Category: babies

I went back and found a story I wrote for my oldest daughter, and thought I would do an audio rerun of the memory.

If you are at all wondering, yes, I AM having a great amount of fun recording audio versions of things I have written. Hence, all of the audio I have been adding of late. Sorry not sorry…

I did take the time to put together some pictures that you can look at as you listen to the story. Happy scrolling…

I Dreamt of You…

Down along a 2-lane road, driving slowly around each bend and curve

Lush green foliage covered the hillside, giving shade as we passed by

Ocean waves met the eyes, if one followed the hillside down

Drawing the eyes onward, toward a delicate little town

Finding ourselves within a U-shaped cove

The endless clear glass blue, came and went from beyond the shore

Cobblestone lined the streets, buildings of soft colors greeted our eyes

Beckoning one inside for toys and treats

Though no other cars appeared, a plane rested upon the shore

A bottom made of glass, delicate handles upon the door

You, Babybear, are the only face I remember clearly

Flying low over the ocean waters, you were sitting on the glass bottom surrounded by soft light

We seemed to be holding in place, as Orca began swimming to you

Up to the window they came, seeking your tiny hands

Your arms stretched out to reach, eagerness filling your eyes

You had the most beautiful smile, and I could feel your joy and excitement

  I couldn’t stop watching you, the happiness clearly on your face

And the look in your eyes, forever it be etched in my memory

Under water we flew and into a cavern of brilliant lights we appeared

Vivid blues, reds, purples and every color imaginable, here were cast about reflecting off the stone

Suddenly, the cavern filled with a multitude of female Orcas, along with their young ones, gracefully gliding by

Through the glass we touched them, trailing fingers along their skin

As if nothing were in between, and Glass no longer appeared

You began floating amidst them, gently carried on invisible currents

Baluga whales began appearing, dolphins as well

Swimming freely with all of them, breathing water as if it were air

I was the only one who spoke in this dream, saying Gentle we must be

For if this be a birthing place, mindful these mothers now seem

 of this I was sure, for as you are my child, it would be that for me…

You may only be a small child, and though I don’t understand this dream, I will always believe that you are a very special little girl.

Love Mom.

Truth Tellers…

Sometimes, our kids say the darndest things. Yes, I know that phrase has been widely used, but I am still going to use it though. If we think about it, the blatant truth of all the things our kids say, would be a catastrophe if we grown ups said them out loud. I guess this memory is the closest example I can give to prove my point.

Out of the mouths of our tiny human replicas, come some of the most jarring, yet accurate truths!  While it can sometimes be embarrassing and/or even upsetting, we cannot fault the little truth detectors.  As they have no clue regarding protocol or appropriateness of word usage, they are innocent of any malice.  Just unadulterated truths that we grown ups learned how to keep zipped up. 

Our small protégé are also emulating many of our own beliefs and attitudes, whether we wish to admit this or not.  Monkey see monkey do, and our kids often reflect our behavior.  But they often reflect to a greater extent, when they blurt out things we have said in the past.  We were unaware they were mentally recording us.  Childhood also does not come with a full understanding of what, or why grown-ups say and do the things they do.

While talking with my brother-in-law the other day, I was reminded of a funny situation back when his girls were little ones.  When my husband and I were first together, he took me to visit his brother and family.  It was wonderful to spend time with them, and I instantly fell in love with their daughters.  These two girls were so sweet, and very bright for their young age, so I was enthralled.

On one of the mornings of our stay, we all sat around the breakfast table visiting and talking about this and that.  When my husband mentioned that I was a photographer, the girls got all excited and asked to see my pictures.  I pulled out my laptop and loaded up a file of my recent pictures, taken along our journey across the states to visit them.  Somehow, I had a picture in the file of a woman I had done some work with recently.  The girls were watching me scroll through the file, and when the picture of the woman appeared, the oldest of the two girls made two consecutive statements, one right after the other… without even a moment’s hesitation.

The first comment could possibly be classed as a reaction verses a statement… she exclaimed, “Oh My!”… and right on the heels of that, she declared, “She’s Hideous”! 

I am not sure what was funnier… watching the girls mom turn three shades of red, and immediately try to correct the child, or my brother-in-law almost choking on his food, while laughing hysterically.  I wish to point out some very important things to note here.  One thing to note here, is that the woman did indeed have a unique look about her, and another note was that the child looked at her parents with some confusion… the tiny truthteller had simply called it like she saw it.  She was not being mean, but rather, trying to describe what she saw on the screen.  It did not help that my husband was laughing just as hard as his brother, and I was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face. 

