A Bundle of Myrrh

Living Seasonally:

We’re nearing the end of many of the seasons God has given us recently. We’re over half way through Lent, our days at the rental are coming to an end, Winter is waning and I’m in the final 3 months of pregnancy. Being this close to all these finish lines creates a restlessness in me. There but not just yet. Waiting a bit longer.

I have such little energy of body or mind these days. The calendar marks seasons, festivals, commemorations, holidays and I seem to merely be able to acknowledge them with a nod and a few words but little else. I’m just so tired.

Giving Thanks:

1. For sun and warmer days finally here.
2. For those working so hard to finish our home.
3. For new friends.
4. For health or health after sickness.
5. For our new church home and it’s members, kind, loving and eager to help.

Thinking Deeply:

“Therefore, there is no nobler prayer to be found upon the earth than the Lord’s Prayer. We pray it daily, because it has this excellent testimony that God loves to hear. For whenever a godly Christian prays, “Dear Father, let Your will be done,” God speaks from on high and says, “Yes, dear child, it shall be so, in spite of the devil and the world.” Martin Luther

 

Turning Pages:

I was so proud when I realized the other day that I’ve actually been doing some real reading this year. I’ve finished some books and made a lot of head way through some others. A page here and there and before I know it, a book read! Books I’ve read or am still reading:

The Mother of the Reformation: The Amazing Life and Story of Katharine Luther
Eternal Treasures: Teaching Your Child at Home
LadyLike
Galileo’s Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love
The Failure of Sex Education in the Church

And there are so many I’d still like to get on my shelf!

Establishing Rhythm:

The thing about having a new baby every year and some other babies that put on a new skin every 6 months is, your rhythms come and go. We stick to our daily schedules as best we can and every once in a while parts have to be shuffled around for nap changes or weather or for the boy, “what do I do with a 5 year old boy?!”

Our big girls, Lily and Clara are getting older and I’m finding more they can do on their own to help me out. They chose their own outfits for the week of school and get them out. They also have started making and packing their own lunches each day. Sometimes I still miss the babies they were, but it’s so good to see this new chapter of their growing up begin.

Each of our babies reach different stages and we adapt. Now that the weather is nice, “Outside Time” will definitely be added to our rhythm again.

Cultivating Simplicity:

I just can’t do it. I can’t keep up with people and things at the same time. Since the people aren’t leaving, I decided the things have to. For our final weeks at the rental I box and bagged up all the toys. Only blocks and a few toy animals and something special to each child will remain out. I’ve also weeded out many of our clothes either bagging them for packing later or for giving away.

I think I’ll leave it this way for a while even after the move. I’m curious about how little we can live with. It’s so much better for my mind and I think for the babies to have less. Less to pick up or keep up with. Toys will be on super rotation and clothes on lock down!

Creating Beauty:

I decorate my house with beautiful people.

 

Nurturing Hearts:

I’ve been able to consistently have Bible Time with the babies each morning just before I put breakfast on the table. It’s nothing lengthy. During Lent we’re focusing on memorizing the 10 Commandments and reading the Passion accounts of each Gospel.

Nurturing Minds:

We’re still adding “Lesson Time” to our weekends with our big girls. Supplementing some Art, American Literature and History to their public education. We all really enjoy that when it works out.

I mentioned new chapters of growing up. The big girls have been taking piano lessons since August. It still seems strange to me to be washing dishes and here one of them practicing their music. Can they be old enough to be doing that?!

Nurturing Senses:

Art work covering our table is a normal scene at our house. The kids are very much into painting right now. In our Art lesson a while ago we learned about Impressionism. Afterward Lily was wishing there were more art shows on TV.  Serendipitously serendipitous when we went to turn the TV on for our afternoon “zone out” there on the screen was none other than the great Bob Ross! The babies ooo’d and ahh’d as we watched him add friendly little bushes and tall proud trees to his snowy mountain scene. They’re now his biggest fans and regularly play “Bob Ross” at our table.

 

Nurturing Bodies:

Our little Martha is on the go all the time. All crawl. There’s no stopping her, unless she’s on her way down the hill in our backyard. That hill’s a doozy. Crawling adventure ends with grass in snot.

Tending the Earth:

After the depths of Winter, we enjoy the Earth more than tend to it.

Capturing Time:

“The cross shines as a sign of the victory over sin, death and Satan. It is a picture of eternal comfort upon which the dimming eye of the dying longingly looks, the last anchor of his hope and the only light that shines in the darkness of death.” CFW Walther 

 

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 6th, 2016 at 4:10 pm and is filed under Daybook. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.