Every Day Intentional

Today is the first day of summer. Why do I feel as if it's half over? My calendar is filling fast. There are lots of calendar items over which I have no control. Let's begin with 6 orthodontic appointments and the domino of followups. Nah, let's not. Let's put that off just one more day.

I've spent a significant amount of time lately pondering the living of an inentional life. Someone I love faces every new season and wonders if this one will be her last. And so, we talk about the important things one does with the time she has when she doesn't really know how much of that time there is. We talk often about being intentional. Every day.

But do I know? Can I know if this summer is my last summer? Can I know if tomorrow my whole world will change? Of course not. Only God knows if a child's seventh summer is to be his last summer, if a mother's hot August will predictably melt into a mellow September, if tomorrow will be a sun-dappled day of delight or a gray goodbye. Only God knows.

In hindsight, I can see that last summer was my very last summer with a baby. Sarah Annie is most definitely a little girl. I intend to not dwell on empty arms (my arms are not so often genuinely empty anyway) and to think instead of free hands. Hands to go and do and make those things that truly I could not with a babe in arms. My first summer with free hands.

I promise this did not set out to be a heavy post. It's just an echo of Sarah's thought. Let's not let summer slip through our hands before we've had a chance to consider how glorious they are, each tiny grain of sand that is time. 

Enough pondering. I aspire towards a summer that honors the gift that time really is.

• 1. Take Nicky and Stephen out on a rowboat. Burke Lake. Just the three of us.
• 2. Learn to sew with Katie.
• 3. Knit. A lot.
• 4. Oversee some house renovation and remodeling.
• 5. Read the new version of Educating the Whole-Hearted Child in its entirety. Face the new school year refreshed and re-inspired.
• 6. Visit a yarn shop with a friend I don't see nearly enough.
• 7. Hang out at Bull Run with Linda.
• 8. Walk on the beach with my sister.
• 9. Stand waist high in the pool and let Sarah jump to me. Over and over and over again.
• 10. Host a neighborhood crafternoon.
• 11. Figure out a way to see more of Ginny.
• 12. Take Patrick to get his driver's license. 
• 13. Get Christian registered for college.
• 14. Listen to everyone ten and under read aloud to me, every day.
• 15. Revive our morning walk routine.
• 16. Drink enough water every day. Make sure everyone else does, too.
• 17. Start the day with time alone, knitting and praying.
• 18. Conquer the basement once and for all.
• 19. Make date night happen. Often. Very often.
• 20. Carefully plan lessons for the fall. Share them?
• 21. Watch Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Persuasion, and Sense and Sensibility on afternoons too hot for anything else. And knit (of course).
• 22. Watch The King's Speech with Christian
• 23. Tie Dye tee shirts.
• 24. Write a book.

I'm sure there's more. Katie and Gracie and Karoline have been making a list for days now...

Sometimes Laughter Heals

Ever since The Fr. Corapi Matter became fodder for the blogosphere and Facebook and Twitter, I've avoided it. Really, really avoided it. Not reading comentary, not reading comments on the commentary. I haven't heard his statement, though I've had the gist of it explained to me by a friend who knows why I'm avoiding the whole mess. 

About six years ago, a new (to us) priest rode into town. Over the time he was here, he behaved in a manner unbecoming a priest. Lots of families "experienced" this behavior firsthand. Phrasing things delicately here. It's a long story--one I will never tell publicly--but in the end, an entire community of faith was scandalized. Countless families were hurt. "Ah," you object, "how can you say that? How can you just make those claims? Just throw them out there like that? What proof have you? Maybe he's just a really friendly guy and you misinterpret?"

In this case, the claims proved themselves. He is no longer a Catholic priest. The former choir director is no longer married to the father of her three children. And they are going to be married this summer. You can imagine, if you allow yourself to go there, how the children of this neighborhood do question when Former Father picks Former Choir Director's Children up from school. Those are difficult questions to answer.

The teenaged questions are much, much harder.

And the grown up questions? They will not be answered adequately on this side of heaven. 

