Nurturing Life

Stuff of Life Mastitis – if you don’t know what it is, all you need to know is you do NOT want to get it. Ouch. Still on my gardening kick. I am about two days away from “done” in terms of getting everything planted and organized to the point where I can sit back and enjoy it and simply maintain it. I’m so excited about my garden. I have over 60 different species of plants growing out there. I have plants that are well on their way, and plants that are yet but seeds. I envision my garden as a place of relaxation, comfort, beauty and peace. I envision my garden as a place where my children will learn about the amazing process of growth. This garden will not be a hands off affair, though already I have consciously held back from saying “don’t touch!” Instead I tell the kids to be gentle, and how to touch so the plant isn’t hurt. I remind them to be careful not to step on plants as they wander among the new buds. I like seeing Finn eye-to-eye with the delphiniums and the Echinacea, and Miriam gently fingering a green poppy bud one day and surprised by it’s yellow petals the next. This is their garden too, where they have helped me plant less than straight rows of peas and carrots, beets and beans. They will enjoy it too, and we will be in awe of God’s creation together. This is a privilege and a joy for me. I’ll cherish it. Spiritual Insight of the Day My two hour wait for a doctor yesterday (see Mastitis above) gave me some time to delve into “The Sacred Romance” again. No, this is not some sleazy romance novel, but a look at God’s relationship with His people. The chapter I read talked a lot about what our role is in this great play we’ve found ourselves in – the epic story in which we have a part. It was good reading. I especially liked a paraphrase of one of the verses in the bible which went something like: God’s people/the church is not peripheral to the rest of society. Society is peripheral to God’s people/the church. I can’t really put into words what this means to me. I can only say it helps me feel more significant, and motivates me to be braver in my walk through this world. The chapter also remembered Jeremiah, who was a prophet sent to speak God’s word, but who wasn’t feeling up to the task. God reassured him that He would give him the right words. I know that God also will give me the right words so long as I am willing to speak them. So that’s my prayer today, that I would be willing and waiting in expectation for God to invite me to speak in His story. Scrapbook Idea of the Day Journal. Take time to remember the little things that are so easily forgotten. Like how Miriam always used to wake up with a pirate eye when she was a baby because her one eyed gummed itself shut at night. Or how Finnegan fell in love with “Olivia Forms a Band” after Melissa gifted the book to Miriam for Christmas 2007, and how he always said the same things at the same points in the story for weeks on end (“boke neck?”). Or how Carmen learned to suck her thumb at 11 weeks of age and how we didn’t try to switch out for a soother because it was a) self soothing which is good when you’re one of 3, b) better for van rides because we wouldn’t be able to stick the soother in if it popped out because we can’t reach you like we could the first two in our little escort, and c) it’s so darn cute! These details are not important. Not life altering. Not significant to anyone but us. But it’s these little details which differentiate us from all the other two-parent-three-kid-middle-class families out there.