The Worth In Words

WORDS.......thinking about words. Thinking about the power they hold.
Imagine a world without them. Sometimes I wish I could retrieve mine.Words that came out wrong,words that should not have been uttered.
Sometimes I am glad I spoke the words I did. Thankful for the Spirit's guiding in tact and letting me bless and encourage someone who needed to hear words. 
I think I forget the power of words until I've been wounded by them.Then again the lack of words can also be hurtful. 
So much power in our words....and our perception of them.

prayer-
May the words I speak this week be from you Lord. Season them with your grace and kindness. Make them rich with the hope found in you. Make my ears deaf to words that would discourage or tear down. May I hear the words that are spoken, and may my heart listen before I respond with words of my own.

began this book recently...don't get a lot of time to read this time of year,but I am finding it to be one of those
that will keep me up at night...
                                                             

                                                                     

still counting gifts abundant...

574-
the scent of lilacs on my bike ride,575-the skies canvas,576-my children,577-being a mother,578-my husband,579-that they love to give gifts,580-trees in blossom,581-visiting greenhouses,582-praying through some tough situations,583-a God who cares about "little things,"584-kids who are diligent with homework,585-my mother,586-selling birdbaths,587-friends who call,588-kids with God-sized dreams,589-baking at night sometimes,590-spontaneity,591-artists of the every day,592-daughter reading Bible at the table in the morning,593-the wedding we were at recently,594-the three reunions we were at the last two days,595-community and all it's facets,596-the way the past defines me,597-the way it doesn't,598-our youth group in our barn watching a movie,599-the strength in numbers sometimes,600-more weddings coming up,601-sunny decks to sit on and visit sister's family,602-other people's excitement,603-freedom to live in peace with our neighbours.

                                    the bleeding heart must be the most vulnerable of all flowers....

A Medley Of May

I wanted to share a few pictures with you....(sorry in advance...there's a few more than I thought...)
I think the month of May is so lovely....
Everything seems to be bursting with energy and froth:)

              rhubarb....love it ,or too sour for you? either way I have to bake something...

the trees are making up for last year...                               

           me and my girls...(Mother's Day)

greenhouses call my name...

                         and charming houses..

             morning sunshine...

          happy sisters...(prom dress purchased:)

Do you like it Mom?Yes, I love it" (and I'm so glad the search is over, and you found the vintage dress you wanted!)

something new for me this year....LAVENDER.... I have been intrigued- so I am excited to see what happens... 

making music....

a bike excursion...

at Niagara On The Lake..

our newly planted corn field receiving a deluge of rain this week....

Much love to you on your weekend...May it be memorable in all the right ways....and for everything else...there's always ice-cream!

A Tale Of Two Sisters

                                                      

Once there was a mother. She had two daughters. She loved them very much.
  

        They were as different as night and day...


                                                         

    But one thing they shared was a bedroom and it was a royal mess!


                                                         

                          
                                                                

This caused their mother many deep sighs when she would venture bravely into their domain.













Their mother recalled a favorite story when these two were little...




Their mother wondered what she could do to motivate her daughters to live more neatly and how to encourage them to use drawers and hangers for intended purposes.


                                  

She considered charts. She considered fines. She considered threats like taking away phone.


                               

She considered dropping the matter, after all when there is so many bigger tragedies and trouble in life a messy room seems rather insignificant.



But than she did what all concerned mothers would do. 
She asked her friends if they've ever had similar issues,and if they did what did they do about it?
She  wrote a blog post about it; and she felt a lot better.

                

A Happy Ending To A Sad Week

                        NEWS FLASH...
Stopping in the midst of a busy day to let  you sweet and caring blogging friends know; that our dog whom was missing for the week is back home safe and sound.
Thank-you so much for your kind comments and prayers. It is truly a humbling privilege to be able to connect this way.

Thank-you Marie, for taking time from your work to call me.

here he is after his rendezvous.....not saying too much and I'm not asking:)
just happy that we get to enjoy his company again and I hope he's fulfilled his wanderlust and is ready to settle down.

I have a feeling we'll all sleep good tonight ( and my daughter's tummy won't hurt:)




Neighbour is not he who I find in my path,but rather 
 he in whose path I place myself, he whom I approach 
       and actively seek. (Gustavo Gutierrez)



 You all feel like my neighbours and I wish you a     happy weekend  xo.

