Poetry Thursday

Today's poem is by Wendell Berry.  It makes me think of my husband who really needs to go fishing in rivers for the sake of his soul and says that hunting alone in the woods is a great time of worship.  :)  I love him.  Don't understand him, but love him....

The Peace of Wild Things
by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief.  I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light.  For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Pixar Makes Me Happy

Last weekend I took the boys to Cars 2. I gladly support pretty much anything Pixar does.

I was in the camp of "eh, it was okay." I prefer the quiet, more simple films like Up and Wall-E. By the end of Cars 2, I felt like having a couple Advil. It's a breath-taking spin around the globe with Mater and McQueen. But still a good time.

If you want to read a great interview with Jon Lasseter (Pixar genius) that is here.  Did you know he is the father of 5 boys?!  I knew I liked that guy.

He also talks a little about the next Pixar movie coming out next summer with the First. Ever. Female. Lead.  I guess I hadn't realized Pixar had never done a movie with a girl as the lead character!  Interesting...Enjoy the sneak peek!

Breakfast Conversations

Jonny (3 days from 6 years old):  Did you and Daddy fall in love?

Me:  Yes!  We sure did.

Jonny:  Were you 25?

Me:  No, we were 19.  (Gulp.  Babies.)

Jonny:  But how did you fall in love with Daddy?

Hope (3 years old):  You fell, Mama??

Me:  Yes, I fell right on Daddy!  But he caught me!  (Hope smiling with waffle in her cheeks.)

Jonny:  How did you fall in love, Mama?  (Children are so persistent.)

Me:  Well, I turned around one day when he said my name, and I looked into his big blue eyes and fell in love right there.  (Carmin Hall, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion Indiana, 1993 :)

Jonny:  That's funny!  


Me:  Yup, it's pretty funny.  And wonderful.

David Crowder Band - SMS [Shine]

This is quite possibly the most amazing music video I have ever seen.

If you've got a chance, go back to YouTube and watch the clips about how they made this video. Wow! Those are dedicated Lite Brite folks. It also makes me a little sad because the David Crowder Band is on it's last tour, closing their chapter as a band. Bummer.

I cried a little the first time I watched it.

You've been warned.

Retreating

When I was around 10 or 11 years old, I discovered a wonderful place in my elementary school.

 It was "the sick room."  

Every school has one.  The place they send you if you complain of a tummy-ache, or a bad headache, or a wicked hangnail, if you're lucky.  

I had developed a pattern.  Everyday I would get a terrible stomach ache when it was time for Social Studies with Mrs. Laverne.  (Names have been changed in case she comes for me.)

She was so intimidating, I get nervous just writing this.  She had a Mrs. in front of her name, but I didn't believe she was female.  Everything else about her yelled MAN and that scared me to death.  She never smiled, spoke harshly most of the time, and I just couldn't take it anymore.

This is not that room, by the way.  But pretty close!  (This what happens when you google "images of rooms with a window.")  It was cool and dark with small clean beds and a window like this one.  I would lay there, missing geography lessons, and savor the solitude of that room while watching clouds move across a blue sky.      

I couldn't stay there, of course.  I wouldn't want to miss lunch or recess!  And eventually, I had to conquer my fear of Man/Woman Teacher and get my butt back up there, but it's funny what you remember from your childhood.  Funny how you repeat patterns you learn as a kid.

I think we all need a room like this, a place to retreat when life gets scary or hard.  The tricky thing is, knowing when to go and when not to go.  There have been days when I've wanted DESPERATELY to retreat, but I've had to close my eyes, grit my teeth, and stay in the moment -- battling it out for the time being, and knowing retreat would come later.  That's what being an adult is about sometimes -- staying when you want to run, fighting when you want to retreat, and discovering you are stronger than you thought you were.

Morning Person

Morning Person
by Vassar Miller

God, best at making in the morning, tossed
stars and planets, singing and dancing, rolled
Saturn's rings spinning and humming, twirled the earth
so hard it coughed and spat the moon up, brilliant
bubble floating around it for good, stretched holy
hands till birds in nervous sparks flew forth from
them and beasts--lizards, big and little, apes,
lions, elephants, dogs and cats cavorting,
tumbling over themselves, dizzy with joy when
God made us in the morning too, both man
and woman, leaving Adam no time for
sleep so nimbly was Eve bouncing out of
his side till as night came everything and
everybody, growing tired, declined, sat
down in one soft descended Hallelujah.

I have read this poem several times...each time it fills me with wonder and light.  I love the creative, imaginative, hilarious heart of God.  It's inspiring and leaves me dumbstruck.

There are some ridiculous arguments out there right now about the historical Adam -- who he was, if he existed at all.   Human genome research has caused some evangelicals to look at Genesis with skepticism...and I just shake my head.  We are like children playing with Legos, thinking we've found the answer to the world's problems.  We know nothing.  We haven't begin to know what we're dealing with when it comes to God.  Heaven help us!  As Jon Acuff says, I just hop in my escape pod called "faith like a child" and scoot right out of all the arguing...

