Summertime

68.  Summertime
69.  Summer projects
70.  Completed projects
71.  Reading  (books and on KINDLE!)
72.  Friends & Family (might have listed that before. . .but reserving the right to list things multiple times)
73.  Ice cream cones. . . BIG ones
74.  Weddings
75.  Re-connecting
76.  Painting
77.  The thinking time that vacuuming provides. . . and even dusting!
78.  Plants that don't die. . . pretty plants. . . not weeds
79.  The blessing of a job. . . and the blessing of time off
80.  Forgiveness (will also be listed multiple times)

It is good for me to start a post by listing some gifts. . . it really is a daily (and sometimes hourly) choice to be thankful.  There are so many blessings, and so many constant gifts from God, and yet life just IS so often bittersweet.  We had a lovely time this weekend celebrating the wedding of a lovely young couple. . . dear friends.  A friend asked me if it was hard to be at a wedding. . . thinking about Sara.  I replied. . ."It's hard to be at everything".   I miss her always.  I miss her life celebrations, and even her life struggles.  But I know we can't forever avoid life because of the pain of missing her.  It is learning to live with the "hole". Sometimes we try to pretend it's not there and sometimes we just want to crawl in it, but by God's grace we learn to live with it. We had some precious time this weekend, visiting with several friends, and I'm thankful that we were able to talk about Sara.

So many blessings!!  Sandy, my sister-in-law and friend, sent me a Kindle!  And Jenny, another dear friend, loaned me a couple of her old books (two volumes of The Wide Wide World written in 1850) to read.  The best of both worlds right there!!  It is kind of amazing to have both sitting side by side on my desk.  I love it!

I admitted to myself this weekend that I really like to clean my house.  My kids are probably saying, "Wow mom!  You just figured that out?"  I readily admit that I like to clean.  I feel like some of my best thinking time is while I'm vacuuming.  Woody always cringes when I've been vacuuming and then come looking for him to share some random thoughts (and I really mean RANDOM!)  But this past weekend we had some company coming to stay (for the wedding), and so I decided I should probably dust too (which I usually do NOT enjoy).  For some reason, this time I took notice of so many things we have around the house that are pieces of our family. . . memories of Woody & I, and ALL of our kids.  It was a little bittersweet, but tons more sweet than bitter, and I loved it.  Thank you Lord.

I also spent some time in the front yard.  I do not have a very green thumb, so things that we plant really need to be pretty hardy and rather independent.  It is so lovely to actually have roses on our rose bushes! 
Kind of funny to be amazed by that. . . but what can I say?  I was also inspired by a friend to do some creative garden decoration.  In my cleaning I found some flower stakes (lawn art style) that I had bought, intending to put them out at Sara's grave (but then decided not to).  As I was working in the yard I found a faded sunflower stepping stone that had gotten mostly covered up due to blowing dirt. . . and ants.  So I made a little project out of those and created a fresh look for our front porch.  I even repainted the sunflower with Sara's paint supplies, which felt really good.  Very simple, but it was fun, and it has special meaning for me.  Again. . . thank you Lord!

Musicals and Memories

63.  School district jobs - with time off in the summer
64.  Fans & swamp coolers
65.  Early mornings (especially when you don't have to go anywhere)
66.  Did I say musicals?

I want to say that "Wicked" is one of my favorite musicals ever. . . . but I think I remember saying that last summer after going to see "Annie Get Your Gun". . .  and of course I would also say the same about anything connected to "The Music Man", which will always be a favorite.   I also want to see "Les Miserables", which my daughter-in-law says is her favorite.  So, I think perhaps "favorites" have to do with what you happen to be experiencing at the moment.  Kind of like ice cream or frozen yogurt flavors. . . chocolate, coffee, jamoca almond fudge, orange dreamsicle, oregon blackberry, strawberry cheesecake. . . . . well, that list certainly could go on and on!!

Woody and I got to go to Sacramento for a "date weekend" last Friday night and Saturday, which is where we saw "Wicked". . . (for the second time).  We had seats way up in the highest balcony, which we weren't too excited about at first.  But let me tell you. . . .it didn't make a bit of difference. . . actually, they were great seats. . . .right in the middle. . . . and being so high up and far back gave a great perspective of the big picture.  I have always loved the story of the Wizard of Oz, and also read Tik Tok of Oz, and Rinkitink in Oz when I was a little girl.  I still have old copies of these books(copyrighted 1914 and 1916).  With that history, my expectations of this musical were pretty high. . . . and I was not disappointed. . . even seeing it for the second time.  A favorite line. . . . Elphaba to Glinda. . . "Well, we can't all come and go in a bubble!"  Which maybe can only be appreciated after you've seen the show, or at least the movie Wizard of Oz. 

