Sprinklers and Hoses

In spite of the fact that there are numerous beaches and pools at our disposal, I find it wonderful that we can thoroughly enjoy the wet fun provided by a green water hose and a sprinkler head! What starts out as the simple chore of watering pots of thirsty pink Martha Washington Geraniums quickly becomes an opportunity for cooling off and splashing each other with the icy water from the hose. Our clothes will have to be changed - no big deal. Our feet are muddy - a fun excuse to use the hose one more time. The hot sidewalk smells wet and feels great underfoot - the sun will burn it off all too quickly. The once parched pots are now sufficiently soaked - I can almost hear Mrs. Washington's satisfied sigh. Spontaneity cooled us off, accomplished a task, and gave us some special moments of old-fashioned summer fun. (Now...who is going to put the hose away?)

Most Important Day

I recently saw an ad for a writing contest in which the author was supposed to write about the most important day in her life. I imagine they will recieve hundreds of accounts of wedding days and birthdays. There will, no doubt, be tales from the delivery room as well as the cemetery. Believers would be likely to recount the day they gave their life to Christ or entered the waters of baptism. Perhaps some might remember packing off to college or backpacking across Europe. Does one special day come to your mind as you read?

Allow me recount my most important day.

My poor husband woke to the much-too-early alarm clock at 5:30am. I comfortably rolled over, punching my pillow back into place, and slept for another two hours. Bliss!

By 8:20 the five of us were on the road, breakfast - apples and granola bars - in hand (read, hit the snooze alarm twice) and on our way to Science Camp. Alex and Luke enjoyed three hours in the land of spy stuff and creepy crawlies, respectively, while the Lilliputions and I did our best to be productive - Post Office (where my son screamed every time my daughter tried to take away his naked brown baby), and Sam's Club (where were left a trail of, appropriately, trail mix, in our wake.)

Our mid-day meal was consumed, again, on the road. This time Subway provided what we needed and I am certain lettuce will please my husband even less than French fries on the floor! Here I marvel at the things my boys are learning and doing; taking pictures with pinhole cameras and learning how many eyes spiders have (the same number as they have legs!)

After getting some things done at home, we spend two hours at the beach. The hot, clear day is perfectly suited for this and we swim and splash until we are thoroughly water-logged! Sand now fights sandwich scraps for space in the seats and on the floor of the SUV.

Supper is Five Spice Chinese Chicken, a new recipe, followed by popcorn in front of Anne of Green Gables. I am thrilled that they are loving it every bit as much a s I do! Alex thinks she shouldn't be so sorry to have red hair because he thinks, "that's what makes her pretty!" Oh boy...something said with such sweet innocence makes us wonder how long it will be before he starts to notice, really notice, girls. Lord, help! Let us stay in these golden years a bit longer.

Teeth are scrubbed, showers taken, and a whole beach is left behind in the tub! It may be silly and slightly sentimental, but I love the warm and stiff feeling of a little bit of sunburn on my shoulders and the sand in my hair. I love white bottoms and brown little arms wrapped in fluffy white towels. I love wet hair on pillows and long eyelashes on sun-kissed cheeks. My children, even after showers, still carry a hint of the sweet, fresh scent of Lake Michigan on their skin and their heads will swim tonight with even sweeter memories of a day well spent.

There are thunderclouds overhead now, lightening on the horizon, and rain drenching my hot, thirsty flowers and lawn. The night is slowly settling over the bayou and the house, and the grandfather in the corner sings his Westminster song to remind me it is time for me to wind down like the kids akready have done. There are dishes to do and papers to file and laundry to fold and the list goes on. Still...I will shower first, because I have high hopes of fifteen minutes peace in there (where I will pray and pour out my day to the One who handed it to me on a sunny, sandy platter), then tackle the last tasks of the day before settling down with my favorite book (I am not embarassed to say that I am reading it for the fifth, or is it sixth?, time). In it, I will be transported to India for a while before I am finally transported to sleep.

My sweet, hard-working husband will, I hope, interrupt this long, winding-down evening. If he does, I will be blessed by his company and his smile and his laughter. He will share his most important day with me and we will be in each-other's highlights if only for the moments it takes to tell the tales.

Tomorrow will dawn soon and I will again be faced with another day in the life of us. What a gift each day is. Such a treasure to discover, a wondrous purse full of moments to spend. The Bible says This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Today is the most important day in my life....until tomorrow.

Long Time No Write?

It has been so long since my last post that my two or three faithful readers have probably given up on me and moved on to someone else's blog (thirteenfeet?) but here I am anyway! The weeks of summer sail by on balmy breezes and sometimes take my breath away with their swiftness. The kids are enjoying all things summer, from swimming lessons in the carefully chlorinated pool at the middle school, to flips off the dock in the cool yet murky waters of the bayou down the hill. They revel in the world of sidewalk chalk, super-soakers, and bicycles. The water out back is alive with jetskis and boats and tubes and swimmers. The grill sizzles with savory meats and the freezer is well-stocked with sticky popsicles. We've been camping - in a campground and in soccer camps, science camps, and 5-Day clubs. We have celebrated three summer birthdays in the family and have one more to go. The mosquitos have been tenacious, but I am up to the challenge, armed with my Cutter Familycare! I look forward to the lazy, hazy days of summer, when our big decisions run along the lines of, North Shore Beach or the State Park? SPF 30 or 40 on the kids? Bike or walk to the ice cream store? Hot dogs or hamburgers? I hope your summer slows down to a comfortable pace that matches that of the porch swing and I pray that your family will have the opportunity for refreshment that comes from basking in the sun on a warm July afternoon. Remember that God gives us richly all things to enjoy.