The Opposite of Shy...

...would be this person right here:

I was reminded today of how God has blessed this boy of mine with the gift of friendly gab.  (Must get it from his Dad...)

  I'll never forget the night we were at a basketball game when he was about 4 years old.  A man came and stood next to the bleachers where we were seated on the end and Jonny looked at him and said brightly, "You can sit here with us guys!!"  

Today at lunch, Aaron brought home a co-worker and this little guy's mouth never. stopped. once.  Now, granted, he knows this guy and he's not a stranger, but STILL!  

For cryin' to Pete, give the man a chance to talk!!

Topics Jonny covered at lunch:

* "driving" a boat over the weekend *

*  how he is going to get an ice cream sundae at VBS tomorrow *

* inquiring how many people were in this man's family *

* "and what are your children's ages?" *

*  displaying his LEGO collection *

* how important it is to stay away from Chinese pirates (???)  *

One day I pray God uses those cute lips to sing His praise, tell His story, and encourage others.  But right now, I just need to find a possible mute button.

Take Me to a Country Church...

I wrote this poem after a visit to Hayward Wesleyan Church in Hayward, Wisconsin -- a funky little town in northern Wisconsin known for it's Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.

(K&C Farmer!  Good memories!)

Hayward
(by me!)

Take me to a country church
on a clear blue day in June
where smiling strangers
shake your hand
overwhelm you with grace

Let there be a young man
strumming a guitar and singing
his voice strong and scrubbed clean

Let there be children
small enough to fit in
the laps of their fathers
resting their heads on his chest

Let there be truth
spoken plainly
gently
about simple devotion
to a gracious God
mercy and peace
flowing in waves

Let joy fill the sanctuary
overflow out open windows
where angels inhale
the sweet aroma
and dance in the light

Surrendering to Summer

Easter, earlier this year :)

The language of motherhood is funny.

I used to smile when people would ask, "Oh, so you're a full-time mom?" As if there could be such a thing as "part-time" mom....

But I knew what they meant.  I spent many days wishing I was not necessarily a "full-time mom" because the work was harder than anything I'd ever known while being more rewarding than anything I'd ever do.

I remember coming across this quote and writing it down, wanting to remember it forever. 

"Amid the noise of boys and my swinging emotions I suddenly got very still inside.  As I sat wrapped in the gray bathrobe four babies had nestled against while they nursed, my brain started clanging this jubilant message:  'There are no shackles in this house, this is no jail.  These kids are your ticket to freedom like nothing you've ever tasted...It's the liberation that comes from the sheer act of living itself.  When you stop to be where you are, then your life can really begin."  (Surrendering to Motherhood by Iris Krasnow)

This summer, I hope I can remember this.  I hope I can be ALL HERE for these amazing children who will never be like this again.  This is the only Summer 2011 we get.  I don't want to miss it.

A Little Blog Remodeling...

Welcome!  I hope you like the makeover.  I felt like it should look more like the title, plus it's summer....and I have more time on my hands. :)


This June I celebrate 6 years of blogging!  Ain't that somethin'?  I'm having more fun than ever and I sure appreciate you sticking around.  I found this early post about parenting from 2005 and thought I'd share a bit of it once more. 
  
Thanks again and let me know what you think of the new layout!


"Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." Psalm 127:4-5


In today's culture, this concept of children being arrows is a little confusing. But I read something recently that helped me understand this principle:
"In Solomon's day, Israel had no factories for mass-producing arrows, each identical to the others. Instead, each warrior hand-crafted his own. A tree would be cut into boards, boards into strips, and from those strips a warrior whittled his arrows.

Because arrows were handmade, no two of them were alike, and few were perfectly straight. So when the warrior would pull one of those arrows out of his quiver to use in battle, he would have to remember the peculiar bend and other characteristics of that arrow. Then he'd aim it and pull the string back according to those unique traits. Aimed correctly, the arrow would hit the mark; if not, the arrow would miss, possibly costing him his life, and his army the battle.

What Psalm 127 is telling us as moms and dads then, is that we need to have a "warrior mentality." We need to be shaping our kids into arrows that will fly straight to the target God has set for them. If we're not carefully shaping and aiming our arrows, others will try to steal them and shape them for their use. What's worse, they will aim our children at targets of their own choosing. We should never be surprised if we are wounded by members of our own family, if we have allowed sworn enemies of Christ to aim them."
(excerpt from The Christian Home School by Gregg Harris)


The Enemy would love for me to forget this important truth in the routine of the everyday. Raising children is an overwhelming task. But we are not alone. God has promised to give wisdom and strength when the "shaping and whittling" make us so tired we can barely go another step. 


