Take time for Beauty

 I'm trying to heed this advice. Sometimes it's easy, like when you're at Longwood Gardens enjoying a boy date, or when you're swimming on a warm summer day in a swimsuit you feel confident in, or when you're painting your toenails a happy color in the still of the evening. When the kids are getting along, laughing with each other.

But let's be honest. Most of the time, it's hard. Really hard.

There's always something along the lines of WORK and CHORES and TO-DO LIST and CRYING BABIES and that seems to get in the way of taking time to enjoy the beauty of creation.
The beauty, true beauty, of childhood.
The beauty of friendship.
The beauty of family ties.
The beauty of solace.
The beauty of music.
The beauty of silence.

Tonight as I was picking flowers in the last minutes of light, I was amazed at the precision with which flowers bloom. These particular flowers in this vase always bloom at the end of June. I always know that I'll have lilies and snapdragons and russian sage to gather together to make my eyes and heart happy at this time of year. Timing. Colors. Seeds. Water. Soil. Sunshine. God makes them all work together so that I can have this vase of these flowers at this time every summer. BEAUTY.

Right before this I was reading my boys a story and swiveled around in our rocking chair to look outside at the sunset behind the church up the hill. At first it was barely pink. Then after we read a short book we looked again and the sky was deep rose. Luke's questions are endless. But in that moment I tried to turn his heart toward our Beautiful Creator, who loves to paint pictures every night before he puts his children to bed. He asked if I could leave the curtain open so he could watch the rest of the sunset before he goes to sleep. BEAUTY.

And last night, something inside me needed to have some piano time. So I sat down (it has been months). As tired as I was, I played some piano for a half hour at 10 pm. A Bach Goldberg variation, some Amelie' soundtrack stuff, a Chopin nocturne. A hymn. The house was peaceful, and my heart was being refreshed with melodies. BEAUTY.

Somewhere in between childhood and adulthood we start to change...we start laughing less, smiling less, and reveling in pure beauty less. Of course work and responsibility and opened eyes to the evils in this world may have a little to do with that, but what's the point if we, overcome by adulthood duty, forget to acknowledge the simple beauties surrounding us every day...the beauties that make our duties bearable?

If I may, here's a quote that I wrote down years ago, after reading A Severe Mercy by C.S. Lewis...He perfectly describes how beauty can sneak up on us and take us by surprise. I love this:

"He remembered, as though it were but a few days ago that winter night, himself too young even to know the meaning of beauty, when he had looked up at a delicate tracery of bare black branches against the icy glittering stars: suddenly something that was, all at once, pain and longing and adoring had welled up in him, almost choking him. He had wanted to tell someone, but had no words, inarticulate in the pain and glory. That nameless something that had stopped his heart was Beauty. Even now, for him, 'bare branches against the stars' was a synonym for beauty."

Take time today to stop. Look. Listen. And give thanks for the Beauty you behold.

In this moment...

5:47 pm. At this very moment, there is peace in my home.

Luke is playing happily upstairs,

Kelly is driving a car,

Evan is amusing himself with Kelly driving her car.

Is there mess in my home? Yes.

Did I get to the bathrooms today? You guess.

Is dinner on the table? Or even thought about? Nopey.

But I'm going to revel in this moment. Look at my children in awe.

This peace will not last an hour, or possibly even ten minutes, but it's moments like these that God comforts my heart that sometimes, those blessed sometimes, parenting IS do-able. Parenting IS awesome. And there are disastrously too many people in this world without these moments of peace.

Even though at times the chaos seems Everest-like, the glimpses of the View keep us going.

O God, I thank you for this moment!

Our very own Mini Driver!!

Is it wrong to be this excited over a minivan??!! For goodness sakes, it's the sign of old age to a teenager, and official 'uncoolness' to a typical 20 year old male, but hey, we have 3 kids and were feeling quite cramped in our fabulous Subaru...so now I'm going to go 'whoop-dee-doo' in my new (ok, 2010, but new to me!) Honda!

Luke went with me to buy it- which was a little bit more than he bargained for if you can see his face...haha! Apparently used vans like this come much cheaper outside big cities...found a great deal west of D.C. and spent 10 hours of my life to save a lot of bucks. And my dear father spent 10 hours of HIS life to help us attain such luxury. Thanks Dad!

And thanks to my awesome hubby who, as any other hunk-man in the world, would rather not spend his money on a wine colored minivan, but out of the kindness of his heart gave me permission to get my very own mom-mobile! I really do feel like a queen with my princes and princess in tow!

And my mom just happened to find this quote from somewhere written decades ago as she was going through some old papers and literally gave it to me the day before we found/bought Miss Mini (as Luke has lovingly coined her). I thought it particularly fitting:

Mothers: How to keep them running smoothly:
Perhaps Mothers should come with a maintenance agreement which provides for a complete overhaul every five years, three kids, or 300,000 miles, whichever comes first. Here are several points which ought to be included: 
1. Fuel: While most Mothers will run indefinitely on hot coffee, pizza, and hamburgers, an occasional gourmet meal for two in elegant surroundings will add immeasurably to increased efficiency. 

2. Motor: A Mother's motor is probably the most dependable anywhere. A Mother can start and reach top speed from a prone position at a single cry from a sleeping child. To keep that motor running at peak efficiency, regular breaks are recommended. A leisurely bath and nap every 1,000 miles, a babysitter every 10,000 miles, and a two-week, live-in babysitter every 100,000 miles will do wonders. (Wouldn't that last one be a dandy!?)

3. Battery: Batteries should be recharged regularly. Roses, candy, or other thoughtful and unexpected gifts often do the trick. 

4. Carburetor: When a Mother's carburetor floods, it should be treated immediately with Kleenex and a soft shoulder.

5. Breaks: Use brakes often, and slow to a full stop regularly.

6. Chassis: A Mother operates best when her chassis is properly maintained. Her wardrobe should be changed as needed every fall and spring. Regular exercise should be encouraged and provided for. A complete change of hairdo and makeup should be part of the regular maintenance. When the chassis begins to sag, there are a number of possible remedies, including racquetball and Weight Watchers.

7. Tune-up: Mothers need regular tune-us. Compliments are both the cheapest and most appreciated.

By following these simple instructions, the average Mother should last a lifetime providing love and caring to those who need her most.


Cheers and goodnight!