George Herbert, Jane Austen, and My Forty-Seventh Birthday

It's my forty-seventh birthday, and I woke up thinking about people who have died young.

Heh. Don't worry. I am not feeling terribly morose (far from it...it's been a lovely day) and that comment is not nearly as somber as it sounds. I just found myself reflecting on the Scriptural admonition "teach us to number our days," and thinking about people who gifted the world even during very brief sojourns.

This has been on my mind since I read Timothy George's essay "George Herbert in Lent," the other day at First Things. I either didn't know or at least didn't recall that George Herbert, the extraordinary Anglican poet and priest, died in March of 1633, just short of his 40th birthday. I'm pretty sure that I never realized before now that he never saw any of his poems published. He left them to his friend Nicholas Ferrar; they were all published after his death.

I suspect that both George Herbert and Jane Austen, who died at the age of 41, would be astounded at the strength of their legacies so long after their deaths. They were quiet people whose influence, during their lifetimes, was in relatively small spheres. And yet their influence, their creative power, has spread to so many others, in ever widening circles as the years pass. While it's true that not all of us have the creative genius of these two, I think that the imprint they left behind doesn't have to do only with their words, but with the faithful lives they lived and the quiet but faithful ways they used the gifts they were given. I love the Richard Baxter quote that Timothy George provided regarding Herbert: he was "“a man who speaks to God like one that really believeth a God, and whose business in the world is most with God.”

The older I get, the more I begin to realize that it's the quiet but loving moments that may have the most staying power in my own life, and the most influence for good on people I'll eventually leave behind. Those circles of quiet and loving influence feel so big in my own life. I know, I know. Sober sounding reflections for a 47th birthday. But right now I'm not feeling particularly glum about how old I am, just tremendously grateful for the years I've been given so far and hopeful that in the years ahead, I can stay a faithful course and love even more deeply. I'd like someone to be able to say about me one day that she is "a woman who speaks to God like someone who really believes in God, and her business in the world is most with God."  That's a legacy worth having.

Eighty-Two

My precious father turned 82 today. I am so thankful for him in so many ways, and so thankful for all the ways the Lord has sustained his health in recent years. As he often says, he feels like he is living on gift time!

In honor of the day, I thought I would post a poem I wrote for him two years ago, when he turned 80. It still sings true.

My father turns eighty today.

I know without asking

that he will celebrate

with an angel-food cake

topped with blue icing –

the same cake my mother

has faithfully made

for as many of his birthdays

as I can remember

and beyond.

Blue is my father’s color.

His eyes sparkle with it,

clear and bright, true blue

eyes my mother fell in love

with and still loves.

I picture him in blue,

the pale coarse fabric of

his long-sleeved work shirts,

the lighter, slicker blue of

dress shirts under suit coats.

One of those shirts is always

draped on the ironing board

of my memory, its white

buttons resting hard against

my cheek when we hug.

Blue is my father’s color –

The paint I see spilling

from the tubes next to his palette,

the hue of the musical notes

that flow from Gershwin’s Rhapsody,

the chipped sky blue of seats

at old Parker Field where we

watched minor league games

every endless summer, the slow

spread of July sky where I can

see him now, silhouetted against

the neighbor’s yard, hands cupped

to imitate the coo of mourning doves.

My father turns eighty today.

And I picture my mother

spilling drops of pure color

from a small bottle

into the white cream ocean of frosting,

swirling the spatters with her quick spoon

till they intermingle into a lovely

robin’s egg blue, festive and ready.

And it strikes me anew

that love is never just

the icing on the cake,

but that it decorates our days

in whorls and peaks

of ordinary brilliance.

                        ~EMP 7/19/12

Blessings at the Beginning of June

It's been a while since I've been in a regular writing rhythm here, but with the turn into June and our summer schedules, I hope to change that!

We had a beautiful...and I do mean BEAUTIFUL...(note the bold letters!) time celebrating the marriage of our dear friends Erin and Will this past weekend. We've known Will for the better part of three decades and love him dearly, and Erin has been a kindred spirit for close to a decade now too. Witnessing them pledge to live their lives and love together was a lovely moment of grace, and celebrating with them was just plain fun. I think the sweet girl told me it was her "best weekend ever."

