Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

happy things

5 on Friday: Happy things

It’s been a week battling fear and anxiety over mice in our house mixed with overall glum because it snowed–snowed!–after the official start of spring.

But that doesn’t mean it’s been all bad. I need the reminder, myself, that there is a lot of good about life.

Here are five happy things about the past few weeks.

1. Our daughter turned 6 and is reading books on her own. As book lovers, my husband and I couldn’t be more proud of this development. Also, she discovered a girls’ devotional on our bookshelves, something we picked up years ago at a book sale for “someday.” Well, someday is here. It’s aimed at ages 6 to 10, so I promised her we could start near her birthday. We’ve been reading one of the passages each night (most nights) and it makes me happy that she wants to read it and the passages from the Bible. It’s also given us some practical ways to incorporate our faith into action.

crocus in bloom

2. 60-degree-Saturdays in the park. Last weekend we had the most beautiful day of the year. The kids and I walked to the park where we saw flowers blooming and ducks swimming and felt the sunshine on our faces. It was a glorious reminder of what I wait for all winter. The chance to be outside, walk and experience nature. I’m hoping we can do this once a week, if the weather cooperates.

3. Silent Sunday. Our church last week had a service I’ve never before experienced. It wasn’t completely silent, but we spent much of the time personally reflecting on Scripture and with a variety of prompts at tables in the fellowship hall. It was a time to cut out distractions and let God speak. And as much as I like music and hearing teaching, I crave time to sit with things and consider and allow God a voice. That’s hard with two kids and a busy life, so I’m grateful for the chance to do something different at church and make space for this.

4. Cooking together. I was sick again late last week. A spring cold, I guess, on the heels of a late-winter sinus thing. I had a week in-between where I felt healthy. When that happens, I tend to give up meal planning and become stumped about what to fix for dinner. A couple of nights last weekend my husband was home and available to cook. He’s a master at taking our leftovers or random ingredients and creating something delicious. One night, the four of us were all in the kitchen together helping put dinner together. Sometimes I like to be alone with the cooking process, especially after a long day of keeping up with the kids. But that night, it was a joy to all be working together.

5. Songs on repeat. I’m not normally a fan of listening to the same songs or CDs repeatedly, but ever since we took our kids to a Jason Gray concert at the beginning of the month, they’ve been wanting to listen to his new album in the car every time we’re in the car. We’ve listened to the songs so much they’ve started singing along to most of them, not just their two favorite ones. (This is one of them.) It makes me smile to hear them sing about truths and experiences they don’t know much about yet, and it reminds me that having faith like a child is not complicated, even though we want to make it that way.

Saturday smiles: Life is messy edition

Phil and I like to watch Food Network, especially the competition shows. We’re currently catching up on Next Food Network Star. Last night, I had a dream that Bobby Flay asked us to host a cooking show on the network.

I wish.

Well, not really. Because the two of us don’t really have a culinary point of view, as the network execs like to say. Really, the only thing that defines our cooking is that we’re sure to make a mess of the kitchen. And generally, we turn out something tasty. Maybe even a little unusual. I always say, we’re the messy chefs.

In reality, life is messy. We intend to reflect that in our ministry and in our lives. We aren’t afraid to get our hands dirty with other people’s messes because, let me tell you, we’ve had plenty of our own.

This week, though, we took “messy” literally.

The kids are almost two weeks into their summer reading program, which is all about night-themed stuff. So, for one of their projects, we cut stars out of construction paper and decorated them with glitter. I didn’t even remember that I had glitter until we started planning this project.

I learned one thing about glitter: It doesn’t matter how careful you are not to make a mess, you’re going to walk away covered in the stuff. We’re still finding glitter on our faces, our feet and our arms and legs.

Most importantly, we had fun. And the kids got to work with a new art supply. And their stars (not pictured) are on display at the library for the duration of the summer. Totally worth the path of glitter trailing from our house to the library.

Corban really liked shaking the glitter canister, which accounted for most of the mess. I tried to save as much of the excess as I could, but my efforts had only partial success. We don’t have an art supply budget in our house (or a craft room — sigh) so we’ll make do.

Most of the rest of the week was unbearably hot. With our future uncertain, Phil and I made the decision to not bring the air conditioner down from the attic. (Because it’s heavy and a beast and an electricity guzzler … no offense to the dear friends who have loaned it to us!) We did put the kids’ air conditioner in so they could sleep comfortably. (Underneath layers of blankets. In 90-degree heat. On the first day of summer. Sometimes I wonder if these are really my children.)

So, when we got a short system of rain, Phil and the kids took advantage of the temporary relief.

Like a mama with ducklings. They were in search of a puddle.

I’m not sure anything makes me happier than this picture right here.

Innocence, joy and the trademark tongue all rolled into one. Although this child is often the source of my frustration (because she needs people all the time and I don’t), she is also the source of many giggles. Take this conversation, for instance:

Daughter: “Mom, will my name still be ‘Izzy’ when I grow up?

Mom: “It will be whatever you want it to be. You could go by Isabelle, Izzy, Belle …”

Daughter: “Or Cinderella, or Cindy, or cup.”

Mom bursts out laughing and forgets the rest of the conversation.

Our son, also, has his moments of favor. We are more alike temperamentally, so it takes a lot more from him to cause me frustration. One of my favorite things lately is when he comes into the bedroom just after I’ve gotten dressed for the day and says, “Oh, you look pwetty.” (Is your heart melting? Mine has. Numerous times.)

This time next week, our kids will be out of our hands for almost a week and in the more-than-capable hands of their grandparents. I look forward to the relief but know I’ll be a basket-case the whole way home after we make our exchange.

I mean, really. How could I not miss this:

Life is messy. Parenting is hard. And this moment was one highlight among a lot of lowlights this week. But I’ve decided I’ll endure the lows, though they be frequent, if it means I get to experience the highs, though they be rare.

Happy weekend!

And if you see my dad, wish him a “Happy Birthday!”