5-10-15-20...

No. You don't have to do more math.  But you could sing a little. 
Do you remember learning to count by fives? 
And chanting them incessantly? 
I remember loving it... and to this day, I can't count nickels without singing that rhythm.

Fiiiive, tehhhh-en, fif-teen, tweeen-ty....

I wasn't counting nickels today, but it popped into my mind anyway, and I thought I'd share some bits about me... in groups of five.  Just for fun.

Five things in my purse...
5.  Burts Bees Clove chapstick.
5.  a very pretty crossword puzzle book... "easy."
5.  AA batteries... in case my camera runs out!
5.  my out-of-juice ipod.
5.  two chocolate & green starlight mints that I never ate after a beautiful breakfast out with a friend.

Five words that conjure beauty in my mind...
10.  love
10.  grace
10.  dessert
10.  shine
10.  friend

Five silly things that are so... me
15.  jumping in puddles.
15.  really loud laughter.
15.  ice cream earrings.
15.  uncontainable excitement that has my feet leaving the floor.
15.  dessert plates for every holiday & season.

Five lessons I have learned...
20.  be yourself, and let your children be themselves.
20.  when you finally gather the courage to stretch your box, you might find that it gives you the strength to stretch again.
20.  laugh, cry, love... one at a time, or all at once. 
20.  friendships are precious, and time spent sharing your heart is time very well spent.
20.  comfortable is good. necessary. a gift... and so very under-rated.

The picture doesn't have a thing to do with this post... but I thought it might ease the pain of the "counting-by-fives" song that will probably be stuck in your head all day!

{virtual coffee} 13

Hello, Tuesday!
Hello, long lost coffee friends!

Life has been busy.  Good busy, but busy. 
And now that April has arrived, it seems there will be no stopping until the heat of summer sets in!  But I made sure to make the most of my empty winter weekends knowing that this time would come... as it always does. 

If we were really meeting for coffee today, I would probably tell you all about the movie I am so excited to see on Friday!  Born to Be Wild.  (check it out here! )We are making it a big family event and I have had April 8th marked on my calendar for months!  Do you remember the elephants that my kids adopted?  They, and their friends, are the stars of the movie.  And the orangutans.  We will hope to catch a glimpse of Ishanga and Kibo, the parts of our family that still linger in Africa... with our hearts. 

(elephants on the serengeti! not from the movie... but from my very own camera!)

I might also tell you that on the 16th, I am walking for my little friend Kaci-with-the-beautiful-blue-eyes.  I have known her for all of her seven years.  Last year she was diagnosed with Type I diabetes... and this year, friends and family have joined to gether to create Team Kaci... doing what we can to fight for a cure.  If you feel moved to donate, thank you.  (Just click on the Team Kaci link and look for my name.  Or Laura's. Or Cam's.) I will write your name on my shirt and think of you as we march! And if you don't feel called to donate, would you say a little prayer for the event?  Thank you!

If we were really meeting for coffee, I would tell you that I am waiting for report cards to come home this afternoon... and I am excited.  Both of them will be fantastic, and it is a relief.  I always tell them that the letter grades don't matter if they are truly doing their very best work, and I do mean that... but the first letters of the alphabet make me smile the brightest.  And I think that doing well does things for their own hearts... knowing that the hard work does pay off.  For too many years, it didn't.  To me, that hurts the most... working and working and seeing that your best effort just isn't up to par.  But this time we'll head into the fourth quarter with confidence and try to finish strong.

I might ask... how are you decorating for Easter?  Even though I don't have a ton of Easter decorations, I have a hard time deciding what to do.  In the dark of Lent I don't want to throw  up the He is Alive banner... I don't feel quite ready for Easter joy, especially when Good Friday is looming.  But I decided that I couldn't leave up the leperchauns either!  This year I decided on spring... and with spring comes hope.  I feel like it is just-right for right now.  Thank you, Richella. 