Following on the heels of two days of preparation and celebration, we decided to meander our way home rather than to bolt...and it was a good decision. We took Sunday just to rest and enjoy the day and each other. We slept till we felt like getting up, breakfasted at the hotel, packed up, and headed to the peninsula for several hours of sun, wind, sand, and birdsong. We love Presque Isle.

We might have stayed a tad bit too long, but days like that are so rare and precious, it was hard to want to rush anywhere. Plus we all knew we'd sleep well whenever we finally did make it home to turn in. It was a bit hard to hit the ground running again yesterday, but we're moving into gentler summer schedules anyway, and that helped. We're still in transition regarding ministry this summer, which is making us all feel a little bit up in the air, but we're somehow even managing to weather uncertainty with more grace than usual. Thanks be to God! I think the beauty of the wedding has had lingering good effects.

And I can't get Mark Heard out of my head (he serenaded us much of the way up and back): "Love is not the only thing...but it's the best thing."

On the Way to Ten

We had an exhausting but wonderful weekend. The sweet girl is swiftly approaching the epic double-digit birthday, and we had her party yesterday, a few days early. We were blessed by a visit from my next-oldest sister and her two youngest girls (now 9 and 15) so it was a wonderful day filled with aunt and cousin love as well as regular birthday festivities. They even got to worship with us in church and meet some of our church family. It doesn't get much better than that!

My sister's visit was almost "coincidental" (if I believed in such a thing). They were traveling back from vacation time spent in Virginia and Maryland. It just happened that they could be in our neck of the woods in time for the tenth birthday party. How good of God to bless us in just that way! We have been famished for family. Hugging my sister yesterday was literally good for my soul...and so was laughing with her. I really cut loose and laugh with my siblings in a way I do with hardly anyone else. They are kindred spirits.

The whole weekend was filled with festivities. One of the sweet girl's very best friends, who happens to be exactly one week older than she is, had his birthday celebration on Friday evening. They always share in each other's celebrations in one way or another, and that's become a definite mark of another year passing. Then another friend (this one an adult friend) had a 40th birthday celebration on Saturday. I missed that one, home baking and cleaning for Sunday, but the sweet girl and her dad were there most of the afternoon. So they had three parties in three days!

Given the breathless, tiring pace of the rest of our summer, having a couple of days just to unwind and celebrate with friends and family felt very good -- and far more "summery" than anything else this season has held so far.

Although we've already had the party, I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that S is turning 10. Perhaps it will hit me full-force on Wednesday. Should be a regular day of camp and busy-ness, but we've saved out a couple of presents, and we plan to go out to dinner. Chipotle. Her choice.

I wonder if the next ten years will go by as quickly as these ten have...

Birthday Celebration, Gardening and Gershwin

My dear husband celebrated his birthday on Friday. He took the day off, which gave us the morning together as a family before the sweet girl and I trundled off to homeschool group for the afternoon. Then dear friends took her home for the evening, and he and I actually went out to dinner. I'm still reeling from D. having a whole day off (can't remember the last time that's happened!) and the two of us going on a date (can't remember the last time we were able to do that either). It was a lovely day.

The rest of the weekend was lovely too in many ways, though I've been battling tiredness and a sinus headache.

We got our plot assignment in the community gardens. A cause for great excitement! We loved our gardening project last year and couldn't wait to get started again. We planted a few seedlings and also some seeds. Waiting to see what comes up...one of my favorite parts of gardening.

It was also a very Gershwin weekend. He's been one of my favorite composers since I was sixteen, and the sweet girl has grown up knowing and loving his music, but we've been learning more about him because he's our composer of the month in this final month of school.  We showed her the ballet from American in Paris (which she loved) and spent a good bit of this afternoon (when we weren't out gardening) listening to the New York Rhapsody.  No, not the Rhapsody in Blue, but a much less known Rhapsody Gershwin did later. It's sometimes called Rhapsody in Rivets. It sounds deliciously familiar -- so Gershwiny -- and yet new too. A great combination.

