out to seek the raspberries

  

Left undone: the laundry

Piled in a towering heap;

Bedsheets a-crumpled careless,

Though not one is still asleep.

But O! the flowers bow with

Heavy droplets from each head.

The plants were watered, dishes scrubbed

Just before I fled

Out to seek the raspberries

Reddening on the bramble.

Followed by my little ones

Along the hedge we amble.

Each berry hidden deep 

In shadows as it grow red-ripe

Await our greedy fingers

That first search, then find, then swipe.

Small green berries gaily call,

"Come back and visit soon!

We'll surely have more waiting

For you just this afternoon!"

yarn along, june 1

  

One of my favorite authors is Kate DiCamillo, which is no secret; her books have shown up often here.  Recently I read an interview in which she said that she is committed to writing two pages every day. I realized with a lightbulb flash that instead of always wishing I was writing poetry I should buckle down and do it and so I decided that I would write one poem per day this summer, and not worry about whether it's good or bad or terrible.  I feel such a sense of fulfillment when the words trickle out onto the page and I know that I'm practicing something I love.  I am considering whether to copy any of them here this summer, and I think I probably will because they fit well with the things I write about here. 

I am plowing through Kiddy Vertebrae cardigan now that I've got the right gauge and size.  I have approximately 8 inches knit under the arms and simple stockinette on the body after the sleeves were divided for makes easy take-along or evening knitting.  I am finished knitting my barn red Memoirs mitts and have decided finally to keep them for myself because I love their length and the feminine touches of lace and buttons on the back of the hand.     

Caddie Woodlawn (Carol Ryrie Brink) is delightful and a bit reminiscent of the Little House books.  With a chapter a night, it is fast reading, of course intended for children to enjoy but as always, I think I enjoy children's literature just as much as any child ever does.  
Dandelion Fire  (N.D. Wilson) is even better than 100 Cupboards, the first of the series.  Excellently written and exciting, intense, and not for young children.  I am very impressed and plan to go on to read everything by this author, who is working on a new series now.  

I just downloaded The Green Ember for free on my Kindle and added the audiobook for $1.99 - you should too!  Thanks to Carolyn at House Full of Bookworms for her heads up on Instagram! I haven't read this book yet but I hear such good things about the book everywhere I turn that I've been meaning to pick it up for some time.  S.D. Smith writes at The Rabbit Room which is a favorite website of mine, written by a conglomeration of some of my favorite writers and artists, so I was bought in before I heard the good reviews.    

Last, but not least, I finally caught up on the podcast installments of The Count of Monte Cristo and now I'm eager for Heather at CraftLit to release another episode - which is probably a bit similar to how the original readers felt since Dumas wrote it as a serial story in a newspaper over a long period of time.  It's fun to listen in small segments knowing that. 

I am linking up with the Yarn Along hosted by Ginny.  Do you have as many books as I have going right now?  Between my personal reading, audiobooks, and the read-alouds I do with my girls, I have at least 7 books going all the time right now and that seems about perfect - something for every mood as it strikes.  

Freedom in Christ, Part I

Freedom in Christ. This little idea has been flitting through my mind on a regular basis for a while now, and has significantly shaped my view of life and faith.
I have developed over time into "that girl" who avoids talking about politics with almost everyone and refrains from offering many opinions on controversial subjects, even feeling guilty and anxious when offering unasked-for advice or opinions. I have always been a "people-pleaser" to an extent but was not always this cautious about putting my ideas out into the world.
Could it be that I have been burned by others who give me advice or a long list of do's and don'ts without delicacy? Have I been burned by times that I have done so with good intentions and been hurt by the response? Maybe a little bit, but I think the real reason I hesitate these days is actually based in the knowledge that as Christians we are free to follow where the Spirit is leading us through His word and through the advice of godly men and women around us.
I have some very strong opinions about a variety of topics, including religion and faith, politics, parenting, social justice and how the church should interact with the poor, marriage and sexuality, and assorted other categories. My lack of desire to share many of these opinions stems in part from my belief that while there are definitely areas of black and white (for example, saving faith in Christ as the only way to salvation, the sin of abortion and the clear statements in Scripture about the inability to be a long-term homosexual Christian), there are many areas that fall between the lines, and there are many things that are black and white that receive an overabundance of attention from the Christian community while other equally evil sins go unnoticed and undiscussed.

I also know the proclivity of my own heart toward sin, idolatry, and legalism. I know how easy it is to allow my opinion on those very issues to dictate how I respond to others, when the ruler of my life should not be my opinion on this or that, but the King of Kings, who longs to gather His children to Himself through my representation of His love, justice, and mercy. He is the judge, but what a merciful judge He is, to have stepped down to earth and taken the death penalty in my place.
When I think of all that I have and all that I shouldn't have, the crucial issues of life are made clear. How is what I say and do bringing fame and glory to a Christ who said "the first shall be last and the last shall be first"? How are my actions imitating the Lord who "did not count equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the nature of a servant"?
Is trying to convince other moms that one way is right in diapering, feeding, sleeping the best way to do that? Or is it better to come alongside, show by example, answer questions graciously when asked, and living "in peace as far as I am able"?