I hope you are feeling the fresh breath of spring,
and that you are letting your heart feel the hope... of sunshine, of new life, of Jesus.

waiting for the storm

Miles north, a storm raged, and the weathermen warned it was moving south.  The possibility of hail and tornadoes along with the driving rain and the thunder & lightning loomed over us.  I carried my umbrella and flip flops to and from work. After school programs were canceled.  Eyes on the horizon, we watched the sky... and waited for it to fall.  I was convinced the storm was coming... and clutching my little bits of protection from the rain, I wondered if after 15 years, the New England was working its way out of me.

It was such an unusual day.  The waiting and the wondering; feeling silly to even be preparing, but scared not to be prepared.  I certainly don't spend my life peeking out from the doorway, heart wrapped so tightly in fear that I don't quite live.  No... I live and I love and I splash through life knowing that a storm will come when  it comes,  and that holding onto fear certainly can't stop its coming.  Sickness, loss... anger and disappointment... each a fierce storm of its own.  And each leaves us standing in the path of our life, surrounded by the destruction of dreams, wondering what comes next?

We can fall apart and lay broken... or we can fall apart into the waiting arms of Jesus. 

Even from the rain, an umbrella can be dicey... so likely to be turned inside out or even whipped away in the wind.  But Jesus?  His arms are strong and sure.  He is the One who can calm the storm with His voice.  Whether sheets of rain fall and lightning tears through the sky, or someone dear comes to me with broken dreams or news to scary to comprehend, He covers me with His grace and His love... the way no umbrella can.  In the wind, I lean on Him, and know He will support me until I can stand again on my own.  Never will He leave me, or you,  to twist in the breeze without hope or salvation.  It was the promise He made to me when I cast my life into His arms forever.

And so when April comes... I know He carries me.   
He lifts me up, wipes away the tears, wraps me in His precious arms, and He carries me... until once again I can take hold of His strength and splash in the rain.

And there are more gifts to count... He shows me the beauty in the small and in the ordinary.
One tenth of the way there...


89.  Father, Son & Holy Spirit
90.  the dark, quiet morning moments... standing all alone in His great creation
91.  the way I can be so frustrated and so in love all at the same time.
92.  an i love you from a friend
93.  her sight.
94.  the little square patch that promotes concentration and focus, and gives me an extra 30 seconds with his arms around me
95.  crazy dreams and the laughter that comes in the sharing
96.  doing a favor for a friend
97.  the way he reaches for my hand in the silence
98.  anticipation of a weekend jaunt
99.  cooking inspiration
100.  the urgency to work on a gift for a friend... then finding out how much she needed me.  I love the way God works.

fair play

We could see it from the road even before we arrived. The ferris wheel stood taller than all, reigning over the rest. It is still, and probably will always be, what entices me... what calls me to the fair. That, and the most delicious aromas that cling to the breeze and swirl around your senses. French fries, popcorn, bbq, corndogs, super tacos, spun sugar, elephant ears & deep fried oreos... as if the tiny top of the food pyramid spilled over, no longer able to contain the decadence. Though the sun was still shining, the colorful lights were already spinning and flashing fun, the way only carnival lights can. Even still, the golden light cast by the sun, hanging low in the sky, competed for attention... and for a while won out, hands down.

I came, expecting to watch their faces full of glee as they flew 'round and 'round... but I ended up spinning and flying right along with them.   There isn't anything more fun than being in the laughter instead of watching it... feeling the rush of air in your face, or kicking your legs out into the air as you soar from the heights of the Skyflyer. 

And when, at last, we came 'round to the ferris wheel, Eric gave in and joined us for the ride.  Far below, lights were flashing... and they blurred as the rides were spinning with dizzying speed.  Distant laughter and an occasional giddy scream floated up as we gazed down at the midway... and taking in the view, we were mesmerized.  All too soon, the giant wheel started its descent, and we were delivered back to solid ground... but that beautiful, floating feeling stays with me as we wander, and the night still feels full of magic.

We played. We laughed. We had fun.  

And we had deep fried Oreos.  Delicious!  And only once a year...