So many more blessings I could recount from the past few days...including some amazing God moments in our community. Oddly, following such a moving and gratitude filled few days, I am feeling a bit flat and not ready to face the new week...though I suspect that's got more to do with not feeling well than anything else.

At any rate, the new week is here, so onward I go!

2011: The Year of the Lop-Eared Bunny

Happy New Year!

Chinese culture often celebrates with a "year of the..." (dragon, monkey, etc.) In our family, I've begun to realize, we celebrate with the "year of..." whatever animal graces our kitchen calendar. It's been tradition since the sweet girl was about three that she gets to pick the calendar for the kitchen, and creature of habit that she is, she always chooses a different animal. We've had the year of the owl, the year of the chocolate lab, the year of the dachshund, and the year of the butterfly (those are the ones I remember...I think we might have had cats in there somewhere too).

So yesterday after a beautiful lessons & carols service at church, we headed out to lunch and then went calendar shopping. And I'm here to announce, it's the year of the lop-eared bunny!

Not so surprising, given the sweet girl's continued fascination with rabbits -- and given the fact that she got to meet "a real, live rabbit!" at the annual new year's party given by our friends the Jernigans. Their son, just one week older than our daughter, now owns two rabbits. She was in raptures of joy because she got to pet one.

Whatever your new year's celebrations look like, I hope 2011 has gotten off to a healthy, joyous beginning.

Pentecost Sunday

"When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."
~Acts 2:1-4 (ESV)

The whole passage from Acts 2 is such an exciting one. As our preacher said this morning, upon reading the next part when the people gathered together all hear the Gospel preached in their own native languages, "Wow." And then he repeated "wow," and again "wow." Yes.

We are so blessed to be loved by a God who loves all people everywhere, loves them so much that he longs for them to hear and know him, loves them enough to speak his Word to them in the languages of their hearts.

Isn't the incarnation itself about God finding a way to speak to us in a language and a way we could understand?

And today was a blessed day at church as we celebrated this story and the ongoing story of God's love for the world.

We processed around to prayer stations for each of the six countries where we support missionaries or where we focus our prayers for the persecuted church. We prayed for Brazil, Mexico, Uganda, Nigeria, Belize, and the United States. (And I was blessed, as missions committee chair, to have put together the prayer stations). And after church, my dear husband got to make a presentation about the new Catechesis/Mentoring program for young people in our parish, into which he's been pouring so much of his his heart and soul lately.

Indeed a day to celebrate. And a day to be grateful for the life of the Holy Spirit poured out in our hearts.

Seventeen Years

If you'd been taking a walk with me and the sweet girl yesterday, you would likely have overheard this conversation:

Me: Do you know what Saturday is?
Sweet Girl: No, what?
M: It's the 25th. Do you know what we celebrate on the 25th?
S: Christmas?
(No, she doesn't really think it's Christmas time, she's just very literal. Please note that I didn't specify which 25th I was referring to!
M: (laughing) No, I meant APRIL 25th. It's Mommy and Daddy's anniversary. We're celebrating 17 years since we got married.
S: (with a squeal) HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! (a pause, then...) Wow, 17 years is very impressive. I'm proud of you and want to give you a kiss!

I couldn't help but laugh she planted a kiss on my cheek. I think that's one of the nicest anniversary greetings I've ever had.

Happy Poetry Month!

The blogosphere is buzzing with poetic energy as National Poetry Month kicks off today. I'm especially impressed at the number of sites dedicated to celebrating children's poetry.

You can find round-ups in many places, but I especially want to point you to Karen Edmisten's post here, which has links to Gotta Book's 30 Poets in 30 Days and The April Poem-a-Day Challenge at the blog Poetic Asides. The 30 Poets in 30 Days will present a brand new poem each day from a wonderful children's poet...Jack Prelutsky gets things started today! The Poem-a-Day Challenge presents creative prompts to get your poetry-writing sap flowing each day.

Miss Rumphius Effect is also presenting Poetry Makers, a daily series of interviews with children's poets during the month of April. She already introduced me to a poet I didn't know (just on day 1) and a brand new book that I know my little girl would absolutely love.

As I did last year, I hope to blog this month about some of my favorite poems old and new and why they've lodged in my heart.

Happy Poetry Month!