Go give those arrows a big smooch.

Link Love on a Cloudy Friday

Can an NBA team teach me how to be a better friend, wife, and parent?  Yes!
Click here for a fascinating article.


Y'all know how geeked I get about anything that has to do with writing.  One of my favorite authors, Shauna Niequist answers some questions here about how she does her thang.


Ever heard of HisKids radio?  You buy the unit and it runs through your home's wireless internet, constantly streaming great Christian programs for your family.  Seriously considering it for us...but a little pricey....anyone else have one?  Maybe I'll just put it on the Christmas wish list :)

This book is smack-your-knee funny.  It's satire, folks, so don't get too hyper about it.  If you can't laugh at yourself, you might as well go live on an island!


The author, Jon Acuff has a website that rocks. He has all kinds of resources for bloggers, writers, and people looking to live out their dreams.  And if Dave Ramsey loves him, then he must be great, right?  (kidding...sort of...)

Good Reads from 2011 (so far)

Gee, teaching really cuts into my reading time.

But I'm totally okay with that!  I'm so thankful for the opportunity I have to share my enthusiasm for books with my students.  And now that it's June, I thought I'd give a shout-out to the books I've enjoyed this year so far.

I always admit this shyly:  I read everything Kristen Hannah writes.  I know, I know.  It's like bubblegum for the brain.  But the girl can weave a story, I'm telling you.  As I cringe at cliches and emotional dribble, I keep turning pages to just find out what happens!!  And that's what stories do.  They engage and draw you in...and that's why I have to read her books.  End of confession.

This is the first one I've read on an e-reader!  It's nice not to lug around a big thick book, but I do miss the feel of a book in my hand.  Just sayin'.  And I haven't finished it yet, so don't give anything away!

Worst book ever.  Gut-wrenching.  But....couldn't put it down.

 The idea of this book intrigued me, and it was an interesting read.  She takes each month of one year and studies how to be more happy in that area.  It seemed God was really left out of the equation, or just one more way to "get happy", but I knew that going into it.  Happiness is only a symptom of a much deeper joy....I wonder if Gretchen has figured that out yet??

 This is the book you Must Read Now.  Eileen Button is the coolest person I've read in a long time.  She's a pastor's wife, a columnist for the Flint Journal, and a fantastic writer. 

(If you are a pastor's wife, or have ever been one --  Get This Book Today.  I am not kidding.  I really never "got" what it meant to be a pastor's wife until I read this book.  She is amazingly honest and accurate. I mean, just listen to this:  "As for The Church, I like her; I loathe her.  She delights me; she disappoints me.  I want her; I want to disown her.  There are days when I count the minutes until I get to leave.  There are days I've run into her arms, weeping.  Although I realize how dysfunctional and codependent it sounds, I need her.  There are still days when there's no place else I'd rather be.)

And lastly, another WOOHOO for T. Greenwood.  I love this latest novel she's written.  If Kristen Hannah is a double cheeseburger and fries, T. Greenwood is a lobster dinner.  Sorry Kristen, it's true.  Greenwood is a gifted writer and I can't gush enough!

Other books I read this year that I've already talked about:

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo

Sky Blue by Travis Thrasher (great Christian fiction writer)

Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley (the FlyLady)

Evidence by Mary Oliver (one of my favorite poets)

Deep Down True by Juliette Fay (the book I wish I hadn't read...ugh)

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) 

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp (most overly-hyped book of the year)

Made to Crave by Lisa Terkeurst

Truth is a Person

When Mary and Joseph bring their newborn son to Simeon for dedication to the Lord, they probably weren't ready for this:

"This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others.  He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him.  As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed..."  Luke 2: 34,35

Jesus is only days old, but it's clear He will not be welcomed by everyone. 

 With Jesus, there would be no neutral ground.  People would either joyfully accept him or totally reject him.  

We would either label him as the greatest liar and fraud the world has ever known...

or the physical manifestation of TRUTH.  

I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:6

Sunday Funnies

Wrestling Lobsters

A quick story from my trip with my high school students...

When we arrived in Boston we drove over to Quincy Market, which has literally hundreds of places to eat.  We were all starving and tired.  Not a good combination when making decisions.  Thus, a restaurant called Dick's Last Resort.  Let the name be a clue.

Midwest Mandy here was befuddled by the behavior of the servers.  They were rude, crass, and downright nasty.  Was this what Boston was like?  It wasn't making a good first impression.

Then it finally dawned on me.  This was the restaurant's *kitsch* -- it's Standard Operating Procedure.  Sounds like a really bad idea to me, but maybe I'm just too nice.

I ordered lobster because I was on the East Coast and heard it was cheap here.  What I didn't know is that I would have this brought to my table:

I tried. 

 I really did.  

But this was brutal.

Wild Geese by Mary Oliver

Wild Geese 

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.