Marvel

It was a lovely day. 

Normal, but lovely because sometimes I forget to appreciate how priceless
normal really is.

I drank tea with creamy coconut milk in it, tackled all the regular daily routine,
settled a few ridiculous disputes reminding - always reminding -  those silly kids
how much they love each other.  O' how I strove to utter sweet life-giving words,
to listen, to see with prudent eyes our heart conditions.
Sheepish grins, hugs, forgivenesses exchanged fellowship restored. 
That was the theme all day. Over and over. 
My accomplishment?
Surviving the moments with grace and modeling joy.  Hard tasks requiring purpose.

This evening I was all ramped up to blog.  A zillion thoughts rattle around in my head,
and I have almost that many photos to upload as well. 

Instead I peruse a couple other blogs and find my flame smothered by all the great
things other women are doing - feeding their families nothing but the finest organic,
detoxifying their homes of chemicals, cloth diapering, dressing with stylish feminity,
exercising their motherly bodies into slender health, giving their children music lessons,
ballet, soccer... creating artwork, renovating and redecoration their homes, sewing
beautiful clothes.

In fairness, I blog.  I know that what you see here is only a piece of the puzzle;
only a tiny glimpse of color on the canvas that is the larger picture - my life.
I am more complex than the few sporadic posts I enter. I have a lot of ideas
and I'm not afraid to blab on about them.  Many have been tortured so, and I have
chosen not to use this venue for that purpose.  Call me.  Join me for coffee; mine always
gets cold before I finish it, but the caffeine primes a pump of endless possibilities :-)

I am also every bit as simple as I look.  Maybe more so.
As much as I love all the wonderful, beautiful, lovely and noble things I see happening in
lives around me, and while I slowly strive to raise the bar in every venture I see value...
I am most passionate about what is eternal.
It's seeing the hand of God in my life.  His imprint  stirs my soul in a thousand ways most
people miss because they just forget to look. 
He loved me first; I can see it every day.   I love Him back.  That's enough.

I will not be sidetracked by what is good.  A good cause, endeavor, purpose...
I will keep my eyes fastened on the parts that meet me (that sometimes broadside me)
one moment at a time - interactions with my children, my beloved, my siblings,
my friends and strangers - and make it my life goal to glorify Him in those moments.

What you see here has been, and will continue to be a celebration of His love and mercy
toward me, and what you get when you enter this blog is a taste of the way I thank Him
in return.

Hence the photo I honed in on tonight which seems to express my sentiment best.
All I have to do is stand back a pace, look at my favorite people,
see His abundant love peering back at me through these bright eyes,
and I marvel.