Remarkable Day

Friday is my day off, and during the school year I find myself without children. Usually I stay home and clean the house, do laundry, and all the glamorous stuff that keeps life sane the rest of the week. I always figured when I got caught up on work stuff and home stuff that I would use the day to do something meaningful and fun- just by myself. This week I did it! I loved it. For some reason the uneasiness and impatience to get back my business as usual was completely absent from my day and my experience. For that I am so grateful.

After I did one thing I HAD to do (getting a tire on the car replaced) I headed to the San Antonio Museum of Art. I walked around looking at everything with my own eyes, not through the eyes of someone else or through the lens of what I'm supposed to see or even through the lens of how do I explain this to my kids and help them enjoy this experience. It was just lovely.

There were several things that I enjoyed, I always love the Chihuly piece between the buildings. Colored glass above my head in many shapes and sizes and all reflecting different glints of light. I also loved the painting of the shepherd with his sheep. I don't remember the name, but it says so many things to my soul AND it reminds me of Christmas. The crazy connection is to the music of Handel's Messiah-"All we, like sheep. . ." I think it's funny to say we like sheep- but on the more respectable side we are like sheep, and I'm so glad we have such a Shepherd as our Lord. And I think perhaps the favorite experience was the elevator ride. The elevator is three walls of glass and a mirrored door that lifts through the center of exhibit rooms on all four floors. As you rise in silent glass you observe slices of time as the exhibits are passing by. When I described it to Luke he said,"like a time machine" Yes. A lovely time machine.

And then to finish it off, I went to the museum cafe and sat on the outdoor patio above the river and ate all by my ONE. I felt like a mysterious girl from a book who is perfectly content to find herself with only the company of her thoughts. It's second Spring here in Texas, and I loved the sweet smell of flowering vines along the river. And then I took a picture of myself and sent my gratitude and the photo to my friend and lifelong love to let him know how grateful I was for a lovely day that was afforded by his graciousness and generosity. This would have been enough . . . but there was certainly more to this day which I will save for another post because I'm not sure how to do justice to the lovely things which occurred later that day.

In the pictures below see a certainly wonderful tree. Loved looking through it's branches to the sky. Then there's the dagger I would carry if it was ever necessary. And the last is the shepherd with his sheep.

Little Miss

She meets me out in the garden and giggles, and I know why. She's wearing my shoes. Last week she told me she's been wanting to try on my hoop earrings, and did I mind if she tried? She wore them all afternoon of course waiting til the man of the house was home to see her with the large silver loops on either side of a pair of smiling cheeks.

She still holds my hand, but I can see her reaching for the future . . .

For now she is lovely young. She loves beauty and that is wonderful.

A pan?

Church camp. That's where I heard it. For real - an audible voice. In the midst of a beautiful thing that is a worship service at youth camp, I heard God's voice. I don't remember the song we were singing or the band or who the preacher was, but I remember that the voice said, " April, I have a plan for you." Really not earth shattering news. I mean, doesn't God have a plan for everyone? In my heart I believed that I was called as much as anyone who is a follower of Christ, that I was also a minister of the gospel purely by the fact that I've been grafted into the holy priesthood and all that good stuff. So I figured the best in store for me was to be Christ to others as I went and as for an official calling . . . well we'd see.

Years later, I'm wondering if my calling is just to be a mom and a wife - which i really do well - if you don't count that laundry over there. Or is there more? I really want to live a life that makes a difference, to have given all I can. Otherwise, what's the point? Is it enough to make an impact in the life of my family and maybe a few friends or is my reach even farther than that?

Not sure. But Jeff, God love him, had an answer for me. Maybe I misheard. Maybe he didn't say plan, maybe it was pan.

reverse card

Okay, I recant requesting a folding machine.  I am grateful that I'm not using a washboard or even better - washing my clothes in the river.  Had a dream about Morocco the other night . . . I saw women carrying their laundry to wash in the river, the river that kinda looked muddy. That was in real life, not the dream.  The dream just reminded me of that.   And even in Europe they hardly have dryers.  So I'm done with that wish, and thankful I can fold the clothes.  

Bah! I still think it would be a cool invention.  After the man to the moon and all that.  

another improvement for my day

Washing machines and dryers are fantastic. Best thing since sliced bread.  They wash and dry our clothes for us in record time.  I love and appreciate the work they do for me.  This year we needed to replace our dryer . . . 12 years of work and all, it was ready to retire.  There were beautiful new models of the dryer and washers, too, but basically the improvements to the older models is very little more than aesthetics, and I'm thinking, instead of wasting time on designing new washing machines and dryers that already do a great job . . . how about a whole nother machine.  That's right, something that takes it to a whole nother level.  What I'd like to see the next time I'm shopping for home appliances is a folding machine.  That would be truly miraculous.  Can I get an Amen?

What would make my day better

Desperately wanting a decent pencil sharpener.  I can't even describe the lame attempts made by my electric pencil sharpener to sharpen pencils.  Please, someone give me a good reccomendation.  This could solve my [children's] academic crisis.  If I can't equip them with excellent tools in usable condition, then all hope is lost . . .

what in the world!

This weekend we were driving through the Texas Hill Country and we came upon a small homemade museum that featured dinosaur tracks. We had to stop and check them out. CRAZY! What in the world! It seems like a fairy tale. It really doesn't seem real. And all I want to know is, "God, why did you make dinosaurs?"