friday five: random

At RevGals Revkjarla writes:

I don't know about you, but my life seems to have a lot of random surprises lately.  Just little things,

like the doggy in the picture, who was rescued by a Good Samaritan from running into traffic, who then brought him to the police, who brought him to my neighbor's house.  I took the doggy, now named Scout, to the vet on Monday, and the woman behind the desk said, "This dog looks so familiar.  Were you here last week?"  I told her no, that this particular dog is a stray, and she looked at me, and said (use your best Boston accent here), "Oh my GAWD!  I rescued that dog on Satuhday!  I took him to the police!" and then she proceeded to tell me the story.  She was Scout's angel.    

Random, right? 

So, for our Friday Five, I invite you share five random things about you, or five random thoughts, or five random surprises in your life. 

Just be random!

I started out with some small world stuff but quickly realized that they probably only seem fascinating to me...

1)  I wrap presents without tape and my bows don't have knots. I learned this from my mother, who learned it from her mother. Now my daughter and daughter-in-law want to know how to work such magic. Glad there will be at least one legacy by which to be remembered!

2)  In spite of the fact that I'm not a jock and I hate to sweat I graduated from college as a phys. ed. major.  My conversion came about when I checked a book out of the library the summer after my sophomore year called Winning is Everything and Other American Myths, which is a collection of essays on sport sociology. Who knew there was such a discipline? The clincher came when what I was learning in my Kinesiology and Anatomy of Human Movement classes became applicable as a gymnastics coach. That was one of the most exciting periods of my college experience.

3)  I play the recorder. It's been years since mine has seen the light of day or ear heard its sweet song. My brother and I used to play duets with some regularity, and once upon a time I played as a member of the "Cathedral Consort" when I lived in Hartford. It was wonderful discipline to be part of that group and they were forgiving when I had a tough time on the high notes. I also got introduced to some great music as a result. Gosh, thinking back to that time brings a smile to my face...

4)  I learned about a woman who celebrated her 38th birthday by doing 38 random acts of kindness for people. It'll probably take some doing (not to mention some time) to do as many raks as years I will have to celebrate on my next birthday, but I've already got some ideas about some things I might do. I'm open to suggestions on this, by the way. On facebook there's a page called The Birthday Project that is about the same kind of thing.

5)  I have an extra vertebrae in the coccygeal area of my spine. This might contribute to my "long rise."

holiday aid

I mentioned in my friday five post that I was going to make an effort to document the month of December in some way to capture its meaning to me. Along came a great tool for accomplishing such a thing, a holiday photo checklist. The problem with it, as with so many holiday and internet-available aids, is that it doesn't really suit individuals or families that don't have children upon whom to focus. Although we have grandchildren they are not nearby, so my photo opportunities need to focus elsewhere.

Being the resourceful chickie that I am, however, I have created my own list that doesn't rely on little ones to complete the Christmas picture. I have already updated this since first posting to include some additional thoughts, though the list does reflect my own life at the moment, which doesn't have a community of faith with which we are involved, nor a circle of friends locally with whom to celebrate and enjoy various sorts of exchanges. Take it for what it's worth. These lists are suggestions and a place to start thinking about photos or ways to document the holiday that don't require young ones.

I am indebted to the gift of a rainbow in this morning's sky while out with the dogs earlier. I was unable to capture a picture of it due to the delay in getting to my own camera. Now THAT would have been a great addition to the collection.  I at least had the presence of mind to thank God for the gift of seeing it. Not all is lost!

Click on the image for a closer look if you're so inclined. This is free for sharing as a pdf.

Blessed second Sunday of Advent!

lelftovers

And by that I mean these are the memories that linger after the event has passed.

We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with our friends Jimmy and Barbara. Jimmy thoughtfully took a turn behind the camera so that I might actually show up in a photo. One of these days I'll learn how to get him into the picture via photoshop.

We were at Melrose for the long weekend, something I didn't mention out of a sense of caution not to advertise our absence from home. I've never worried about that before, but this time I erred on the side of, well, caution! Friday morning we had some dense fog, and it occurred to me that some pictures besides the obscured front view might be out there somewhere. Here's one.

 

 We promised Mom a picture of the Thanksgiving spread. Melrose is a place of hospitality, and over the years gatherings of all sizes have been seated at this table. Ken, especially, wanted Mom to see Melrose hospitality being enjoyed at his favorite holiday. Alas, we do not have a group shot of everyone at the table.

 

Here's Jude, at 4 and a half months looking every bit the chunky monkey (Trisha's phrase!) wearing 12-month clothes. I was reminded by his attire that I had forgotten all about a "my first thanksgiving" bib I bought for him. Note to self: Ashley covers all those bases, so I don't need to do so in the future. I now have a bib I can gift to someone else at some point.

 

And here's Cross, wearing a thanksgiving headpiece (made by his Mom--where does she find the time?) and a look deserving a caption. Anyone? 

And finally, at least for this round, another Pinterest copy! I decided that a project with the boys (collecting sticks from the yard) to create this vase/candle holder would be a fun thing to do. They were all about gathering sticks, and watched with some fascination as I glued the first two onto the vase. Beyond that, not so much. Poor Cross, he couldn't grasp why I didn't immediately attach the 1-foot, 1-inch diameter piece of kindling onto the glass.  Just a note should anyone else want to tackle this very easy project--it's more time-consuming than it looks, especially in a group of nine with three young'uns commanding attention.  Kenneth picked up where I left off when I needed to shift my focus to dinner. Who knew an army ranger was  so handy with a glue gun?

And that, friends, is a wrap for now. We did capture a great family photo that is being used for our Christmas card. Once those go out I'll post it here. I don't want to steal the impact for those of you who receive our card.

friday five: the seasonal string around my finger

At RevGals Kathryn writes: It's a busy season and our minds get caught up in lots of different things. We all know that especially during this time of year we have to be intentional about the things that are important or we can lose them. What are five things you try to be intentional about, whether it be for this season specifically or in general?

1) This year I am trying to be intentional about making a daily record of what this season means to me. I have a great childhood to thank for implanting in my being a love for Advent--long before I understood what Advent was about. We had family traditions that practically overflow the memory banks, and I love each and every one of them. As an adult without children of my own I haven't been able to continue those traditions n the same way, but I do carry them in my heart with deep affection, and now with grandchildren I can do a little something here and there to extend the joy.

2) During this season I try to think of special things to do for the people who have touched my life during the year. This year I have colleagues for the first time in a long time, and I am enjoying "plotting" little things to do to acknowledge that I am grateful for them.

3) I am a Pinterest junkie, and I am endeavoring to implement some of the great ideas that I have pinned on my various boards. I've actually pulled off a couple of them, one of which was the wreath I made for my daughter-in-law for her birthday. (see photo). I'll actually have a two week break from work at Christmas, and my plan is to use that time to implement even more of the great ideas that inspire me.

4) Regardless of season, I am making an effort to stop myself from saying things "bluntly," and taking the time to reframe what needs to be said in a way that doesn't come across as critical or negative. There are some people in my life that tend to provoke blunt reactions, so my goal is to improve those relationships by taking the edge off how I sometimes respond.

5) There have been some significant changes in my world this year, and I want to be intentional about communicating to the people who were/are part of the good things that have come about how much I value those good things.


Bonus: I am trying to live from a place of gratitude more often, and so far, that hasn't been hard. I'm praying that the discipline of being rooted in gratitude will have life-changing consequences.