Still Life

 

Well would you look at that.

The Grip-Stand bowl from Downton Abbey,

spilling over with orange-gold grapefruit.

How thankful I am, to fill my house with fresh fruits and vegetables

all the year 'round.

Every morning I juice half a grapefruit

and two clementines,

and I pour the juice and pulp into the glass.

Malachi and I can't get enough of this sun-shiny start to the day.

Have a glorious weekend, everyone!

Love Extravagantly

Another cold morning.
Another polar vortex.
Another day of sunshine flooding into the house.
It's so deceptive.

This week we have another funeral.
We didn't know the man who died, but we are old friends with some of the family.
It seems to us that he was robbed of about forty years.

A dear friend of mine is a young widow,
and I have seen her walk this path of loneliness.
The evenings are especially hard.
Time hasn't made things much better.
She has grown accustomed to this new life,
but she doesn't like it.
What does one say to a widow who was happy in her marriage? 
Words can't make up for the loss of a person. 

After a funeral, a house fills with flowers.
But I say,
buy flowers today.
Fill the house with life today.
Be generous with your love, today.
Forgive, and bless, and cover with kisses,
the flawed humans that grace your little world.    

¹² We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
¹³ But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
(from I Cor. 13, The Message) 

To hear the most epic of his many epic songs, listen to Josh Garrels here.

My Favorite Things

Someone I'm close to can get out of sorts when she reads my blog,
because she thinks I am effortlessly cheerful and full of joy.
Um, nope.
The winter has been long.
My days have sometimes been lonely.
The baby sleeps in our bed, and he gets me up at least twice every night.
The errands and chores and quiet times
that slowly became achievable as the kids grew,
have now become difficult again.

I don't always see the gifts in ordinary days.       

Today we are in the midst of another winter storm.
Since this is the Year of the Broken Snow-Blowers,
(yes, we have two, and they are both broken)
I'm going to get to shovel about six inches of snow.
I'm finding it difficult to feel happy about this.    


Here are a few gifts I've been given this week. 
I have learned to seek out and reach for all the things within my grasp that increase joy.
No one else can do this for me.
I think of joy as a cistern that is always full,
but I have to grab the dipper and ladle out what I need.
This requires a spirit that is calm enough to receive,        
and eyes wide open to see the beauty each day brings.  
This week, I noticed:  
  

 ~ Sunlight pouring into our living room.   
(Oh, and a toddler playing with a vintage toy makes the room even more fetching).

~ Hearty breakfasts can make me pretty happy.
(I usually make Oatmeal Crepes for Malachi, but lately I've been eating eggs over-easy on oatmeal toast.
So yummy that I often have seconds. I also squeeze a grapefruit and a clementine, and share that with the baby. Sometimes he gulps it all down and I don't get any).  
 
 ~ My church is a wonderful place to be.
Yep, it's always good to have a favorite day of the week (Mine is Sunday). That way you have something to look forward to every single week.

 ~ Old hymns are a continual comfort and delight.
Which one is my favorite? I don't know, but "Come Thou Fount" is near the top of the list.

If I picked worship songs, the list would include one newish song and five hymns. 
Since both radio and church leave me thirsty for more hymns, I have faves at home and in the car.     

~ I can give a present for no reason at all.

So if no one is showing up at your doorstep with a lovely surprise, be the one to give the gift.   
It can be so small, just a card or a single flower.
It's crazy how giving a gift makes you feel even better than getting one.
        
~ It lifts my heart to hear an old friend on the radio.
Michele's encouraging voice, reminding me of God's promises, fills my heart with hope. The words (often straight from Scripture) are perfect for my day and my situation. If you live in or near the Twin Cities, she's on Praise FM 95.3.

It's easy to forget that our days are laced with joys unspeakable and full of glory. (....and for those who know that song, you're now humming it, yay!)          

What is one thing you do that makes your joy increase?
I'd love to know.
   

The Banqueting Table

^{Isaiah 55:1-5} “Hey there! All who are thirsty,
    come to the water!
Are you penniless?
    Come anyway—buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk.
    Buy without money—everything’s free!
Why do you spend your money on junk food,
    your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best,
    fill yourself with only the finest.
Pay attention, come close now,
    listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.
I’m making a lasting covenant commitment with you,
    the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love."
 (from The Message)

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a feast.
I knew it would be a great feast, because I've been to the house of this beloved friend before,
and that's how she rolls.
And yet, I was bowled over.
By the freshness of the flowers,
the gleam of the silver,
the glow of the candles,
the beauty of my friends around the table,
and the richness of the food.

Oh, the food.
For one thing, there was enough of it.
More than enough.
Plenty of everything and to spare.
Since I am always hungry (yes, still nursing, in case you're wondering),
I purely enjoy seeing a plate piled with delicious fare.
I won't describe the entire menu, but imagine perfectly cooked skinless Norwegian salmon,
topped with a buttery, olive-y spread. Yes. Seconds, please.
Then a filet mignon, thick and juicy, drizzled with a butter-wine-shallot sauce (I think that's how it was described, I was pretty busy with eating at that point).
And a roasted sweet-potato side dish that I will definitely be making soon.

And when the meal was over,
the feast was not,
because it was time for presents.

We had been instructed not to bring gifts,
but this was a birthday party,
so of course we all disobeyed orders.

As the birthday girl opened each package,
and listened to the blessing that accompanied it,
she responded with a blessing in kind.

You know, sometimes words are the best gift of all.
"I saw you, and I knew I wanted you for a friend."
"You are beautiful to me."
"Your journey has given me hope."
"You did something for me that no one else has ever done."

And,
"I love you."

Now that I think of it,
the entire evening was one delicious, comforting, embracing "I love you."

"He has brought me to his banquet hall,
and his banner over me is love."
Song of Songs 2:4 

 (Sweet-potato dish: the recipe my friend used was from The Pioneer Woman. I found a similar one here)