A Sad Week

                         

Sometimes you have to remind yourself that the sun WILL shine again.
Clouds come and go but beauty can be found in the strangest places.

                                     

When we love with all our heart; we hurt with all our heart.
This is our sweet tragedy. So much of life is bittersweet.

                                       

But the birds  sing when  the dawn is still dark. We must too.
For if we don't then sorrow has won.
           

We must hold gently the windswept moments of today.
Whisper close those sentiments you feel.
                                          

Then accept what is, what can not be changed. 
Move forward with dignity and grace, and the knowledge
 of God's amazing love.

Lately the news has been particularly tragic...so many heartbreaking stories...and on a different level here on the home front...we are mourning the loss of our beloved dog Canyon.I talked about him here.
A few days ago he vanished and we don't have a clue at his whereabouts...we are so sad; as we miss his place in our family. Last evening on my bike ride I had to remind myself to look for the beauty and to LOVE
deeply while I can...

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philipians 4:8

Waste Not A Good Example

        a few treasures from my Mother's Day...hope you have some too...                         

                                  

I had a very frugal mother, or should I say resourceful. She knew how to turn a few, bland leftovers, into a delicious meal.
She could take a piece of fabric and sew a dress, that could be adjusted for five girls.
She mended and patched clothing others would have replaced.
I try to emulate this trait in my own way. it might be a slightly different format, but I could never discard the principle of her example.
My mother was an excellent example of knowing how to serve others with joy and unselfishness.
Yesterday at our Mother's Day service at church our speaker encouraged us to never undermine the power of small but mighty deeds and a good example.
He used the story of Timothy and how through the example of his mother and grandmother he went on to be a disciple of Jesus.


Sometimes it is easy to walk the path of regret or feel like effort is a waste of time....and we have nothing that can be used or valued....
  
 this song  talks about the broken and so called wasted parts of life and how Jesus can take it all and make it beautiful.

                                     


The perfect mother is an illusion. It does not exist. I am thankful that in God's eyes  accomplishments and  failures are the same,  and  both can  be turned into  beautiful works of art.


                           

       the card from my youngest....she added Three Things You Should Never Ask Your Mother.....1-say you're bored...(she'll find work for you) 
                           2-say you're hungry...(she'll give you something healthy)
                           3-say you're tired...(she'll say go to bed.)


and when you give her this card she will laugh:)) I love that crazy kid...:)



 I apoologize that this post may sound rather scattered;My mother's amazing example and my glaring imperfections mixed;somehow it came out like this... I guess that is the way love and life are at times...thank-you for grace!
                 
                                         

The Waving Mother

                                     


I am the waving mother,throughout my children's years
I wave here at my lighthouse post.
Smiling through my fears.


For when we begin this vigil; we don't know how the winds will blow
But we are rooted in God's grace
And He helps us to let go.

The waving Mother knows; her children will depart
That learning to let go in love
Is a tender, aching part.

I am the waving mother; on life's sea of endless waves.
Their constant buoyancy, cradles me,
And I learn to be brave.

So as life's waves around me; churn and crash and roll
I can laugh and enjoy life's voyage, because
As I wave, my hand holds the One that's in control.                   

I wrote this today,as it seems so fitting to my life at present...I watched my two oldest daughters leave this morning separately..(one for work,one to a youth event)as I drove my son to his youth event yesterday..we passed my oldest on the road coming home from work...waving seems to be etched into motherhood.....
I'm so thankful to have this opportunity....aren't you?

 
                                            

        (taken last summer...one daughter missing in action:)




        I never thought that you should be rewarded for the 
                   greatest privilege of life.
(Mary Roper Coker on being chosen mother of the year)


joining here... http://mockingbirdhillcottage.com/

Post Card Pithiness

                          

                                                               

Few things in life are quite as special as leafing through a pile of mail... bills,flyer's and junk mail and seeing a bright post card in the midst.

There is just something so heart warming,to know that while on vacation, this dear person took time to let you know they were thinking about you...