Before March Slips Away: Birthday Flower Portraits

I had a lovely birthday last week. It rained (as it often does on my birthday; I've got wonderful rainy birthday memories!) and we went downtown to the conservatory to drink in great quantities of spring beauty. It's been quite cold here with trees barely in bud, so seeing quantities of blossoms in warm greenhouse conditions was balm to every weary part of me.

I could easily spend at least one day a week in the conservatory and never grow tired of it.

Thank you God for most this amazing day...

"Now We Are Six..."

Yes, the sweet girl turned six on Friday. Six!

And there are so many moments I could capture from the beautiful celebratory weekend just past (her beloved Aunt M and Uncle P were in town, and spoiled us all with a wonderful day at the National Aviary...more on that soon).

She is growing up so quickly, and she brings us so much joy.

Tonight at "candles" (our term for our evening family devotional time) she suddenly lifted a strand of her hair and said, in a very bright voice, "Maybe when we get to heaven one day we can ask Jesus how many hairs are on our heads!"

Last night on our way out of the restaurant (yes, M and P really spoiled us...they even took us out to dinner at the Olive Garden, a favorite for all of us) there was an amazing rainbow in the sky. It was drizzling rain right at sunset, and most of the sky was stained a lovely golden apricot color and suddenly we realized we could see an enormous rainbow arching through the sky. We hardly ever see rainbows around here, and it's very rare indeed we can see one that fully. We all stood in the restaurant parking lot and gaped for a while. I commented on how rare it was to see such a thing in our area. "It's the biggest rainbow I've ever seen in MY LIFE!" the sweet girl declared.

And that's a full six years now. A full girl-twirling, question-asking, beauty-remarking, laughter-inducing, keeping-us-on-our-toes six years. So thankful for every one of them, and each minute of every one.

April Anniversary Roses

My April anniversary roses have long since faded, making me so glad I got some truly lovely pictures of them. Aren't they gorgeous? How blessed I am, by the beauty of the gift, and by the love of the giver. So grateful for 16 wonderful years with my sweetheart.

Wanted: Something Resembling a Wedding Cake

D. and I were married fifteen years ago this Wednesday! This is the first year the sweet girl really has some sense of what it means to celebrate a wedding anniversary (she's catching on that it's kind of like an extra birthday for Mommy and Daddy!) and she has determined that we should have cake and ice cream. She has even agreed to contribute her small pack of penguin party plates to the occasion -- she and her Daddy found some the other day when they were in a party store looking for some supplies for a church event, and she wanted to save them for something special.

She wants vanilla ice cream, of course (her favorite) but has been rather adamant that her Daddy and I should have a wedding cake. I am guessing she's a bit enamored of the photo of our wedding cake; it's part of a collage of framed wedding pictures that we keep on the wall in between our dining room and the kitchen.

I don't really think at this late date we can order even a small cake decorated like a wedding cake (which is what we've been contemplating) but I find myself wishing a bit wistfully we lived somewhere near the bakery that made our actual wedding cake. Yes, that's our wedding cake in the photo. I'm sorry I couldn't color correct it a bit better, as it wasn't quite as golden looking as it appears. But it was delicious. Neither D. nor I is much of a cake eater, but even we agreed that this was by far the tastiest wedding cake we'd ever eaten. We found a little bakery in Berwyn, Pennsylvania and every cake sample we tried we loved. We ended up getting a melt-in-your-mouth spice cake with a buttercream frosting. Absolutely wonderful.

I remember we tried to save the top layer for our first anniversary, but the box wasn't sealed properly and the cake got freezer burned. We still lived near Philadelphia at the time, thus weren't too far from the bakery. We took in a picture and they gladly recreated a small version of the top layer of our cake from the year before, which we enjoyed on a bed and breakfast get-away.

Well...we probably won't go to such lengths this year, fifteen years and hundreds of miles away from the creation of the original cake. But I do think we will probably look for something at least a little wedding-cake-ish to enjoy that evening, to satisfy the budding romantic traditionalist that is our little girl.

Oh, okay. I'm a romantic traditionalist myself. She has to get it somewhere, right?!

And yes, that really is Mickey and Minnie on top of our cake.