And It's Monday....Again

Which makes it sound like I'm whining, I'm not really.  I'm grateful to be part of the circle of life that goes on & on, round & round.  (And I couldn't think of another fitting title for the post.  These are always just my thoughts that don't fit any sort of category or pattern, my quasi journal.)

Yesterday in church we sang "The Star Spangled Banner" - a song I truly love.  And I was somewhat ashamed...I only know all the words to the first verse - and bits and pieces of the other two verses. The reason for my discomfort:  all around me were kids (of all ages), singing right along, using no books and they had all three verses memorized!  I should be ashamed.

Noticed a sister at church with an oh-so-cute skirt on.  Would have been even cuter had she remembered to remove the temporary stitching at the bottom of the kickpleat.  (That's kind of like a guy forgetting to take the tag off the sleeve of his sport jacket.) I've seen that quite a bit recently.  Maybe skirts should come with instructions.

Hollyhock among the weeds.

Woke up at oh-dawn-o'clock this morning - hit the trail and thoroughly enjoyed the fact that a half-hour earlier the trail is even less busy.  Didn't even turn on my iPod until the halfway mark - I so love watching the world wake.  Saw this lone hollyhock - so pretty all by itself among the weeds.

I rarely feel comfortable - like I "fit" anywhere.  Mostly feel like an outsider - like I don't quite belong. Generally, in my mind that equates to the despised weed among the flowers.  Decided, looking at that lovely flower in the weeds that I should think of myself more like a different kind of flower in the garden.  One that's needed for contrast, color and variety.  Adding to the loveliness of the whole.

Yes, I'll work on that.... My head pretty much agrees, my heart (and emotions) are a harder sell.

Collectively about 15 pounds.

And received a pseudo-stern look from The Husband.  He finds it contradictory that the woman (that would be me) who gets up early most mornings to walk 5 miles for fun refuses to make more than one trip to bring in the groceries no matter how many grocery bags there are. (I think the record is 5 bags; these bags are sturdy and hold a lot so they're quite heavy.) I say it's part of my overall plan to include weights in my daily exercise (but really, it's laziness).

Today I'm finding myself grateful for people who react with a smile when I run into them when out and about.  There's that kindness thing again.

They've Fledged!

Our nest....empty.

Enjoying a rare sleep-late-until-the-sun-really-wakes-me-up this morning, I was certain I was hearing baby robin cheeping.  Multiple trips to the window to peer out at the yard yielded no sightings.  After trekking out to the tree and capturing this shot of the empty nest we decided to keep an eye on the momma robin.  She kept flitting around the yard, with her beak full of food.

Our quiet observation finally found the baby sitting in our tri-color beech (and yes the beech is really that lovely pink color).  It nestled there on the branch near the trunk for a couple hours.  Too cute.

Right in the center, with the sun on it's beak.

I was also informed of the nest in the cedar in the front yard.  Way too high off the ground for us to see much - but we have watched the momma taking food to the babies there.  What fun it has been to witness this small miracle.

Our son was riding his bike to work this morning.  An ignored stop sign proved to be nearly disastrous for him.  The stop-sign-ignorer hit his bike a glancing blow.  Those behemoth SUV's can cause some damage. Had he been riding the bike a bit faster he'd have been tossed sky-high.  As it is, he's still around and healthy enough to be angry at all that transpired.  The scofflaw:  she works for the police department as a dispatcher.  She should be ashamed.

The day was full.  The Husband has worked in the yard, worked in his office, worked at relaxing a bit at the movie and worked to help me in my endeavors.  He's definitely one of the good guys. (Although I teased him as we walked into Home Depot:  "most people take a list."  He took the actual items  - the spark plug from the John Deere, the oil filter package from the John Deere, the floodlight bulb...he must think it's way more fun than a list.)

Today I'm grateful for those angels that protected our son.  For the unexpected gift of some lovely fresh flowers, for an impromptu visit by a friend, for fresh warm popcorn and for clean sheets on our bed.  It has been a pretty decent day.

Where Has The Week Gone?

I thought perhaps I might wait to post here until I had something meaningful to say.  I waited for inspiration. None came and I got caught up in the day-to-day living that comprises much of our earthly existence.

I've spent a fair amount of time at home this week. Doing the usual, and finding some measure of gratitude in the blessing of this life.

I wish I could express what the early morning sun does for my soul.  No other time of day has quite the same beauty as the sun streaming through the trees.  My phone camera doesn't quite capture the essence of the lovely morning, but I feel it - a combination of reverence and joy for a new day and all its possibilities.  Where will the day lead?

Yesterday found me at lunch with a couple long-time dearies who mean much to me.  Who knew a 4 hour lunch could feel like minutes?  Today we were treated to lunch by some neighbors/friends in celebration of The Husband's birthday.  Even when I think my world is small it seems delightfully peopled with tender souls who look out for others.

This morning I was loaned a book - a compilation of talks from BYU Women's Conference 2012. How grateful I am for words and language and the concepts they can express, the pictures they paint and the feelings they evoke.

One chapter spoke about intentional parenting.  I love that concept of intention.  I'm thinking that might be another new favorite adjective / word.  Intentional.

Tomorrow I shall plan to be intentionally aware; which awareness will lead me to intentional gratitude. And there isn't a day out there that can't begin with hope.  Intentional hope seems magnified somehow.

Almost Too Big

The baby robins are almost too big for the nest.  I imagine it won't be too long now and they'll be gone. The all-knowing internet tells me it's about 12-14 days to fledge. Then another 2-3 weeks learning to find food and fly, then they'll be gone.  It has been such a life-affirming thing to watch them.