It is hard sometimes when we go to musicals.  Woody and I both get emotional at random times, seemingly unrelated to the musical story line.  I think it is just knowing how much Sara loved musicals, both watching them and participating on stage.  She loved "Wicked", and often said she wished she could play Glinda.  We even named our GPS Glinda when we bought it in San Francisco, as we tried to navigate all the medical facilities we had to find with Sara that first summer after she was diagnosed with cancer. 

The other good memory from being at that theater in Sacramento was the last time we all went to a musical together as a family.  I think it was the Christmas of 2006, when all the kids came home and we went to Sacramento to see "White Christmas", another family favorite (of the girls' anyway).  We tease Brady and Brett every year we have Christmas together that we are going to make them watch it.     

67.  Good memories

Live Like That

54.  Brady & Heidi - Happy Anniversary!
55.  Woody - Happy early Father's Day
56.  My amazing Dad - enjoying heaven
57.  So many things that can be done mathematically - learned from my Dad
58.  Getting together with Sara's friends - love them!
59.  The quiet, green, sunshine, and shade of the cemetery - eating lunch and  thinking of Sara - forever sunshine
60.  Musicals - going, watching, doing
61.  Teenagers & young people
62.  Great songs. . . like the following. . .

Live Like That by Sidewalk Prophets
Sometimes I think, what will people say of me
when I'm only just a memory, when I'm home where my soul belongs.
Was I "love" when no one else would show up?
Was I "Jesus" to the least of us?  Was my worship more than just a song?

I wanna live like that, and give it all I have,
so that everything I say and do points to You.
If love is who I am, then this is where I stand;
Recklessly abandoned, never holding back.  I wanna live like that!

Am I proof that You are who You say You are,
and grace can really change a heart?  Do I live like Your love is true?
People pass, and even if they don't know my name,
is there evidence that I've been changed?  When they see me, do they see You?

I wanna live like that, and give it all I have,
so that everything I say and do points to You.
If love is who I am, then this is where I stand;
Recklessly abandoned, never holding back.  I wanna live like that!

I wanna show the world the love You gave for me.
I'm longing for the world to know the glory of the King!

I wanna live like that. . . .

Books

46.  Amazing technology
47.  Old books
48.  Used book stores, book exchanges, libraries
49.  A thesaurus
50.  Friends who know how to do things you don't
51.  Summer cleaning
52.  Getting caught up and re-organized
53.  People that love books as much as I do

So funny this morning. . . I was getting ready to sit down to write, and Woody (not even knowing I was headed to the computer) said, "I have something for your list".  I said, "What list?" (first assuming that he meant my list of things to do).  Instead, he said, "Your list of one thousand gifts. . . . a thesaurus!  What a great idea someone had!"  The thing that was so perfect, was that the thankful thoughts I wanted to share today stemmed from some old books I had found while cleaning things out these past few days, and I would absolutely put a thesaurus on my list!

One thing I found, while rearranging a book shelf, is an old book of my dad's. It was copywrited in 1938, and entitled "A Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms. . . with 5000 words often mispronounced".  I even love the title!  It is very similar to a thesaurus, but what really caught my fancy (besides the fact that it belonged to my dad) was opening it up and reading the preface.  You'll have to excuse me. . . but I do NEED to give you just a little taste. . .

"This volume needs few words to introduce it, as its object is apparent to the most casual reader.  It was written to help those who use it in finding the exact words they need to express their written and spoken thoughts, with a minimum expenditure of time and effort, and a maximum reward in efficiency and accuracy. . . . .Everyone at some time finds himself groping futilely for a word to describe exactly the idea he wishes to convey; it may be a word to be used as a substitute for another in order to give variety of expression, or it may be one that, although familiar, eludes him at the moment so that he has to pause and ponder, losing time in trying to recall the one word that will suit.  It is at such moments that the wise man will reach for this volume, and find immediately the word he wants."

I don't know why I love that. . . most of you are probably thinking. . . "What is wrong with this woman??!!"
I just love reading, and I love writing, and like Woody says. . . . what a great idea someone had!!