There's a whole lot of hurt here in this town. A whole lot. And Fr. Corapi? It just opens  a not-even-close-to-healed wound. 

So when my friend insisted on giving me the quickest version of the story that she could (insiting that I really can't work in the Catholic press and bury my head in the sand--good point), I was very grateful that she closed her little speech with a link to this post.

Matt, Patrick, thank you. I had no idea how much I  needed to laugh. 

You guys get it. You really understand. And you do that guy thing--where you heal very real pain with a little levity.

Good for you.

Good for all of us.

Don't Miss This

That day is forever etched in our memories. But even more, that example is forever etched in our souls. And we are grateful.

Do not miss this reflection on fatherhood.

First Daybook in a Long While

Outside My Window

It's one of those days that can't decide if it wants to rain. At least it's not unbearably hot. I don't really mind the clouds.

I am Listening to

Some sort of jazz mix at Starbuck's. When working in the neighborhood, I much prefer Panera to Starbuck's, but it's mighty crowded at Panera at lunchtime. Need to re-think this time/location thing.

I am Wearing

Poplin shirt, khaki capris. Summer uniform:-)

I am so Grateful for

my husband.

 

I'm Pondering

from Small Steps, June 7~

Think: Just as He gives the gardener the skill to tend rare and delicate plants while fertilizing them Himself, so He wishes to use others in His cultivation of souls.~ St. Therese 

Pray: You are the Master Gardener. Help me to be diligent. Teach me to prune and to weed so that my soul bears abundant fruit for you!

Act: Begin a summer art journal with your children. The night before, set the breakfast table with colored pencils, markers, and watercolors. Surprise each child a new, spiral bound sketchbook. Start by sketching plants in your yard or your newly-planted garden. Set aside time to update your garden journal once a week. Make art journaling part of your your shared experience. You do it too! Vary the media: try collages, doodle-fests, vegetable printing. 

I plan to do this tomorrow morning. I have a half dozen posts on Gentleness, the June Small Steps virtue, all hanging out in my drafts folder. I'm finding it difficult to write about gentleness without sinning against gentleness. I've long considered myself pretty gentle--and I think I am, with children--but my struggle to write on this month's virtue has me re-examining my own lack of mastery. Anyway, that's what I'm pondering, for what it's worth....

I am Reading

Seams to Me. Again. This time, I'm reading every.single.word. I'm taking notes and I'm making lists and I'm seriously considering a new sewing machine. 

10 Habits of Happy Mothers. Good stuff here. Really good stuff. I love to talk about books like this with my friend Linda, in particular. I'm reading this one and she's currently reading The Blessing of a B Minus. She's pretty sure I need the B- book. I'm pretty sure she needs the Meg Meeker book. No doubt we'll trade before the summer's finished.

I am Thinking

about asking some small businesses and Etsy crafters if they'd like to sponsor this blog. Let me know if the thought appeals to you. I'm shooting for the beginning of July...

I am Creating

~A Baby Surprise Jacket (All the knitting is finished and I even went and purchased buttons. But they're not right. If you know good online buttons sources, please do leave a link in the comments.)

~To Eyre shawl. Oh, I so love, love, love the process of knitting this one. The yarn, the pattern, it's all good.

~Some very concrete sewing plans that are the making of a major summer surprise. It all began quite innocently. Sarah announced to the world that she intends to learn to sew. And then she told the world how ridiculously hard that is. I could totally relate. 

I love Sarah. (In real life, as my children are so fond of saying.)

 So, I tried to talk her out of it. I told her I'd teach her to knit. Knitting is better;-). She persuaded me that sewing really did have its merits. In talking it out, I heard myself discovering how truly important it might be to one daughter in particular that I learn to sew with her. And, truth be told, I do agree that sewing rocks. But I've never managed to learn how to sew. So we agreed that we'd learn to knit and to sew. Because we're like that: if doing one is hard, doing two must somehow be easier. 

To that end...

