A Prayer for Summer

Let Me Live Grace-fully
from Guerrillas of Grace
by Ted Loder

Thank you, Lord,
for this season
of sun and slow motion,
of games and porch sitting,
of picnics and light green fireflies
on heavy purple evenings;

and praise for slight breezes.
It's good, God,
as the first long days of your creation.

Let this season be for me
a time of gathering together the pieces
into which my busyness has broken me.
O God, enable me now
to grow wise through reflection,
peaceful through the song of the cricket,
recreated through the laughter of play.

Most of all, Lord,
let me live easily and gracefully for a spell,
so that I may see other souls deeply,
share in a silence unhurried,
listen to the sound of sunlight and shadows,
explore barefoot the land of forgotten dreams and shy hopes,
and find the right words to tell another who I am.

Until Next Time...

Jackie

The First Day of Summer Means...

Lots of Time Spent in The Sprinkler...

Lots of Dirty Feet...

And...Lots of Looks Like This When It's Time To Come In...

Until Next Time...

Jackie

Shhhh! Don't Tell Pat...

Since there is an almost 100% chance that Pat won't see this post, I'll go ahead and show you what he is getting for Fathers Day. It's too bad about the glare because it turned out really cute!


Shhhh...Don't Tell Him!!



Happy Fathers Day!

Until Next Time...

Jackie

Summertime Is For Reading...

You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend. ~Paul Sweeney

Summertime is perfect for sitting outside in the shade and losing myself in another world. My summertime choices are light, fun and easy to get lost in. Out in the sunshine and reading on a lazy summer afternoon while my oldest reads beside me is pure happiness.

My current reading stack...

...With the spotlight on another novel about Home Renovation...

A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.
~James Dent

*Top Photo - Red Begonias and a Yellow annual that I can't remember the name of between pots of Morning Glory

Until Next Time...

Jackie

Patience In The Garden...

"A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust."

-Gertrude Jekyll

*Photos - The first zucchini and tomato of our summer 2010 garden appeared this week.

Until Next Time...

Jackie

Never Major on The Minors...

A friend asked me recently how it is that I don't get my feathers ruffled that easily and how I let things slide. Things that would anger and frustrate her. I didn't have a great answer for her other than I purposefully, many years ago, decided to only focus on things that really matter to me. In the past, I would get angry at small, inconsequential things. Things that really didn't matter that much. I would worry about what someone said about me, what someone said to me or what tone they took with me...sometimes for days. What I figured out was that this was my issue. It's a joy killer! I never had a word or phrase for my shift in thinking until today...

Never Major on The Minors

In my quest to get my spiritual groove back I've been reading Life Management for Busy Women by Elizabeth George and I was delighted when I came to page 45 and read the following paragraph:

Never major on the minors. Precious reader, these five words, revolutionized my life! They launched a complete spiritual makeover in my life that is continuing to this day. I still, these several decades later, evaluate my every decision and activity and minute by this wise standard - "Never major on the minors." They move me to hold each activity up to the Lord and ask in prayer, "Father, does this fit into Your plan for my life?" Will this help me to be a better steward of the time and abilities You've given me to serve You? Does this contribute to my good and to the good of others? Is it worthy of my time?

She defined what I've been doing all these years. That last question...Is it worthy of my time? This is what I say to myself when I feel the pull of anger, frustration or other emotion that can move my joy to another place altogether. This practice, that is now defined, has made all the difference in my life.

Until Next Time,


Jackie

Photo - Little League still-life from 2009

Going Through The Motions...

Going through the motions. Have you ever found yourself there? Nothing exciting or tragic has happened. I'm not unhappy. I'm content. My life is full of loads of laundry, purchasing flip-flops and sunscreen, cooking meals, groceries, hugging boys, pulling weeds, working on spreadsheets and planning events at my paying job, mowing, dusting, visits to the library, washing windows, paying bills, reading, conversations with Pat, lunch with friends, shooing neighbor boys out of my house, watching movies and planning for summer activities.

The calendar and To-Do list are Overflowing. This Overflow is my life...but... I'm missing something.


