Dear Reader:

Every day as I look out my window (each morning) while pulling up my blog post  to  see if it popped up bright and early at 6:00 a.m. on schedule…I find myself mesmerized at the beauty beside me.

The birds are eating breakfast at the suet cage and chattering away… as if asking each other how they slept and what a beautiful morning it is. The flowering plants are bright, colorful, and alert from the drinks of water I gave them at bed time. Like a tennis match…I find myself turning my attention to the blog post and then back out the window to nature at her finest and then back at the screen.

When Lachlan was at the computer Saturday he, too, was looking out the window…and consistently called out to me “Boo Boo…look at this pretty birdie eating…what kind is he?”

Sometimes while writing the post it is easy to detour away and get lost in my perfectly imperfect life.. As a ‘phrase-finder” I see this phrase a lot because of the truth of the oxymoron…can life really be perfect and imperfect at the same time? For me…the answer is a resounding “Yes” and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

If we take time to reflect on our own individual lives…it has been the “imperfect” moments that have brought us the most happiness, joy, laughter and sorrow…but in hindsight imperfections make life worth living.

I was thinking the other day that I would like to create some road signs for life….like one that reads: “SLOW DOWN….LIFE IN PROGRESS.” It would be fun to create my own phrases.

Creative artist, Kelly Rae Roberts, has numerous phrases that make me pause and smile or nod my head in agreement….many of these are found in her note cards (Now being carried by Leaning Tree)

I love the idea of taking a descriptive adjective and turning it into a personification of a human characteristic.

(Example in this note card by Kelly)

*It makes the phrase unique and memorable.

The simpler a phrase is…the more powerful it becomes…another example from Roberts.

I made a personal observation the other day that cheered me up…I do believe I am finally on the down side of “Whew!” I was never aware how many times I said this word….and truthfully…I didn’t say it…I thought it…and then made the sound that we all associate with it….(You know the one…We take a deep breath, release it s l -o-w-l-y making a “woo” swoosh sound.

When I was working full time, raising children, and running from point A to B and back again…I made that train sound a lot…Was I going to make the green light before it turned red so I could pick up one of the children on time from baseball practice? Or sometimes it was expressed in relief at finding something…like lost car keys just in the nick of time to get to my school in time for bus duty.

We are all quite familiar with the  “Whew” part of life…and when the “Whew’s” stop coming so rapidly and life begins to finally slow down…we have reached a huge “Whew” Benchmark in life.

So until tomorrow….I must remind myself that God is giving me the luxury of ‘down time’ now (in fact He is insisting on it) and I should be thanking Him rather than complaining …and use the time to create another road sign for life.

GO!         STOP!     WHEW!

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*And I wouldn’t be a very good “phrase finder” if I didn’t add this phrase today….Happy Birthday Rutledge!

Six Years old today….and six years ago it was Father’s Day…the best Father’s Day present ever for Walsh….18... is and will always be a very special number…it was Walsh’s football jersey number…..after Dan Marino…the Dolphin quarterback…always his lucky number…especially after little Rut Rut was born!

Happy Birthday Rutledge…Loved you yesterday, love you still…always have…always will!