Lemons, rosemary, and vanilla simmering. 

Checkmate!

We are a little behind and the birthday boy is already a week into sixteen. Since this little corner of the internet is a place for me to make notes of those things I don't want to forget I am putting these here anyway. 

First it couldn't happen the day of the birthday because he had a game.  Then someone else had something the next day.  And EVERYone local needs to be there for cake.  It's a given.

So we finally get to cake night and it's late and we are punchy.  And for whatever reason my camera setting tester volunteer had made a muscle for me.  One thing led to another….

"What? You think YOU'VE got something there?  Why you're about to get a ticket to the gun show!" 

Yeah. 

They are unspeakably corny, but they are mine. : ) 

Breakfast at home right now usually starts with a last glimpse of the moon, an early riser to help in the kitchen, kisses goodbye, reading time. 

A slow easing into the day. 

A big thought and a small thought.  

First, we are coming to the close of a long, season of daily and intense practices for multiple boys.  This has been our life for so many years it is hard to remember summer/autumn any other way. Much as I balk at the driving and fatigue and schedule rearrangements, there is nothing quite like the old-school style passion and pride on the sidelines.  

Living here is a throw back to my own high school years. At least until the halftime performances which have required some interpretation for us having been out of country nearly half a dozen years. 

Now watch me whip….now watch me nae nae…

The big idea? 

There was a difficult season many, many years ago when our first set of kids were young.  And a handful. Several handfuls.  (Hands full?) Basically our hands WERE full to the point things were dropping, spilling out and over and down. 

A dear neighbor who was well-versed in large family matters shared a buzz word with me, a catch phrase really that I have kept in my heart and shared over and over: 

SAME TEAM

We are all on the same team.  We have the same goal in mind.  Our battles are not with each other but with all those outside forces which stand in the way of our ultimate victory. Our human nature tempts us to challenge the coach and blame the other players which is lose-lose all around.  When that happens now, we try to cut it off with that reminder…same team.  

The kids have it drilled into their heads that before they can be an effective player on any other team they have to be putting forth their best effort on this team. We remind each other there are bad games, even bad seasons, but that doesn't mean you pull out of the league. We regroup, train smarter, pull together.  

No matter what, you always support your home team. 

"What are you doing today?"

"I am making Ann into a paper doll."

Then it happened.  Before I even thought (because I have become frightfully good at speaking before thinking) my head started thinking (out loud) of ways to do it faster and 'better' with the printer and laminator and….

She looks up at me puzzled and there is a moment to pause and start over.

"That's wonderful. You are so creative. I really like how you drew the ribbons and the puff sleeves." 

#grace

“…such hours are beautiful to live, but very hard to describe…”

Little Women

This tangle of arms in motion made me happy.  Four pairs of hands at work this afternoon.   Our theme this quarter coincidentally is Cooperation.  

I think they've got this. 

Somehow they had the 'rules' mixed up and raised their arms way up high for each other to pass through.  I wasn't going to tell them otherwise. 

People never change, if we are to believe the ever authoritative memes in circulation. Thank Heaven, literally, that Jesus didn't have Pinterest and wasn't aware of this "truth"  when He descended into Matthew's dark corner of thievery and corruption and plucked him right up and out of it. Matthew never forgot who he had been nor how he was never to be that again.

The grace of God was greater than the gravitational pull of human nature. 

Our rabbit trail this morning took us to these places:

Story of St Matthew for kids here and here

Khan Academy video about the symbolism in Caravaggio's  Call of St Matthew here  (if you are my son and you miss the backroom bar analogy or where "the point" comes from then you might have to re-watch. ; ))

May we have the grace to say the same unequivocal, "Yes!" to God and the call to higher things.