Cultivating...

And I am washing dishes again,

and wiping crumbs from under the baby's chair when I hear it.

He's been tinkering with the tractor for a while

and now the low rumble of old engine can be heard

through an open window over the kitchen sink ...

and gentle wind invites me to come

and leave my work.

I toss the dish rag and go.

I don't want to miss what is going to happen,

what will happen even if I try to ignore it.

It is time.
Time to join in the breaking.

And hardened dirt feels the turning of disks,

the upset of settled ground,

and all the earth heaves and brings to Light

that which was hidden in darkness.

And it is hard, and clumpy, and obviously dirty...

but the children run about full of excitement.

They kick off their boots and socks - run around barefoot,

instinctively knowing that breaking is holy work.

And my heart, made of dirt, full of dirt,

knows why I have been invited to come... and be here...to toss aside my filthy rags and let the wheels of His throne come near enough to break me again...

and it is a vulnerable place to be,

but I know:

This is where the cultivating of a life God desires begins.

"The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God."

Psalm 51:17 (New Living Translation)

New work in our garden continues ...

and I silently pray

that His Word may find good soil in which to grow.

Grace to you,

Afternoon

There are a few things in life

that are gone before you know it...

bubbles,

popsicles,

and childhood.

Grace to you,

Gratitude List

"Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul."

~Henry Ward Beecher

6. little Boys finding forgotten carrots

7. taste of crisp carrots rinsed under water hose

8. listening to Joseph sing about how much he likes carrots

9. catching up escaped equine animals

with a bucket of feed dangling out of car window

10. wisps of baby-girl's hair, growing longer everyday

11. snacktime on the porch steps

12. Andy's lower back getting better

13. boys playing in creek with GI JOE toys and boats

14. washing the 4-wheeler after accidentally getting it stuck down by the creek

15. time together on Saturday

Grace to you,

Gratitide List

They protrude like tiny yellow trumpets

along the road and through the woods,

announcing Holy Week.

Every spring they emerge randomly

among the briars and draping over

the tops of dead-looking trees...

...And so begins my gratitude list.

1. Yellow trumpets silently reminding me

that the He has come and will come again.

2.Laughter of little boys as they chase each other in clover.

3. Actually finding a four-leaf clover!!

4.Buzzing of bumblebee wings.

5. All the work Andy put into helping start my little blueberry patch!

Grace to you,

Good Friday

Pictures from Subiaco Abbey ...

and a vivid reminder of

what Good Friday first looked like,

from Ann at holy experience....

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2010/04/on-road-to-calvary.html

Grace to you,