Taking Time for Flowers, Fun, and "Fotos"

After church Sunday, while our family was still dressed up, I changed into my wedding gown and our pastor's wife so kindly snapped a few shots for us, with this one including Jonathan's mom and dad. I had an extra cowboy hat to put on Grandpa--just for fun! 

Grandma wore to church that day the dress she had worn to our wedding 20 years ago!

So that was very special!

 The vase of beautiful flowers standing in front of me was brought to church that day, and the pastor, who had brought it to the parsonage, teased that I should hold it instead of the artificial bouquet I had. I loved the bouquet of real flowers and set it in front of us.

Then we posed on the beautiful Colorado porch swing.

 We know full well that life is not all fountains and roses...

 or kisses and hugs...

 or yellow sunflowers and sunshine and cute little girls in straw hats holding up white trains...

 We understand only too well that life can get kind of cock-eyed at times, 

a little crooked and screwed up...

that even in the happiest of times, you end up hanging onto your hat

while your daughter hangs onto your train---

 and too often life just plain turns upside down!

So when things get back to rights, you look back and wonder how you ever made it.

But you made it because you just kept focusing on what mattered--and not on the wind blowing your hat away, or the way your rose kept falling off your hat,

or the pout on a little girl's face,

or the funny old man sitting a little ways away from where you wanted a picture at the park,

(who said you have to worry about what grouchy people say about you?)

or the cars slowing down to stare at the wedding party 

that wasn't exactly a wedding party...

(and who says you have to worry about what people think who don't have any idea

what it is like to live in your shoes?)

 just a happy mom wanting a sweet picture with her daughters to celebrate twenty years 

with their dad,

and sharing the love that made the girls oblige their mom even though they would rather have 

been reading books!

And so for a few more sweet moments today, our actual 20th anniversary, I hurriedly put a few more pictures on my blog--in between many moments of less-than-perfect situations--

like waking up about 4:30 and not being able to go back to sleep,

and knowing that Jonathan has to deal with a difficult work situation

with a hired worker disappearing on him while a second main crew guy is back east with a dying mother.

And there is the usual multi-tasking of the day as we finish getting together

school books, desks, pencils and sharpener, crayons and markers

and begin school.

And just before lunch I try to squeeze in a few minutes of sorting through packed-away clothes for Danny who hardly has any clothes in his drawers

and who usually declares that most pants I find for him are too baggy or too short or too long or too uncomfortable...

And how many times today were there lumps in my throat and tears wanting to come?

And after lunch the banging piano during practice time drives me outside under the clotheslines to hang a basket of clothes--and I discover how my middle son hung a shirt up by its sleeves instead of the way I tried to teach him (because the boys are having to learn to do laundry, too, to help the girls),

and I end up sitting on a stool by the clothes lines near the goat and the chickens,

and I say to God, "How am I supposed to do the impossible?"

And the more I sit and ask God, the worse I feel. 

So I pull myself up, and pick up clothespins and hangers, and hang clothes,

and disappear to the motor home for a little bit to regain my sanity,

and end up going into the house for a flyswatter....

And that is just how my days go.

And that is why I blog.

And for now, that seems to be God's answer:

"Do not feel guilty to spend a few moments blogging--

to experience and remember and look forward to joy and contentment and grace--

right in the middle of the impossible."