One of the only things I enjoy about getting up early in the morning is savoring the peace and quiet that lies over our neighborhood like a warm blanket. Although we live on a cul-de-sac, our house backs up to a much busier street, and is positioned cheek-by-jowl with houses on either side. Not far away a major thoroughfare connects our town with the neighboring community, and the railroad tracks snake around behind our development. The noise of all the people around us (to which we contribute no small amount of shrieking) is often considerable, especially on Friday and Saturday nights when local ruffians drive around, windows rattling from the bass of blasting sound systems. Sometimes I really miss living in the Duckabush valley, with our house nestled down in the forest, far from the things of man.

Or maybe I’m just jealous that my car stereo doesn’t make the windows rattle.

David steadies the kayak for his brother …

Some days (I keep a rather erratic schedule) when I wake up, nobody is stirring, not even (as in the famous Christmas poem) a mouse. Other times I find Kathy asleep on Doughboy (our couch), if she’s stayed up reading blogs or posting an entry on our blog. I turn on her mattress pad heater and usher her off to bed, hoping that the kids will sleep in and let her rest. During allergy season I often start sneezing while I dress in our bedroom, and wake Kathy up with a dozen or two of my explosive sneezes.

This morning, I stepped out onto the front porch and found it already light outside, as the summer equinox solstice approaches. A low cloud cover and absence of breeze enhanced the hush that was disturbed only by a single bird, chirping his heart out from the top of my neighbor’s roof. I wondered if my neighbor, who works odd hours as a fireman, appreciated that little bird.

The intrepid Daniel, setting off on an historic voyage …

In these moments of silence, I find, in spite of my weariness, a contentment that seems to extend all the way down to the core of my soul. For this moment, as I stand on my porch, all the concerns and worries that clamor for my attention are silent and still. I don’t have to worry about being a husband or a father or an employee or a friend or a church leader or even a handy-man. Instead, I find my heart drawn to God, in thankfulness and appreciation of His awesome goodness to me and His worthiness to receive praise and glory and honor. As the Psalmist wrote:

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

Sarah takes no chances when it comes to flotation devices …

Whenever I hear or read that verse, I think of a pool of water, shaded by trees, nestled among the rocks, with only the tiniest ripples emphasizing its tranquility. It is in moments like this that I can forget my own self-importance and revel in the abundant sufficiency of my God, far above my loftiest thoughts. Whatever happens today or in the rest of my life, Jesus, all by Himself, faithful and true, is enough for me.

With the fountain on, this pool has more than ripples …

All too soon the spell is broken and the neighborhood begins to wake; already I hear the slamming of car doors and traffic on the road behind our house. My cell phone buzzes with a message from my carpool buddy. I check the time on my phone and realize that I need to get moving if I’m going to catch the train. And so a new day begins; but the memory of that deep, quiet moment is something I treasure tightly, smoothing the bumps and jolts out of my way and calming my spirit, all the way to work and throughout the day.

Tim

Project 366, Day 136

My babies are leaving for Norway. Gasp! I’m not ready. I’m not prepared. I’m not packed. I’m not going. Hey, there’s something wrong with this picture!

Sarah is going to miss her big brother!

I probably shouldn’t call them babies. At ages 12 and 14, they might not exactly appreciate it. Or truly resemble the epithet. Still, to a mother it doesn’t seem to matter the age (or height and shoe size, which in Joshua’s case are considerable) of the child, in a flicker of an eye lash they are in diapers again.

And much too young to be flying to Norway!

Tim’s parents promise me they will take good care of my precious children during their weeks abroad. They say reassuring things like, “We’ll be all together. We won’t let anything happen to them. It will be an adventure.”

It’s that last part that scares me. How do parents let their children grow up? How do they let them try out new things and brave new frontiers? What about the ones who want to be missionaries in foreign lands or even go to college in another state?

These are big steps for some of us parents.

The best way to spend a nature walk is with a good book in hand.

So, if you happen to think of me tomorrow (or over the next few weeks) say a prayer for my babies and give your own a little hug and kiss.

Kathy
Project 366 - Day 126

We had dinner tonight at our pastor’s home, farewelling one of our elders (and his family) who is moving away. We talked of many things, enjoyed a delicious meal, and prayed over the family. It was a lovely evening, albeit bittersweet.

I had occasion to speak with one of my friends about many silly things, including this icebreaker personality question:

“If you had to smell like a vegetable, which would you choose?”

Loyal to my recent horticultural efforts, I chose the tomato (yes, I know that some misguided folk think the tomato is a fruit, in defiance of the Supreme Court*), while Kathy chose pumpkin. Other interesting choices were rhubarb and celery — I’m not sure what that reveals about the personalities who chose those vegetables, but it can’t be good.

Captain America tries to put a good face on it, but you can see he’s one cigarette from a firing squad.

As our discourse wandered, my friend admitted that his obsessive-compulsive nature extends its tentacles deeply into his life. Observing a Super Heroes game that his son brought to the party, he confided that, in the unhappy event that one of the game pieces were lost, he would have to throw away the whole game, since any replacement pieces would not fully match.

Naturally, I spent the rest of the evening stealing pieces and hiding them about my person. I managed to leave the party with Captain America still in my possession.

Don’t make us get rough …

So, Mr. L, if you ever want to see the good Captain back in his box, both halves attached properly, please leave a jar of Nutella in the Church Library, behind the Veggie Tales videos.

Tim
Project 365, Day 124

*The U.S. Supreme Court settled the controversy in 1893 by declaring that the tomato is a vegetable, based on the popular definition that classifies vegetables by use, that they are generally served with dinner and not dessert (Nix v. Hedden (149 U.S. 304)).

If you fall asleep in your super comfy, leather recliner is it a nap or part of the night’s sleep?

Does it count toward bed time if it’s close to midnight and a nap if it’s in the middle of the afternoon?

These are important questions. Help me out! Also, I’m curious to know if I’m the only one who finds herself taking a little snooze on occasion.

Let me know!

For more homeschooling related thoughts, go and check out the Ultimate Homeschool Expo, a homeschool convention completely online. What do you think? Great concept whose time has come or wacky idea from a bunch of geeky homeschoolers?

Kathy

As a mother of five, I often feel pulled in many directions. Guilt is my constant companion. Am I doing enough? Is everyone getting enough of my love, attention and support? Is the laundry clean? Do the children have nutritious meals and snacks to feed and nourish their bodies? Are the younger ones learning to read, write and excel in mathematics? Are the older ones being challenged in all the areas of their schooling?

How can I possibly provide each child with all that he or she needs? Maybe I did them a great disservice by adding so many siblings to the bunch.

Just when I begin to doubt the wisdom of having a large family I hear shrieks of laughter. I look outside and see something like this.

Joshua swings the rope while the kids race by.

Look at Sarah fly up in the eir.

And then I glimpse the joy the children have in being together. I laugh because their play is spontaneous and free, their laughter contagious. I thank God for letting me be the mother of these precious five children. I realize anew that their interactions are replete with life lessons.

How to be kind. How to share. How to deal with anger, frustration and disappointment. How to be a servant and a leader. Lessons that are invaluable and will impact each child’s future. In the business world, this kind of training costs companies thousands of dollars. And ours come free of charge. Ha!

And of course, if you are very, very blessed you end up with a big brother like Joshua.

For a step-by-step tutorial on this interesting Photoshop technique, stop by photoshopsupport.com.

The day is nearly over and what is done (or not done) is over by now.

Kathy
Project 366 - Day 117