Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Stinky Pirates

My daughter was singing in the SUV the other day. I love it when kids are at that stage when they sing everything and freely improvise as needed! The Psalms are full of the call to make a joyful noise and she is smack in the middle of a time in her life when noise is like breathing to her. The joyful part also comes pretty naturally, although there are times when we must work at it a little! In song, she worships with abandon, sings lullabies with tenderness, and gets silly with gusto. Her latest was a bit of a combination of the latter two. She was sweetly singing to her baby, wrapped tenderly in her arms. "What can you do with a stinky pirate? What can you do with a stinky pirate? What can you do with a stinky pirate? Put her off to bed..." :0)

Enjoy your day and remember to make a joyful noise today!

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Mother's Day

Happy Day to all the mothers out there and especially to my own! I have been thinking that there are so many things that I do on a daily basis that I learned from my mom. She taught me how to pack a lunch, complete with the occasional hand-written note on the napkin. She taught me how to lay a cool, wet washcloth on a forehead that is hot and hurting. She taught me to cut these cute little leaf-like lines in the top of my pies to vent them. She taught me to give hugs and kisses with bandaids and hold hands for no reason (there is a reason, though; it's to convey love and comfort). She taught me to send treats for class parties, to go on field trips, to send in gifts for teachers on all sorts of occasions. She taught me to include the kids in taking care of others, especially for no reason other than that God has laid them on our hearts. She taught me how to fold sheets, even the fitted ones and to fold towels and to turn socks into each other to keep them together. She taught me to say please and thank you and excuse me. She taught me to be kind, let others go first, and to be thankful for what I have. She taught me to lick the spoon, take an extra spoonful of cookie dough, and cut my sandwiches on the diagonal. She taught me how to sew a straight seam (which means I can make curtains) and wield a hammer and a screwdriver (which means I can fix stuff even without duct tape). She taught me to take a hostess gift when I am a guest and put fresh flowers in the room of my guests. In so many ways, she taught me how to be a grown-up, responsible woman who serves others. She taught me to give and receive love. Thanks, mom, for so many things. I love you!