I do, however, find great value in discussing, seeking to understand and be understood, and learning about the very loved ones God has placed in my life. Mutual respect and understanding are foundational for me to have any conversation or dialogue about differing opinions - and I think this is one major reason I avoid these topics on facebook (and avoid twitter altogether). After thinking about it for some time, I decided that a blog is a much more comfortable arena for me to "think aloud," because it allows for more space, is easier to track back to older posts, and is typically not a space where friends of friends of friends are likely to chime in without discretion (i.e., leave a one-line derogatory comment). Therefore, I plan on giving voice to a few of my more thought out ideas in the next few posts if I get a chance, but this post was the most important one for me, to lay the groundwork for my thoughts on how, given such freedom in Christ as to follow where the Spirit leads each of us, I can strive to find value in the opinions of others, regardless of what Jesse and I find best for our own family. Some topics that are pushing around in my head: the recent campaign and upcoming elections, hospital births, homemaking vs working outside the home as a mom of young kids, money, vaccinations, and food. I may or may not get to all of these, but every time I sit down to write, I want to move into a deeper topic than just what is going on in my mundane life. I'm seeking an outlet for the things I am thinking and learning about, and have felt so hesitant to put myself out there in that way, because I don't want others who disagree with my thoughts to feel judged, angry, or hurt - and I don't particularly enjoy feeling that way either. So, keeping the freedom I have found in Christ at the forefront, I charge ahead, hoping that others will offer me the same grace and love I hope to offer as well.

Random musings

Home sick again- seems like that's the only time I have to sit and write much these days. Time flies so fast, and it feels like every minute of the day is full of - something. Even if it's just unimportant "somethings." Like watching American Idol- this is a weekly date for Jesse and I, to sit and watch tv together. We don't really watch much tv at all right now, but we are enjoying Idol. The rest of the days are full between working, cleaning and cooking, planning and running events for the young adult ministry at church, and trying to keep with friends as best as we can. We make a real effort to be social but sometimes it can be pretty exhausting. And then I get run down and my little immune system stops fighting all the germy organisms I come into contact with each day... and, well, I end up using up sick time as fast as I accrue it. Which brings me to today.

I have recently begun writing in a paper journal again, since Jesse gave me a beautiful one for Easter. I haven't been consistent about journaling since we got married, which leaves a hold of 1.5 years in my written memoirs. I find that I am much more distracted and have to verbally process the same information and stresses repeatedly since I'm not writing them out. Thankfully, God knew what He was doing when He gave me to Jesse, since along with any good thing, he also got all my annoying habits, like repeatedly processing the same topics. No one bears it as well as my Jesse could, but I should still probably try to spare him a least some of the chatter. So I wrote the other day, wrote about all the things making me feel weighted down and burdened, along with some of the joys and beautiful things about our life right now. It helped me to rest in the Lord's peace, just getting it organized and on paper.

I've been reading a few really wonderful books. One is a re-read, Hidden Art by Edith Schaeffer wife of the renowned Francis). I checked the book out about a year ago from our church's library, read most of it, and returned it. I loved it - she has a chapter dedicated to many different areas of what I think of as "mundane art," or daily art. Or, as she calls it, "Hidden art." She talks about home-making and decorating, painting, poetry, music, baking/cooking, etc. It was an inspiring read, and I have thought about it often over the year. I might even have checked it out a second time. A month ago, I found it used- the same old hardback copy, in a bookstore up in Bellingham. What a treasure! I decided to really read it this time instead of skimming the interesting chapters like I did last time. I recommend it highly- I love her attitude of giving (she helped found L'Abri with her husband) and serving and diligence. It reminds me of all that is written in Proverbs 31.

I've also been reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I found out I could download a copy temporarily from our local library, and while it expires after 21 days, I can re-check it out digitally. Since I'd been hoping to read this for months now, I decided to try it out, even though I typically don't read "well" on the computer. It's a great book and has kept me engaged through the first 100 pages, even in a digital copy. It is coming out soon in paperback and I am planning to pre-order it. It's the story of her family's first year trying to eat (almost) completely locally. I never really stopped to think about how far the food we eat must come, especially fresh produce in the winter! Things like oranges and lettuce don't grow here in the winter, so it has to come from somewhere. That travel guzzles gas, driving the cost of gas up. I know we're only one little household, but we've been thinking and talking about trying to eat locally for a year now. It's pretty tough and expensive to do when you don't have a garden of your own, but there are plenty of farmer's markets around for us to choose from, and during the summer months are comparable to shopping for produce in the grocery stores. And since the food is locally produced, it's typically very fresh and the quality is usually excellent. So we're going for it. We're also considering joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for next winter to continue with our quest. We would pay a set fee up front and receive local winter produce all year (squash, some greens, potatoes, etc). I think we can do it, and I'm creative enough in the kitchen to make up recipes for whatever we have in our pantry. It's a fun challenge and an artistic outlet for me to be creative in the kitchen (Hidden Art!) We'll still probably buy (some) meat at the grocery store, but we already eat a lot of vegetarian meals, and even more in the summer. As long as I know I have a few meals planned each week that are fast on the nights we're really busy.

On one last note- we went to the first two Mariner's baseball games of the season, and I don't think I've ever seen my husband look so much like a pleased 3 year old! :o) His birthday present this year was a 16-game set of tickets for this season (plus another set for me or whoever he wants to take), which was pricey but worth it for all those fun dates! Neither of us had ever been to an Opening Day game, and the energy and crowd was fun - and we WON! I'm looking forward to a season of fun games together.