"There are seasons in which you may not have all your ducks in a row, and that's okay, because art is being made, passions are being pursued, relationships are in a high-maintenance, deepening mode, or you're just in survival mode - just for a season."

This quote was exactly what I needed to stumble across today. Now that we're adjusting to not having my mom here to help out, I've been feeling as if my life consists entirely of all things baby and lacks the variety it used to have. Not that I mind spending my days caring for my little one, but some part of me does miss having time to sit down with my knitting or a good book. (Both of which feel impossible right now as I can barely manage to keep up with laundry and get dinner on the table!) Although I don't know who the quote was by, she certainly was right: we are just in a high-maintenance stage of life right now with this little one who has been entrusted to us. And its just that - a stage, a season. Someday I'll have plenty of time to read and knit and do housework but I'll be missing these days when she wakes up with a head of fuzzy hair looking just like a baby bird and when her favorite thing is to snuggle up with you. So for today I'm choosing to savor the stage we're in.

A Bit of Wisdom

It's been several years now since I began regularly following several blogs and I've continued to add new ones as I discover people whose writing resonates with me. These blogs have become especially important to me since moving here, away from all that was familiar. Without friends and family near by, these lovely ladies have continued to be a source of inspiration and joy and reflection when I most need it.

One that I have been following for quite some time is Heather, from Beauty that Moves. Yesterday she posted a quote that I just had to share. It is particularly insightful when read in context so be sure to follow the link and read the story that gave birth to this bit of wisdom:

"If you can't have grace in the moment, have grace in the turnaround."

"The greatest love story is your own."

I am still in awe of all the things God has done in the past nine months. I heard this quote just the week before I met Michael and in it sensed that God was telling me that, when the time was right, He would write a beautiful love story for me, unique, all my own, unlike anyone else's, written just for me. He did just what He said He would, and what a journey it has been - unlike anything I ever pictured but perfectly right for Michael and I. Together we have been able to grow in ways we never could have alone. I can hardly believe that a week from tomorrow it will be time to begin a new stage of our journey of growth and learning together. What a privilege to be marrying such a wonderful man!

"The world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles...but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive with the ground at our feet and learn to be at home."
~Wendell Berry

"You build your personal world, calm or wild according to what you wish. You can weave peace in the midst of chaos, you can destroy in the midst of paradise. Depends on how you shape your spirit." ~R. Bach

I've been reminded several times in the past few days to take a moment to be still and calm, to breathe deeply and embrace silence. I don't have to just go with what seems to be the chaotic flow of life these days, I can embrace peace in my own heart and let it flow over into my day.

"How much of myself will I let myself become?"

"I received comfort then by looking at the stars...whose infinite depth hinted at a large magic in which the birth and death of humans were small things."

One of the librarians that Lindsey and I work with passed away quite unexpectedly this week and then this morning we found out that my Dad's mom died. It seems odd for there to be so much death in the midst of all the new life of spring. At the library one of the display tables has a picture of Joyce and patrons who knew her have been bringing in flowers and cards to add to the table. Many random people who never new her or who only recognized her by sight have stopped to read the obituary on the table as well and today I observed something that I know would have made Joyce smile. There was a father checking out the table trying to determine what it was about as his little son (maybe five years old) circled around and around the table trying to decide which of the flowers he thought smelled the best. Joyce loved flowers and animals and always had a smile for everyone, I can just picture her watching that little boy and enjoying his delight.

Food for thought...

"Life is too short. Too short to not take the time to nurture ourselves, to seek out relaxation, to walk silently through the woods, and to laugh out loud with someone who knows us better than we know ourselves." ~Heather

Quote of the week

"Keeping living things requires time and attention." ~N. Dickson

Quotes for the Journey

"As we stand at this intersection of God's calling, we look down two highways that appear to travel in very different directions. The first highway quickly takes a turn and disappears from our view. We cannot see clearly where it leads, but there are ominous clouds in the near distance. Standing still long enough to look down this road makes us aware of an anxiety inside, an anxiety that threatens to crystallize into unhealed pain and forgotten disappointments. We check our valise and find no up-to-date road map but only the torn and smudged parchment containing the scribbled anecdotes and traveler's warnings by a few who have traveled the way of the heart before us. They encourage us to follow them, but their rambling journals give no real answers to our queries on how to navigate the highway."

Monday

"Monday was the diving board poised over the rest of the week...without Monday one simply bombed into the water belly first and hoped for the best."

Happy Monday all of you! What does the coming week look like for you? Classes start this week for me, and it's already been an interesting week...last night they took mom to the hospital with really bad chest pain and it turns out she has a partially collapsed lung, though they're not quite sure why since usually this is a result of high altitude or some kind of trauma. She's home resting now, but we'll see how that plays into the dynamic of this week.