~I'm beginning to create a craft nook. Katie and I have spent significant time looking at craft rooms, sewing rooms, studios and such online. When we moved into this house, we designated a room in the basement as the craft room. And it might one day still be one. But it's got some stirkes against it right now. (Shh, don't tell anyone, but Mike's home office would be just perfect. And, well, he hasn't worked from home for nearly five years now.) Do you have a favorite online dream studio? One like Heather Bailey's? Leave me a link. Katie and I love fodder for dreams.

 

On my iPod

Brad Paisley's new album. And Keith Urban's, too. It's summertime. 

Towards a Real Education

Patrick's report card arrived. Remember how worried I was last fall, when he was suddenly a student at a boarding school, with four days' notice and nothing but homeschooling behind him? He did us proud. I don't remember the exact number, but his GPA was over a 4.0 and his lowest grade was in soccer...

Towards Rhythm and Beauty

The rhythm of this summer reflects my ever-increasing awareness that

: I need time alone.

: my children need enforced times of quiet.

: we all need room and time and materials with which to create.

: summer doesn't mean we take a break from math every day.

: that life is short and every day is to be treasured and lived intentionslly and prayerfully.

To Live the Liturgy...

Back to the liturgy of the hours every day. During Lent, I focused on daily audio Bible. All. the. time. I'm still loving my morning Bible and knitting time, but the rest of the day has found its way back to the cadence of the Church.

I am Hoping and Praying

for Elizabeth deHority. She is constantly on my heart and in my prayers. She needs you now. Please, please pray with me. 

 for my teenagers. Growing up is such hard work.  

for my dear friend Becca as she prepares to bring a new baby into the world. Becca brings a whole new dimension to the word "labor." This is going to be work, no doubt, but she will labor at this most important task with the same grace and dignity and faith as she does every small task of ordinary days. She's just like that. Won't you pray a wee prayer for Becca and that baby girl? Grace. Begging grace.

 In the Garden

Our spring peas were taking over our small garden when it was time to plant tomatoes and basil. I whined a bit aloud, lamenting my lack of raised bed organic space. The Farmer's Wife suggested I stop complaining and plant in pots. I put the tomatoes in the garden and the basil in pots. The basil is thriving. Of course it is. She's a wise one, that Farmer's Wife.

Around the House

The laundry is all caught up. If you have more than three children, you will recognize this event for the rare miracle it is. Go bathing suits!

From the Kitchen 

Big hits lately:

Baked Asparagus Risotto (H/T Elizabeth DeHority) to accompany Chicken Piccata (Patrick is back in the kitchen and cooking delicious meals while cleaning up as he goes. Got to love that about a kid.)

and Father's Day brunch:

Belgian Waffles with fresh blueberries and strawberries. We tried Bisquick's Gluten Free baking mix and found it to be a keeper. Hooray for waffles!

Spinach Frittata. I made this one up as I went along and didn't make notes. Will have to re-create soon.

Grilled Sausages and Grilled Bacon. The meat-eaters in the house declared it all good.

Orange Juice with Pellegrino (known in this house as "Ballerina Juice" because the curly one heard "ballerina" when first we told her about Pellegrino)

One of My Favorite Things

quiet mornings.

A Few Plans for the Week

~the summer revolving door begins to turn. Patrick is bound for Dallas and Mary Beth to the beach with a buddy.

~Farmer's Market on Wednesday to do a photo shoot for the summer issue of Faith and Family.

~art journals

~My Fair Lady on video to get ready for the stage version in July

~swimming with basketball buddies at the pool Christian manages.

Picture thoughts:

  
 

{These are a bit dated. Over Memorial Day weekend, we had soccer in three states. Michael and Nicky headed south to NC with our friend Luke and his dad, Ron. Luke's brother, Jack,  plays with Stephen, so he and his mom and his twin sister spent the weekend in beautiful Poolesville, Maryland with Stephen, our girls, and me. And Mike and Patrick went to NJ. The girls (and Jack and Stephen) managed to have all sorts of fun. We even squeezed in some strawberry picking between games. Strawberry picture from my friend Mindy's iPhone. Soccer stud is Stephen on the farm fields I really love so much.)

{this moment}