Those girls were probably so confused by the grown-ups, they had no idea what to even say sorry about, or if it was ok to laugh with us or not.  At the time, I sucked it up and sided with their mom, as I understood the ramifications if the outburst was not squelched then and there. They could have ended up getting kicked out of daycare for being cheeky. On the other hand, they were not my responsibility in the morality and respect departments, that job belonged to the parents. I found it absolutely Haylarious!

I will end this memory with two observations. One of which, is the fact that the child new without a doubt, what hideous meant and she used it properly. When I was small, my older sister blurted out in the grocery store check out, “John, you are so illegitimate”! He was trying to read the cover of the magazine on the rack, and she thought to say illiterate. The second observation I have made all these years later, looking fondly upon those two girls all grown up. Not only did they turn out to be very bright and beautiful woman, both have their mothers sensibilities as well as their fathers sense of humor… guess which parent they heard the word Hideous from… I wonder.

Seasons Change, propelling us forward in time…

Habakkak 2:3 says, “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens until the end – it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”

As I considered all the changes occurring, as we move into the fall season, it seems fitting to consider things spiritually, with a similar mindset. God is not idle, nor does he wish me to be, for there are things to be done before His return. My relationship with God is in a constant state of changing, growing, and moving forward in His purpose, just like the seasons.

In my walk there have been seasons of spring, with new fresh changes everywhere. I have experienced the heat of summer within my life, as well as the harsh cold of winter… somewhat like the strengthening of metal takes both fire and ice. Spiritually, the fall season brings times of deep study, snuggled under blankets while the winds and rain cleanse away the hot dust of summertime. It is somewhat a time to reflect on my growth to date; not for measuring my steps, but to be thankful in recognizing His faithfulness, going both before and behind as I walk.

I had an epiphany… I think when David said that God goes both behind and before us, maybe he meant that if we are following Him, even if we don’t do things the best, He covers our iniquity with grace… i.e. no more shame for this girl.

Ok, so I am not preacher material… for goodness sakes, I don’t know what I am doing most of the time, but I kind of think this is the way God wants me… moldable and movable; ready to change and fit into whatever situation or season He deems necessary.

With that said, in keeping with my fake it til you make it attitude towards the coming of fall, I give you a short video of my river path for your viewing pleasure. There is not much sound, but that’s why I walk this trail… blessedly quiet!

There are those days… you know… we all have them… those days where everything in our life seems to be so overwhelming and out of our control. I will not say that I live with anything worse than another soul. Let’s just say that sometimes I get bombarded with the totality of our circumstances, and it causes a bit of an emotional stagger to my step. I can sometimes feel so encumbered with the weight of life’s realities, I seem to have no strength to move, let alone breath through the pain.

Here is where today’s Note to Self #2 helps out:

“I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13

Notice how it does not say anywhere in there about things being easy, nor does it say He will remove it from our cup… it simply reminds me, that if He thinks I am able to carry on, walking through the pain I am experiencing, then He will sustain me through it! For me, fully walking with God has cost me both friends and family… some by my own folly and others by my getting up and walking on without shame any longer.

If Jesus was willing to take what was handed him by the world, and still lay down his own life to fulfill the will of His Father… and to save US… then I can stand! Not just stand, but walk forward in faith!

Forgiveness will be my Banner, and His Grace will be the very breath I exhale, each and every moment… until He comes for us!

Here, have a goodie…

Mary Poppins sang that “a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down”, so I thought I would try it!

I am wiping the dust off my feet… do you hear that summer heat… and I am kicking you to the curb!

I know it is still hot outside and we’re not there yet… but I do not care! As a walker of trails, and also a lover of nature, this heat has been preventing me from fully enjoying either.

This is the Northwest for crying out loud! One of the things I have always loved about this region, is the areas mild weather and wonderful breezes, blowing in off the Puget Sound.

It seems like over the last few years, the summers have gone rogue here… long stretches of sweltering heat, humidity that is much higher than I like, and next to no breezes to bring cooling air.

So… if I have to exist next to an air conditioner to survive, I am going to fake it until I make it… from here on out folks, fall has begun!

Find my happy place… Find my happy place…