Dear Reader:

It is at exciting times, like our family is experiencing now, that it is easier to become immersed in the delight and exhilaration of life. We find ourselves wishing we could just “skim” over the troubled waters of daily living and float over all the impending crashing waves without having to experience the tumble and chaos of the nature of life.

But then…that would be a life only half-lived. It is out of the turmoil and darkness of our lives that the appreciation for life, in all its diverse forms, emerges making the good times even better and brighter.

Everyone on Earth will experience the wide diversity of life…the secret to a good life is how we embrace it all…the dark and the light, the good and not-so-good…we must set our own criteria for squeezing out the moments of exhilaration and awe at God’s Creation.

I love this stanza from Mary Oliver’s volume of poems...Blue Horses and give it as a gift to our little one growing and waiting for the special moment to join our family.

I know, you never intended to be in this world.
But you’re in it all the same.

so why not get started immediately.

I mean, belonging to it.
There is so much to admire, to weep over.

And to write music or poems about.

Bless the feet that take you to and fro.
Bless the eyes and the listening ears.
Bless the tongue, the marvel of taste.
Bless touching.

And oh how I look forward to touching another baby…it is God’s greatest gift and hope to mankind.

Kate Wolfe-Jenson’s (blogger/Dancing Journey) thoughts were running along this same line in her latest blog “Fully Awake, Fully Alive”. She talks about living with MS and watching her body decline unable to respond correctly to the instructions from her brain…like walk, talk, use her hands and feet. But instead of bemoaning the loss of certain functions…she is in admiration of this ‘temple’ God created.

Here is an excerpt:

Be still and listen to your body as you breathe in and out…the art of breathing is made more beautiful with each passing year. Social and cultural messages that declare your body as being  “inadequate” are simply the gabbles of a lost flock of geese. Pay them mo mind. They are not the truth. Puff them away as you breathe out. 

Creaturely bodies grow up, grow old, and die. It’s perfectly normal and natural. It’s only our attachments to youth and vigor that bring confusion. Puff them away as well.

*(Jenson’s last piece of advice I give to all my grandchildren and one to come…it is important to remember.)

Each day…give yourself a fresh start. You are a fleck of color in the rainbow of the universe, simultaneously infinitesimal and grand. You need only to shine! 

So until tomorrow…when the dark days and storms appear on the horizon (…and they will) remember to picture yourself as a “fleck of color in the rainbow of the universe” …a fleck of color so grand that the exquisite beauty of the rainbow would be nothing without it.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

The long-leaf sun flowers have grown so tall…some are tumbling over and Boo’s Pottery Barn sign (Anne painted for me) is almost hidden behind the sunflowers…but to me the sun flowers are a beautiful addition… an adornment to the sign.

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*John and Mandy kept Rutledge and Lachlan so Walsh could meet the new buyer of the house Thursday evening…they all dressed up as super heroes. (*It makes Boo Boo feel so safe to know I have four super heroes to protect me and another in the making!)

Kaitlyn shared some newly arrived wedding proofs/photos last evening..and it just took me right back again to that memorable day/evening. Tripping the light fantastic and just enjoying the moment.

*Thank everyone who has participated in prediction of the gender of the new baby….such fun! There is definitely a pattern emerging ….BUT will it be the right pattern-that is the question…blue or pink.…If you haven’t voted yet…Think…and do so….voting stops at noon tomorrow and Wednesday’s blog will reveal the gender of our latest addition to the family! Not too late to join in the fun!!