Lord, That I May See

Much to my pride and delight ;) I've been reading a lot this summer. Long summer days of reading are some of those glowing memories of my young girlhood -- a glass of something cold, bare feet, a stack of books and no sense of the passage of time.   Although, I definitely can't get that exact kind of reading back -- (someday?) --I am finding, once again, that reading is definitely a habit that I can maintain or lose.  I can  make time for it if I try . . . at least in the summer, when the schedule is lighter!  Here are the fiction books I've read so far this summer.    1.   The Time Machine, by H. G. Wells This is one of those classics that I've always planned to read someday.  It's a old-fashioned science fiction adventure with a clear prophecy of social doom.   In fact, it was one of the books that started the science fiction genre altogether.  I believe I enjoyed the idea  of reading "a classic" more ...

"Look," says Sparky, pointing at the floor.  "Daddy's!" He is pointing at one of the yellow dry cleaners tags that come home on every clean shirt of Daddy's. "Oh, I always see those tags everywhere in this room!" says Sunshine. "Yup, me too." I say, "Daddy always throws them on the floor." "Maybe he doesn't know where the trash can is?" suggests Sunshine, perkily.  I laugh. Then she says, "Oooooorrr, maybe he PUTS them in the trash, but the fan just blows them back out." Nice try, child.

Continuing my thoughts today, with five more lessons I am learning about being married . . .  Be responsible for your own happiness It is too much to place on another person the weight of responsibility for your happiness.  Of course, in any relationship, the one's well-being necessarily affects the other, but ultimately you can choose to be happy on your own.  No one can steal your joy, and by the same token no one human being can create it for you.  Take your needs to God Or, as my mother would say, "don't be a black hole."   A black hole sucks everything close by into itself and swallows it, without giving anything back and without anything changing or affecting that hole.  If you expect all your needs to be met by your spouse you will be disillusioned and discouraged by how human they end up being.  I will be learning the lesson all my life of these words:  "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."  ...

Last month D. and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary.   Our friend watched the kids and we were able to go to noon mass together.  I stood beside my husband the whole Mass, basking in the luxury of holding his hand with no little people in between, and marveled at the auspiciousness of the day and how amazingly life has -- and we have! -- changed.  There was an old couple in front of us and I prayed for the gift of growing old together like them.    I find myself thinking over what I   have learned the last decade, wondering if I could claim  some bits of wisdom gained.   Ten years is enough for a start in the life-long, really important love and relationship lessons.  It is enough time to have one's eyes opened to their significance, at least, although mastery is still a thing of the future, I fear!  Really look at your spouse Sometimes we are working/parenting/rushing so busily all day, all week, that we forget to l...

1. Me : Oh man, my back hurts! Sparky:  'Oor back hurts?  Gotta get a new back, Mom? 2. After being invited to a "Bookworm" themed birthday party, Sunshine says: But I might not go.  Because I'm not a Bookworm, I'm a Playworm! 3. Upon seeing me sweaty after my run, Rosebud delicately (or not) points out with a wrinkled nose: "Umm, I wouldn't wear that if I were you, Mom.  I would wear a skinny sleeved shirt so I wouldn't have . . . .um . . .  those  (pointing to the large patches of underarm sweat on my short-sleeved shirt). 4. Me:  Good grief, that's your third outfit today, Rosebud!  Why do you keep changing?" Rosebud, dancing airily about:  Oh, I just looove wearing all my springy, sprouty dresses! 5. After being surprised by a toot, Sparky laughed.  "Look, my poop burped!" 6.   Sparky, holding up his plastic bull: This his penis? Me: Yes Sparky:  And I have penis. ...

We went on our yearly beach trip with my mom's side of the family back in June.  Here's a few pictures. I am disappointed that I don't have more.  I think I just didn't have time to take more. D. stayed home from the vacation and I was kept very busy the  whole trip managing the four kids.  They all had such different needs and were going all sorts of different directions that I felt like I needed a vacation after our vacation! Despite my exhaustion at the end of every day, I felt blessed to be there and to have such a great family.  These really are times to be thankful for, and that add to my children's summer memories in a wonderful way. Sparky and Pop-Pop Sunshine and my cousin, S. Sharing snacks with twin second cousins Sparky and cousin, B. 

1.  This post brought to you today courtesy of : My kids are whizzes at setting the tent up and they will play for hours in it.  It's fantastic. :) 2. Whether you can tell in the above pic or not, our yard is looking really scruffy.  We are a little rancher in a cul-de-sac of beautiful new houses and its a little daunting.  Yes, our grass stays mowed (thank you, Grandbob!), but not much else.  So we are the house with the outdoor toys vomited all over the front yard and we are the people who saunter out to our cars on the weekend, guiltily noticing the neighbors in straw hats and gardening gloves meticulously weeding and mulching their beds and pretending we didn't.  Anyways, I can't mulch, because  Grandpa's Zinnias  are sprouting!  I'm so glad!   3.   On Mother's Day we took a trip to see Azalea Hill at an arboretum in our area.  I don't like azalea bushes any other time of the year, but they are gloriou...