Hair Awry

Both boys awoke with hair awry, sun splashing gold dazzles amidst the mobs.  A wet wash-cloth steadied their flares for the most part.  That, and a soft-bristled brush soaked with more water.

Both boys gobbled up breakfast with abandon.  Oozing yellow yolk dribbled down chins and cheerios kissed the floor in showered-song.  Besides sleeping, eating provides one of their only quiet spells during the day.

Both boys are engaged in near-wreckless play.  Pot lids jiggle-dance across the kitchen's cherry floor.  A tonka truck careens in figure eights and circles, nearly colliding with chairs and door jambs.  Grunts and laughs splatter the walls, so that I wonder if I'll still hear them reverberating twenty years from now.

Both boys grow and learn and share.  It's sometimes fun to join in their happy banter; not so fun to encourage careful play with one another.  Please be gentle escapes my lips so often it seems to linger in the air. 

I wonder if both boys, smoothing hair awry years from now, will remember today with smiles on their faces and appreciation for life.  Will they be good friends?  Will they make the world a better place?  Will they live their dreams and hold hope in their hearts?  Such thoughts encourage me to choose wisely now, so that then will benefit.

And you, friend?  What thoughts inspire your life's daily choices?  Does your heart hold hope even when your hair's awry?  How does such hope hold steady despite the varying challenges you face?

Tantalizing Glitter

Once again shadows flicker across the floor and the sun's lightshow splashes glitter across the wall.  Ezra tries to chase it and ends falling with a plop in the middle of the room.  But, though out of reach, those sun shards tantalize my sing-song, smiling boy.  And he laughs.

With each day that passes, I try to clean out the lent trap in my life.  I take a moment and carefully turn each treasure caught within, while shaking the black specks of dirt away so that they don't clog my focus.  And, trust me, my focus is clogged more than I would like it to be!

Friend, do you have times in life (perhaps daily) when the possibilities gleam across the wall in prisms, and instead of chasing them until you're dizzy, you sit and focus on the dark shadows?  Take a hand, and let's laugh together at the beautiful array of hope just waiting for us to grasp.

Purple Sprawl

Purple mountain sprawls.  The intoxicating views of those rolling peaks is as essential to my life as any famous duo.  When I do not have them in view, my concept of direction is completely gone.  When I do not anticipate them around a bend, my eyes rove for their majestic counterpart.

Friend, do you crave something or someone so much that you feel completely lost without such nearby?  Have you ever been without that essential for longer than you would like to be?  Are you struggling with a separation that seems to last an eternity?

Difficulty lures us to focus on what we do not always have.  It can be challenging to see beyond our loss and live in contentment.  How, friend, can we let the beauty of our desires inspire us to traverse the day-to-day trails even when we would prefer to wander in the wilder woods?

Red Head

A bright red head bobs up, down, and all around the bare-limbed hickory tree at the edge of the woods.  Birds frolick in the purple, wiry vines that have grown below the towering canopies.  One sits upon the round picnic table, weathered to the same tan sported by its hopping friend.  And then, in a quick spurt across the window, they are out of sight.

Where are they going?  To what destination does their current flight fit their fancy?  Where are you headed, friend?

Sometimes my path seems certain.  Plans and goals spread into the horizon like steady stepping stones.  But, no matter how carefully I place those stones, they never seem to stay where I expect them.  It can be frustrating to try so hard only to find that time pushes me out of the sight I thought I knew.  And you, friend?  Are directions changing and you feel helpless to start anew?  Is time too stealthy for your liking?

May hope guide you as life twists along unexpected paths and places seemingly unploddable spots in your way.  Take a look at those bobbing birds and let the joy that comes from knowing with certainty your journey's end buoy your spirit when the current views seem clouded and threatening.

Seed Packets

Whispers of snow sweep here and there.  Woodstove warmth kneads my back as I sit at the kitchen table, flipping through seed magazines with my husband and sipping hot chocolate.  It's heartening to think of a lush garden growing fresh fruits and vegetables, especially on a day that promises flurries.  Hope lingers among the long winter days.

Soon, seed packets in hand, we'll be poking holes in tilled soil, nestling seeds of various sizes.  And as the days slightly lengthen, little sprouts will grow to bring a dazzling and quite yummy yield to our family.  So much from little packets with the tiniest of contents.

Is there something in your life that seems tiny, friend, but brings the greatest joy to your life?  For me?  My life is covered in abundant blessings blooming from little bitty origins: baby hugs and smiles, first steps teetering across the floor, inquisitive comments from a loquacious three-year-old, loving words and glances from my husband, encouragement when least expected, prismed light sprayed across the room by a suncatcher.

And you, friend?  What tiny seed plants hope and joy for you?

Galloping Boots

Joey's grandmommy bought him boots for Christmas.  And now, my energetic two-year-old is galloping around the house in his new boots.  Sometimes, he wears them with socks; other times, he wears them mismatched on his feet.  He even gallops barefoot in circles around his boots.  Regardless, Joey's wide smile remains.

Today, we are waiting for an apple pie to finish baking.  The stove's timer beeps it's one-minute alarm.  "It's done," Joey proclaims, peering through the oven window.  "See!  It's done, Mommy!  It's done!"

And although Joey is delighted that the pie is finished baking, he will not even attempt a bite of that ooey-gooey, cinnamon-swirl apple pie with crumb topping.  Alas! Joey greatly dislikes fruits and vegetables.

I should take a lesson from my son.  No, I still plan to eat the pie!  But, perhaps I should show more enthusiasm even when I'm confronted with something I usually consider to be arduous, dismal, or otherwise extremely unpleasant (like scrubbing the toilet or sharing a pie).  I should add a gallop to my daily stride and chase away any threatening rain clouds.

And you, friend?  Can you add some gusto in that task you have to do?  Or, might you paint a happy smile on your face and then feel it soak into your soul, too?

Strutting Peacock

A local farmer owns some peacocks.  On occasion, one of these proud birds crosses the road without concern of approaching cars.  So, rounding the turn to the peacocks' farm, wary eyes will avert disaster.  The peacock's sleek tail trails behind him as it lurks forward in graceful strides.  Sun-sprays flash color from its feathers.  Even with a monstrous metal vehicle careening toward it, it's calm and steady.

Watching the peacock finish its slow stride in front of our car, I long for grace under pressure, too.  Tongue-tied and eyes downcast, I feel insecurity creeping up my face like a warm blush.  Perhaps I've said something I long to take back or I've been left out or I'm unable to smooth out my emotional crinkles so as to speak in coherent sentences instead of blundering sobs.  Regardless of the circumstances, I want to hide away in my Savior's hug and flee from the challenges that confront me.

Do you have moments like that, friend?  Let us take comfort together, knowing that if we take God's hand we will hold onto a grace, working through our weaknesses, that brings Him glory.