Super Moon

Due to cloud cover, we were not able to see the super moon at its biggest. However, once the clouds cleared out, we were able to spot it. My favorite part was getting Max out of bed and walking up our dark street to a spot where the tress were not in the way of the view.
The pictures are not 100% focused, but I did have to zoom it a lot to get these pics. I was actually pretty amazed I was able to zoom in as far as I did. I used to gaze at the moon as a teenager with my brother's Russian military binoculars while sitting our the balcony in Vienna. Last night became a special memory for me to be looking at the moon with Maxi. (He liked it, but he was a little scared being outside in the dark, sitting in the middle of the road.) I hope we have some more chances to look up at the sky and see how awesome, majestic and creative God is.

When Gigi and PopPop Come for a Visit

 Turning PopPop's hair red with their headlamps.

 Time with Gigi.

Here comes trouble.

FREEDOM

Ok, more to follow later when I have time to reflect and gather my thoughts, but for now:

 I just paid off my student loan! 

Oh freedom, how sweet you are!!!

Oh, To Be Faithful

Oh, to be faithful
when I awake and greet his mercies fresh with dew.

Oh, to be faithful
when they awake and need so much.

Oh, to be faithful
when I would rather curl up and read.

Oh, to be faithful
and be present instead of escape.

Oh, to be faithful
and do the same work again and again.

Oh, to be faithful
when I am tired.

Oh, to be faithful
when I am spent.

Oh, to be faithful
and receive his mercies.

Oh, to be faithful
day in and day out
in the small and in the big
with energy and without
when sad and when happy,

Lord, that is my prayer.

The Blessing of Childhood

Keeping house has been a struggle as of late. A busy schedule and a two-year-old, who likes to dump things out (including a brand new bottle of baby soap), have made my house a perfect candidate for a dramatic before and after shot. Luckily, my tw0-year-old is beyond cute, and baptized me in a wonderfully slobbery kiss tonight. As I squatted there in the kitchen, letting the softness of his kiss linger on my lips, I couldn't help but notice the toys of childhood left on the dining room floor: a dump truck, a ball, a top. And for a second I envisioned them gone, and a beautifully tidy dining room without all of the crumbs. And though I know that I will never miss the crumbs, I do know that one day I will miss the toys, for they will not always be there. Over the years they will probably morph into ipods (or whatever we will then be using to listen to music), skateboards and car keys And then one day they will be gone. So on those days when I am stressed because my house seems to be crashing down on me, I'm going to try to stop and thank God for the incredible blessing of childhood under my roof, and hope that it lingers longer than the soft kiss now gone.

The Morning that Changed History

OPEN.

EMPTY.

NEW. ALIVE.

KING.

The Jesus Candle

Having preschoolers makes you creative. How do you make something as brutal as Easter something that little people can contemplate? I saw an idea of a Grace Garden here, but I simply lacked the time to make that a reality. Yet, as Holy Week drew near, I was still looking for an idea, and I knew I wanted a candle to play a part of it.

So this morning, I took an off-white and broken candle. I explained to Max, that it is our Jesus Candle. It is broken because today we are remembering how Jesus was beaten, spit on and laughed at. We lit it, put it on a candle stick, and raised it onto the mantle.

My goal was to have a visual for the boys, but as it turns out, some of the simplest things are the most powerful. You see, that candle representing Jesus hanging on the cross today burned on as we had a little Easter egg hunt. It burned on as we ate lunch and remembered that at noon, everything went dark. It burned on as I read to my boys before their nap.
It burned on with wax flowing down its side as I lost my temper.
(I might as well could have been one of the mockers at the foot of the cross.)
Every time I looked to the candle, the flame steadfastly flickered on and the candle got smaller and smaller.
He hung for such a long time.

And then at the right time, the candle was extinguished.
The light was gone.

Max wrapped the candle in a white hanky (one that has know many tears).

We put it in a tomb, next to our Hydrangea bush, and left.

Darkness.