What is missing is my closeness with God. This happens to me periodically and this time it's been going on for a few months. I try and it feels like He isn't there. I know He is so I keep chatting. It's an empty feeling and I'm so thankful I know what the full feeling is like. The feeling of having God in my life. The thing is...I'm not holding up my end of this relationship. My chats with Him have been happening less often. My morning quiet time has been more reading and pulling weeds than journaling, studying and talking to God. When I neglect this part of my life everything else suffers. This nurturing of my relationship with God is a discipline I have let slide.

I'm feeling the hunger pangs again though. I'm curious. I want to feel that closeness again. I want to talk to Him. I want to learn again. There is hope.




*All photos courtesy of flickr.com

Until Next Time,

Jackie

Backyard Tales...

Most mornings I wake up an hour or two before anyone else in my house crawls out of their warm and comfy beds. It is my quiet time. I usually spend this time outside on my deck or on the patio beneath my deck. My preference is the patio because it’s more secluded and I’m closer to my gardens where I can gaze at their beauty. However, what usually happens is that I spot a weed and then I lose all track of time and start a weed pulling fest that ends with me covered in dirt and running to the shower to make it to work on time. What I’ve discovered this year, more than any other, is that my quiet time is not quiet and I’m not alone out there in my backyard. So...the Backyard Tales begin today...

A few days ago, early in the morning, I was sitting outside on the patio in my comfy, but cheap, plastic resin chair. It’s a cute chair. I had pulled another chair around to prop my feet on. I was getting ready to dig into my bible study, my coffee was steaming and the yard was quiet for that time of the morning. I had started to read but something caught my eye and when I looked down I was greeted by a dinner plate sized turtle who had come from the Hostas to say hello. I guess I looked friendly enough because he walked up to me, stopped near the chair and then we chatted for awhile. When he had had enough of my rambling he turned around and went back into the Hosta forest. It was an unusual experience for my backyard and my new friend hasn’t been seen since that day. He seemed like a nice enough turtle but he did have a little tail so his friendliness could have all been a ruse to get me to pet him so he could snap my finger off. It’s just as well...he hasn’t made an appearance again...he may have moved on to another yard...or... has he? Let’s just say I’m a little more cautious during my weed pulling expeditions now than I have been in the past.

**Top Photo - the front facing view from the plastic resin chair. No backyard photo is complete without a duck floatie in the middle of the yard

**Bottom Photo - The hosta forest where the turtle may or may not live.

Until Next Time...

Jackie

June Chit Chat

After a cool and stormy morning the sun is shining again and it's warming up. Summer has almost officially begun in our world. The kids are out of school this week, the pools are mostly open and we've grilled several times already. We've replaced our jeans and jackets for capri's, shorts and sandals and the kids have been spending more time outside than inside.

Besides work, gardening and kids activities I have been spending my free time reading and watching movies. I have watched more movies in the last few weeks than I have in the last year. I have discovered on Netflix that I can play movies on my computer. I've been watching movies while I cook, do laundry and even at work one day when I was putting together a rather boring mailing...shhh...don't tell anyone. The most recent movie I watched was The Answer Man. It was cute and just what I needed...an enjoyable and easy to watch movie.



I've also been reading fun novels. What I'm reading right now is The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews. I'm always drawn to southern fiction and fiction based around home renovation. Go figure...that's what I enjoy the most too...doing stuff around my house. So, this book fits the bill.


I've been writing...just not on this blog much...not much to report...just that I'm doing it and enjoying writing for myself again.

Oh and the gardening is going really well. I have a little helper this year. Kyler, my 4-year old, follows me around as I'm doing all my little garden chores and wants to help with everything. He has planted a lot of seeds and plants, pulled weeds and even helped me with a major flower bed renovation this past weekend. He is quite the little guy and I'm thrilled that he wants to spend time with me in the garden.

And Kobe is almost finished with 3rd grade. For the first time since he started kindergarten I am happy the end of the year is here. We all are!! He is loving spending time with all his neighborhood friends and I love watching them form their clubs, make plans and all the projects they come up with.

My plan for this summer is to worry less about the unfinished projects and spend more time relaxing and having fun. I look forward to catching up with all of you to find out what your summer plans are.

Until Next Time...
Jackie