even in the night.

They returned safe and sound and I rejoiced. I knew that they were up about 45 minutes north of town and that they were sleeping in Dave's van. Apparently I wasn't the only one who figured this out. On Saturday night Dave woke up at about 2:30 in the morning and heard people talking outside the van. There were several (a car-ful) of men trying the doors, banging on the windows, etc. Dave realized that it was pitch dark, he had no idea where his weapon was, and it wasn't loaded. Grant slept peacefully. Dave's pulse raced as he peeked out the windows trying to decide what to do. Suddenly, one of the guys gave a yelp and took off full speed for their car, they all followed suit and jumped in, peeled out, and took off. Perhaps they didn't know there was anyone in the car, perhaps they saw an angel. Either way, God was absolutely taking care of them Saturday night and Sunday morning....

Hiking up they came across a pool of fresh blood and a dead bird. They stopped to check it out because it seemed odd that just the head (all but the beak) had been eaten and not the body. They kept hiking for about 15 minutes then turned around. When they got back to the bird there was only some bones and intestine left. Dave thinks a cougar hid when it heard them coming and then came back out and finished it's meal.

And God was here when my two "R"s got a hold of red lipstick and the white cat on Tuesday and I had to cut chunks of lipstick out of Ivanhoe. I know God was here because Rowan and Rose are still alive and that is supernatural in itself.........

Anyway, my boys are out again and my prayers flow freely. Will you add yours?

Rowan

I marvel at people who tell me to enjoy these baby years "because they go so fast". Fast? Are they serious? The endless days out at sea with only diapers and jars of baby food. The flu that turns into an ear infection. The diaper rash that sticks closer than a brother. The nights I stumble out of bed for the fourth time trying to remember what room the crying child is in. The days of holding and wiping and kissing and laughing and crying and repeat cycle....forever. Or so it seemed.

Today Rowan turned four. Rowan, who didn't talk for the first three years of his life. Rowan, who caused me more tears and stress than I care to admit. Rowan, who taught me how to fervantly pray for my children. Rowan, who now calls me "mommy daaaarrling" and tells me he's going to marry me when he grows up.

And now I hold his sturdy four-year old body in my arms and I realize that the baby years are fading.......and they went too fast.

The Girls

Two females rule this roost with me,
Posy-Rose and Avonlea
Beguile and amuse
As they choose
And with feminine charm
My levity, disarm
The Queenship is a ruse
I but a puppet, mouth what they muse
And should they demand the worship of the doll,
God help us all!