Roots

We all come from somewhere, the products of our families, friends, choices and experiences.

 I was thinking about my dog today. He stayed with me through most of high school. I named the poor little fellow after a dog from a movie. My brothers and sisters wanted to keep Peach, the one that looked like she had some golden retriever in her. But as I was the youngest my parents let me choose, and I've always favored the underdogs. 

He was so good. His walk reminded me of a choochoo train and he was so patient and fun. He followed us around, and joined in on adventures. He was good herding chickens, and hunting gophers, and raising kittens. They would curl up right next to him like he was their own mother. He was so timid. I watched a newly captured wild kitten scratch him right on the nose once, and he just took a couple steps back. But no big dog or person who was under suspicion was big enough to make him back down.

 Once, after a good solid white washing from my brothers he came up and licked the tears off my face till it tickled so much I stopped crying and just laughed. 

He just popped in my head today. One more wonderful thing in life to be grateful for.

Gentlemen

They say a few good men are hard to find. But I'm known for being exceptionally lucky. And it seems the legends must be true, because I found a fair few. 

If there is one thing I'm not looking forward to about leaving, its this.

Lets do one more of these before I go. 

Jonah's Prayer

 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.  The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. 6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.  When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.  They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

This became one of my favorite passages a few years back. Prayers from the belly of the whale, or well, and the pit of despair. 

For a Friend

Three seemed appropriate. 

darden road asks, have the stars all left your eyes?

Lack. 

I saw this sunrise the other day. It happens, and wasn't really happenstance, that I happened to be driving down a back road. The kind that's paved, but only just. The farms were nestled in between the hills, and the fields were all layered in snow. Light has a special way of moving at morning. A bluish caressing that lights upon the surface and seems to sink in for a moment before evaporating into clouds, and leaves it with a softening glow that waits and lingers, just to make sure you caught it. 

As one saying, blessing I will bless thee. Go on. 

An hour before, there was naught but the dark, and it was the heavy kind, that weighs your lids and your heart down. I could barely sustain. But then such a curious thing came Glowing brightly in the east. It was small, single and slender. But it came as a promise and sign. Night does not last. 

Soldier on, soldier. All the stars are shining on you, hope is coming and you will make it through.

...

Still don't know? Try 1526.

Lining

Storm clouds are the sliver lining of my life. I love all they bring. I love wind, the way it feels, the way it sounds. I love rain drops wetting me through, or watching them drip. I like watching them drop from branches and race down window panes. Thunder, like the deep voice of a good friend, calls out. And lightening, well it's like god has made a fireworks show that puts our independence day attempts to shame. I even like the power outages. Candlelight and whatnot.   

Some people don't like this kind of weather. They only like it when it's sunny. I like that too, but too long in the sunshine and  even the most resilient shrink and shrivel. 

I'm just saying, those stormy bits let you see the silver, the hope of what grows after you battle it out and show nature you are equal to the task.  

mid-sentence

Best quotes from this Christmas:

-"I'm playing Mary, but my real name is {insert name here} and I'm with child." 

-In his mock angry yelling voice, "ALRIGHT! Everybody sit DOWN and have a NICE time!"

-"Flying helplessly through the air...like a piece of baloney."

-"I don't want to go. You can't MAKE me! ...I wish there WERE such a thing as super glue, so I could glue myself here."

Best moments: 

After taking captive a very amiable hostage, we spies set aside our guns to play Loot with the ransomee inside our pirate cave. We even had a candle. 

Reading a Christmas carol out loud, and doing the voices. 

Ever sketchy, always instructive and interesting lock picking lessons. 

A family Christmas pageant. We were short handed, so I was both a shepherd and wiseman. The donkey was especially brave since our family has a long established tradition of urging the donkey forward with good solid spanks.

Music time with the trumpet players. 

Trampoline time and tickle torture: standard play.

Listening to old songs being played on a harmonica, echo over the dam and down the river canyon. 

Pow-wow on grandpa's bed, with daddy, the grandkids, and the kitten, to watch old movies. 

Games: from giant checkers to banana grams and much stacked in between.

Food so good and in such abundance we set up a dozen people to hibernate for the rest of the winter. 

Prayer and Hugs each night before bed. 

Fires in a wood stove. 

Christmas songs played on the piano. 

Presents wrapped with Sunday Funnies

Presents wrapped like modern art. 

Silly pajama ..(and silly people) ...time. 

Merry Christmas Kids. 

I hope you all had fun with your families. If you need some more, come get adopted into mine. 

They say beautiful is something...

Certain things stick with us. Everyone seems to pick something different, but we've all got something we carry with us. It makes you wonder, would mom approve of what you've been putting in your pockets? What are you carrying with you, what have you left behind? Is that really where you want it to be? 

Which kids are you keeping as company, what character are you keeping as self?

Let me tell you something boys, I don't mind that you're bringing home the snakes and snails. I'm all for trouble. But maybe I need to be filling my pockets with something of a different style. 

The picture is one of my high places. I think we each need at least one. A place with personal significance. A closet to pray in. You, God, and His sunset.