Lesson from a Child

Firstborn wanted to pray outloud at breakfast this morning.
I couldn't help but look his way while heads were bowed,
for his young voice sounded as if he was going to cry.

Morning light rested on his head,

dew fell from his eyes.

He is five and prays for the people in Haiti.

The Wall

There used to be a small open space,

window, door, and light.

And then, during renovation, a wall went up.

It was necessary.

It was bare.

It blocked memories of how things used to be.

But things aren't as they once were.

Enough time has passed and

the wall has now become part of home.

This is the scenic mural that I wallpapered last week on The Wall.

On Her Day Off

Several years ago I wrote part of a poem for my sister:

There was a time not so long ago

when you and I shared a room, a common space

for the both of us to sleep and to play.

It was our room, last door on the right

at the end of the hall.

Half of it was distinctly yours, and half distinctly mine-

though all of it Ours.

My half of the room was decent, while her half would pass the white glove test! So, yesterday when she had the day off work and decided to come restore order to my study, (which was previously a kitchen) I was so very glad. Now, if only it would stay that way...

***I found the poem in a stack of papers yesterday while we were working together.

During the cold days of January...

We dig holes for the blueberry patch.

Sixty-two of them, in fact.

Four varieties of rabbit-eye,

each three to four years old.

Powder-blue, Climax, Britewell and Premier-

each find a welcome peat-moss bed in which to rest.

We also bust the ice so that our animals can drink...

LORD, may our lives be filled with living,
even during the coldest of days.

Keeping Warm

It's quite cold here this evening. I've kept the fire going in the woodstove all day, and Andy will probably keep it going through the night. The boys and I started back on our "school" routine, now that the holidays have passed. My mom gave us several old school desks that she picked up from someone she knows, so the playroom is becoming a classroom too. The boys do seem to enjoy having their own desks- their own work space. I've put one coat of colonial red paint on them already, but will finish them up later this week.

For those who have never been to our home, you must know...I am very fond of antique/flea markets and old-stuff that nobody wants anymore. Not junk. No. No. But furniture with good lines and potential. I'll try to take some pictures of my recent finds and post for you to see. Until then, we'll be keeping warm, reading stories by the fire and watching Sweet Pea learn to walk.