She’s got a way about her
I don’t know what it is
But I know that I can’t live without her
She’s got a way of pleasin’
I don’t know why it is
But there doesn’t have to be a reason anywhere

She’s got a smile that heals me
I don’t know what it is
But I have to laugh when she reveals me
She’s got a way of talkin’
I don’t know why it is
But it lifts me up when we are walkin’ anywhere

She comes to me when I’m feelin’ down
Inspires me without a sound
She touches me and I get turned around
She’s got a way of showin’
How I make her feel
And I find the strength to keep on goin’
She’s got a light around her
And ev’rywhere she goes a million
Dreams of love surround her ev’rewhere

She comes to me when I’m feelin’ down
Inspires me without a sound
She touches me, I get turned around oh oh oh

She’s got a smile that heals me
I don’t know why it is
But I have to laugh when she reveals me
She’s got a way about her
I don’t know what it is
But I know that I can’t live without her any way

She’s  coming home today so she and I can go to the Brandi Carlile concert tonight at the Bijou.    I can’t wait to see her.  I miss her so much.   I copied this Billy Joel song into her scrapbook ten years ago;  it’s always reminded me of her.   Watching her leave brought unspeakable heartache.   Living with her gone is harder still.   She has written her song on my heart and her life has changed me in  a thousand ways.  I snapped this picture by accident.  Maybe.   When I look at it today,  I want to catch up to her,  hug her close to me and tell her that everything will be okay.   I want her to know that I understand.   And that even though distance has wedged himself between us, nothing can untwine our hearts.  The mother love is stubborn and forever.  And just like every time before, the Divine Mercy will turn this heartache to joy.

She’s got a way…….

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I love any reason to hunker down.   If for nothing else than just to  relish in saying the words ‘hunker down’.

And this is what I see just outside my breakfast room this morning.

It’s not the 6-12 inches of snow they predicted,

but 2 inches of slush is enough reason for hunkerin’ in my book.

And I have no trouble filling the weekend to the brim.

Let me break it down for you in a small numbered list.

1.  I’ve been looking for a dress to wear to the Blissdom Cocktail Party.

I’m picky and don’t have much time to shop.

Which left me in my craft room hacking up a vintage dress—

and a shirt that fits well—-sorta like

Project runway.  Except it’s Project Blissdom.

And it needs work or I’ll be stopping to shop in Knoxville

on my way to the meeting.

2.  This particular weekend of hunkering down also involves a little eating of crow.

Remember this post? where I rejoiced in the

lack of electronics at my house?

Well, the little girls have been saving their own money for almost

two years.   They finally talked their daddy into

letting them get iPods.

So as I sit by the fire reading a brand new book,

I look across the room and feast my eyes on

this bit of irony.

{complete with TAylor , home from college for the weekend}

3.  A good blog friend introduced me to a new blog where this book happens to

be the topic for a book review over the next 3 weeks.

Several of you have asked me if I’ve read it.

So, I ordered and read it in a few hours.   And loved it.

I don’t think I’ve read a modern writer who reminds me more

of C.S.  Lewis than Thomas Howard.  AFter I re-read

parts of it several times and ponder it, I’ll be back for a review.

He’s catholic and I’m Lutheran.

This book is for everyone.

4.  Lent swiftly approaches {it begins on February 17, Ash Wednesday}

and the above book only makes me

more anxious to settle into the penitent season with

some of my worldly affections stripped away.

Last year,  I ‘fasted’ from comments on my blog.

It was a harder than I thought it would be.

It opened my eyes to how pitifully attached we become to certain things

in our lives.  Dare I even mention fasting from

blogging/media altogether?  I don’t think

I could do it.  But I’m pondering it.

Have you ever tried any version of the

modern media fast?  What are your thoughts?

I’m not trying to sound overdramatic but the thought of

forsaking my blog for 40 days

sounds about like leaving my favorite pet out in the snow with

no food and water for 40 days.  Drama queen, I know.

5.  Last but not least, there’s been playing in the snow,

sewing, cooking, cleaning, movie watching

laughing, snuggling, husband-kissing, dog-feet drying  and various other hunkering down activities.

I could do this every weekend.

Hope you were lucky enough to be snowed in!