My other precious find was while I was sorting boxes of used books at school this week.  Our student council collects used books every year at Christmas to hold a Christmas Book Exchange for our student body.  We had several boxes left over, which have been sitting in my office for months collecting dust. . . and other things.  I've had time this week to clean out and re-organized in my office. . . . and actually spent quite a lovely morning sorting all the books.  The treasure I found is "The Collected Tales of Nurse Matilda", which is the book behind the movie Nanny McPhee.  The precious thing about this book is that sometime early last spring, Sara and I watched that movie.  We both loved it and I told Sara that I thought it was based on an old book.  She promptly put it on her reading list and we went on a half-hearted hunt for it. . . never finding it.  I didn't know at the time that it was actually called Nurse Matilda.  It was originally published in the UK in 1964.  And yes. . . I do need to give you a little taste of this too. . .

"Once upon a time there was a huge family of children; and they were terribly, terribly naughty.  In those days, mothers and fathers used to have much larger families than they do now; and these large families often were naughty.  The mothers and fathers had to have all sorts of nurses and nannies and governesses (who were often French or German) to look after all their naughty children.  This family I'm telling you about seemed to have more children, and naughtier children, than any other.  There were so many of them that I shan't even tell you their names but leave you to sort them out as you go along, and add up how many there were.  Even their parents had to think of them in groups.  There were the Big Ones and the Middling Ones and the Little Ones and the Littlest Ones, and the Baby.  The baby was really a splendid character . . . "

Okay, I'll stop.  I wish Sara was here to read it and laugh with me.  But I am grateful I found it.  I've been thinking of getting a kindle.  I think I'm getting an Ipad through work, which will force me to learn how to use all that technology. . . which I am thankful for too.  But even with all the amazing technology of computers and ebooks and kindles and ipads . . . there is just something about holding an old book.  It has a history of its own.  There is the gift of what's inside and also the mystery of where it has been. 

. . .from an avid and everlasting book lover. . .

Faith

Kimberly recently took this picture of Sam throwing Wyatt up in the air.  Besides being a great photograph, I think it gives a pretty good picture of faith.  I guess I could also entitle it "My grandson, the superhero!".  :)

41.  Photographs, Photographers, and Photographees
42.  Made up words
43.  Gardens
44.  Sun tea
45.  The color yellow

Attentive and Aware

I love time that I get to spend with any and all of our children.  I loved this past long weekend that I got to spend with Kari & Brett and little Wyatt in Oregon, and being able to see Sam & Kimberly for a little bit as well.  I have huge, refreshed appreciation for Kari and for all moms of active toddlers, as I got to babysit for Wyatt for a couple of days while Kari got in some extra hours at work.  How do you even take a shower unless someone else is home????  I'd forgotten about that!  Have to share a funny Wyatt story. . . . As we were taking a walk around the neighborhood one afternoon, we passed a house where an older man was out working on his car.  He had on jeans, but no shirt.  As we walked past the house, Wyatt turned to me with his funny little grin and said. . . "Gamma, that man is NAKED!"  It made me laugh. Then later, when asked what he had seen on our walk, Wyatt told his mommy & daddy . . . "I saw a naked man!". 

I got a new devotional book in the mail from my sister-in-law, Luanne.  I love it . . . it is called "Alone in the Presence of God".  Today's reading is entitled "Awake and Attentive"  A little excerpt. . . "Living in God's presence results in an awakening of your senses to everything around you that pertains to His will. . .You begin to see people from a new perspective, and look at circumstances differently. . . It means adjusting your sights to HIS instead of requesting that He narrow His vision for you. . . It means taking notice of what He is doing and how He is equipping you to join Him. . . It requires that you not only seek Him, but that you anticipate Him. . . Tune yourself to His frequency by being attentive and aware."

Being "attentive and aware". . . . We kind of make a joke in our family about Kari always being very "aware".  She is aware as a driver, as she is walking in a store or a parking lot . . . pretty much everywhere.  We joke about it, but yet. . . she is constantly attentive and aware of what is going on around her.  Wyatt is also very attentive and aware. . . maybe ALL two-year olds are, but he seems to see and notice EVERYTHING.  Oh, that we could be constantly attentive and aware of, and to, the presence of God and His working in our lives, to seek Him and anticipate Him.  I like that.

31.  Coming home
32.  Books
33.  Birthdays
34.  Making connections
35.  Coloring
36.  Compression socks  (kind of strange I know)
37.  Open windows
38.  Friends and family
39.  Potted plants
40.  Porches. . . front and back

To the point. . .

20.  Conversation with two-year olds (over the phone AND in person)
21.  Grandkids
22.  Rain on your window while you're sleeping
23.  Oregon green
24.  Sunshine after rain
25.  Graduations
26.  Resilience
27.  Puppies
28.  Sandi Patti
29.  Chocolate covered anything (almost)
30.  And did I say conversation with two-year olds???   :)