A post card seems personal. This is rather ironic when you think about the fact that anyone could have read it, due to the fact it isn't in an envelope. 
Such a simple message but somehow it feels profound....
the flowers are just so beautiful here...tomorrow we are taking the train to Germany...
What is so rare and unique about that?

Could it be that in this fast paced day and age of text messaging, email and face book, we crave personal connections even more?
Is hand writing really going to be a lost art?
Will my children write letters to their children, on Ipads or who knows what by then?
Or will everything come round full circle; and will my grand children be amazed at the fact that you can pick up a telephone and dial a number to actually talk with someone in person??

I can't even imagine how technology will keep on changing....but one thing I know....humanity hasn't changed... people need people...
                   and man will continue to find ways 
        to reach out and connect with one another.



                           



Happy Friday...stand a little taller...reach a little farther....
         gaze a little longer and love a little more.L. M.

Plant A Garden,Nurture A Soul

The other day I planted my vegetable  garden.
 I dug deep, and put down seeds.
The day offered near perfect weather. Sunny and not too windy. No racing against thunder clouds like last year. No small window of time to hurry this sacred opportunity. I had cleared my schedule for this important occasion.

No, I haven't planted everything yet...that would be presumptuous.For even though it feels like summer now, weather is unpredictable, and I've learned it is wise to wait for consistent warmth.
                                                                                                                     

I think it is appropriate that gardening and Mother's day intersect with one another.
For is their anything quite so synonymous with being a mother as gardening?
Both require much surrender to conditions and situations we can not see..
Both require faith beyond our own circumstance to believe that we can plant seeds, but we can not make them grow.

Gardens like children must be nurtured. Neglect is not an option,if we are truly passionate about the results.
Our fortitude will be tested on both fronts.
There really is so little we can control.
But when we live in each wonderful moment...
when we accept that this is a task that requires monumental grit, and resilience much greater than ourselves...
We can bask in the bittersweet journey of having, holding, loving and growing.
We can become stronger and more passionate individuals, as we release and relinquish to whatever the season holds.

                                                                                                    


As I unwound from the rigours of the day...I came across this documentary on gardening.... I'd likely watch it simply for his charming accent:) but I also found it FASCINATING to see the many kinds of gardens and know that
gardening is so much more than boundaries, culture or climate.....
I love what he says at the end of this clip...
Gardens are not about plants as much...they are about people....


The person who plants a garden feels that he has done something good for the world.C D Warner


The home gardener is part scientist,part artist,part philosopher,
part plowman. He modifies the climate around his home. J R Whiting

Sunday Afternoon Reiteration

                     

                         


I am sitting on my porch swing.Behind me I hear the soothing trickle of water from the fountain. I hauled it out of my tool shed this week and set it up. Not only is the ambiance of water pleasant, it also serves as a water bowl for our dog when necessary.
Behind me  I hear the cadence  of children's voices.The girls ate on the trampoline and the boys are at the patio table.The girls high and lilting, while the boys lower voices and raucous laughter sifting through, each decibel seems to say to me how quickly they grow and change from boys to young men.
The horses over by the barn are enjoying the breeze that is blowing through the gate. I watch the tail swish lazily as if it is keeping time to the languid moments.
I am here in the sunshine, my husband prefers the shade. we have always shared amicable differences and that's okay.

I am grateful for Sunday's that bring a break to regular routine, for sweet friends my children have to play with....for barbecues and watermelon and voices all around me, while I close my eyes, my heart sees the beauty....

I wrote this in my mind while I was sitting here yesterday, not wanting to move......
now it is Monday- time to move....full 
laundry hampers, and much else waits 

As Easy As One, Two, Three

I happen to love hearing about new recipes, especially ones that are as fast and easy as this one....

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes...
all you need is....
1 chocolate cake mix,
3 eggs (I used 4 as they were smaller)
2 cups cherry pie filling (same as 1 tin)
Mix all together with hand mixer,and bake as cupcakes.

also here is a salad dressing recipe I've tried...
1/2 cup olive oil,
dollop of mustard ( I use Dijon)
1 tblsp. honey
lemon juice
and poppy seeds
Shake all together.

                                                                     

a pretty salad and a stack of 
bowls....










the right quote for this has to be...

            Life is short,so eat dessert first:)

joining the fun here...http://mockingbirdhillcottage.com/