The Backstory

{in the following true story, the names have been changed and faces hidden to protect the innocent}

It happened the first day they went outside to play after Christmas.    They came in with cold chapped faces and forlorn little hearts.

“Mom (in a pitiful, woe-is-me little voice),  guess what such-and-such got for Christmas”

“What?”

“Well,  Sally got a DSi,  Myrtle got a cell phone,  Hattie got a laptop and EVERYDODYYYYYYY in the whole neighborhood has a Wii except for us.   {voice gets decidedly whinier}  I’m not saying I don’t like my doll and my new underwear because I do—-but why would Santa not at least bring us a Wii too.   I mean I know it wasn’t on our first list but nobody’s ever gonna want to come play at our house ’cause all we have to play with are dolls and stupid legos. (uncontrollable sobbing ensues)    And I hurt my leeeeeeggggggggggg.     Can you {sniffle} make {sniffle}  me  {sniffle} some hot chocolate {sniffle}  and read Harry Potter?”

So that’s how it started.   And from then on, everytime we were gonna see new friends, we had THE talk.   You know the one.

“Okay girls, now we’re gonna see some friends that we haven’t seen since Christmas.   Ask them if they had a great Christmas and maybe something fun they did—but don’t ask first thing—‘what did YOU get for Christmas’—–remember, Christmas is about the birth of Christ and being together with your family.    And when they tell you what they got, be thankful that your friends were blessed so much and had a great Christmas.    ANd then move on and talk about something else.   K?”

And I don’t come down too hard on them about being ungrateful little wretches.   And it’s not that I’m against electronics.   I happened to be completely infatuated with my MacBookPro.  And my amazing iPhone.  {which my 7 year old can navigate better than me—-I knew I was in trouble when she set my ring tone to a quacking duck and I had to ask HER to change it back. }   But somehow I’ve managed almost twenty years having kids that were only very minimally into electronics.  So, I’m holding out as long as I can.   But,  I’m the same way when it comes to coveting.  We all are.   Which is why we all desperately need the forgiveness that only Christ can give.

“I wish I had that car.    I wish I had that house.    I wish I had that figure.   I wish I had that hair.”     We all do it, don’t we.   It’s the curse of being human.   I just snuggle with them on the sofa,  dry their little coveting tears and find a multitude of things for which to be thankful.

Two Weeks Later

We’re almost finished with book three of Harry Potter so we spend a lot of time in front of the fire reading—-and while I read, they play stupid legos.

Imagine the inner laughter I had to contain when I took notice of their lego houses.    It’s a veritable house of electronics.   This family has a Wii–stocked with plenty of games—-an xbox and a DSi.   The  lego kids even had laptops and tv’s in their rooms.   And not one more mention to me (at least not yet) of how dreadful it is to live in our house sans electronics.   This is a win-win all around.    I get to be amused listening to them make rules to the lego children about how much time they’ve been playing Wii—–AND  I don’t have to buy a Wii.   I love legos.  And apparently my children do too.

How do you get your children to:

1. Sing for you on New Year’s Day

2. Make ‘2010’ with their bodies in the cold windy chill….

3. Join in a collaborative effort to do the dishes

4. And with only a small amount of tomfoolery?

Answer:

You feed them large amounts of pasta and bread and then tempt them with all manner of chocolate fondue covered yummies

then if that doesn’t work, you do whatever is necessary!

I can’t think of a better way to ring in the New Year then right here at home with the kids. We were happy to have Cody and Morgan join us too! Hope your 2010 is filled to the brim with joy!

The Verity has still been playing a few shows here and there despite the fact that the 3 of the boys are in college now. It was just like old times to enjoy their music live.

Patty and I took our kids to Market Square yesterday for ice skating. The girls and I had so much fun and truly enjoyed their company. I’m not sure she and I would ever run out of things to talk about . We are two peas in a pod—from our mutual love of indian food —-to our obsession with coffee —-to our creative/ADD /photographer tendencies.

There was lots of fun had by all and her children are wonderfully kind and engaging.

I tend to think mine are pretty wonderful too. But I guess I’m a little biased.

Surprisingly enough, the kiddos weren’t all that hungry when we got home. (I’m such a pushover.)

Thanks Patty (and Jordan and Lexi) for a wonderful afternoon. And for the samosa suggestion. We loved them!