Monday, October 14, 2013

Noticings...Gifts.


Friday was delightful dear friends in such simple ways, life gives out those simple pleasures and I drink them up. I love the simple pleasures (gifts!) more then Elvis loves jewels yes I do.

Things I saw Friday that I noticed and gave adoration for- as Gifts from the Lord.

My daughter Michelle waking up and asking me if I wanted to go to smalltown to shop at Dollar General, I do believe she had read my mind or my heart, needing to get out and adventure a little.  You see I can make a little adventure out of most little drives in the country devoid of billboards given the right music and sweet attitudes sometimes my music is God's music in nature.  This day I said...Oh yes, let's goooooo....let's go to the store..... let's go to the stowe......

On the way to the store we listened to Steven Curtis Chapman and the sweetest most beautiful song about February 20  2008 when Steven Curtis Chapman lost his little girl.  The little angel had drawn a picture of Heaven that morning and was asking questions what Heaven was like that day... So beautiful.  The cellos in this song, this most hallowed music weep for him I do believe...It is beautiful. Music is a Gift.  Steven Curtis Chapman is a Gift. 
 

I was wrapped up in the clouds so much that I had to make Michelle repeat something she had asked...I even muttered or shall I say whimsically murmured.....

Hold on...I'm enjoying the clouds....

The minute I said that, I said to myself,

...now that is a really cool thing Amelia, you seized the moment...  a study of God's most beautiful handiwork, a love affair with God's work...

My daughters know their mama well...no offense was taken, they know my inner-workings and that wonderment is norm for me- the hopeless-romantic artistic, sensitive mama perhaps more conventional then most but then a little more out there than some.  The last child in the woods...sometimes the kitchen.

It's just me Amelia.  Do you ever feel like that?  Fill in the blank your name, your characteristics.  We are just sojourners as children of God....citizens of Heaven.  I think we have a lot to say and a lot of Gifts.  Gifts.  Don't let people rush it. Slow down and enjoy.  Be a little child again.  Talk to the Father.  Talk to people and love them, oh love them...  Oh. And let your kids see you being a little child...I sure hate to see parents rush, rush rush all around...I think to myself, oh my goodness, those poor kids living with a mama like that.  Gee wilikins. 

At the drive-thru as Michelle and I drank our tea and nibbled potatoes, (gifts) a precious black man, a car hop randomly came to the car asking if we needed anything, he spoke with a bit of a lisp, and a childlike way that blessed my heart.  An angel.  A Gift.  Oh Lord, does he know that he was an angel to me today?  Help us to be an angel to him too.

At Walmart, we had a ball trying on shoes for the fun of it, beating the system, (gifts) and yes Michelle found some of those black voille Laurie Petrie shoes for under $6.00.  She had been needing ballet flats, this was the perfect deal. You can't find a prettier shaped shoe.

When leaving I spied, Adolph the doorman, a recent widower he has clearly been in grief.  He was looking away... I'm thinking...No I mustn't let him get away from me.   I didn't.  Hey Adolph!  

His smile and sweet surprised face he flashed at Michelle and I when turning around was worth a million to me.  A Gift.

At the stores: Walmart and the grocery I saw angels. Do you know sometimes we see angels?  A precious old black couple dressed so darling, as if they stepped out of the 30s or 40s?  Classic and beautifully simple.  A dark blue small print cotton dress with black dress loafers, he in his dress pants.    A sweet looking mexican girl kept smiling towards us, I felt she would have liked to be friends, and I managed to make conversation with her sweet mom.  At the grocery another beautiful black saint, he wore dress suspenders and a nice hat.  A pretty red headed lady, a checker and the bag guy who was so sweet to us and we all talked about our veggies and recipes and how we each liked to cook them. Oh so many colors, different skin, different hair colors, but all so very sweet. Gifts.  In some cases...angels.

Well life goes on and I'm a weird age.  I'm 52.  Isn't that strange?  How could I be 52?  My husband Jem is 60.  Huh?  How did that happen?

Life is weird, life is crazy sometimes.  I have battles like the rest, I want this to be an uplifting blog that offers encouragement but I don't want it to be a pie in the sky blog either that makes people think there is something wrong with them because their days aren't full of yes indeedies and murmurings about clouds.  Ya know?   I have days when I'm worried sick about my mom and dad at 83, they live apart my dad is far but yet they talk like brother and sister calling eacher honey still... and their sweetness just blesses me so very much I want to cry sometimes, I'm not sure they are appreciated like they should be.  I have days when I feel so misunderstood, that not a person in the world get's me.  So.  You're not alone.  I'm with you sweets. 

I'll close with some pics  a couple of weeks ago, Marianna and I made a trip to smalltown too!  So fun!  We went to Dollar General, (that is one fun little place) and Mar found this kitty-cat mask! : ) We thought it was so cute for any time of the year!  We decided Marianna must have the mask.  She decided she must wear it around town!  One dollar will provide much laughter!  Yay!  Soooo fun...and the looks we received...even funner...

 Marianna Ma'am...You are hilarious dear one.  A pretty good rendition of the 60s Cat Woman?




What's a trip to smalltown without a stop at this fantastic hardware store from the 30s???  So. Great.  We just wanted to go in...I told the owner' grandson that.  Yes I did.  I told him we just wanted to come in and look around because we thought it was neat.  I did find a nice metal 'No Hunting' sign to buy.  Mission accomplished. (see the glass blocks up above?)




 Cat woman turned back into Marianna at the grocery.  She spies a gigantic tree roach crawling down the windshield.  This girl is afraid of insects and spiders of any kind.  Put her in a murder trial courtroom and she smiles at the defendant, put a bug in her way and she melts....You're a trip Miss Marianna.  ; )

 Me. The brave valiant one. ; )  I promised Mar I would look to make sure the roacher was gone.


 Back at the Forest Cathedral...Jem gets a kick out of Marianna's fun little mask.





Life at the Forest Cathedral.  What Gifts have you noticed lately?  In what ways have you slowed down, seizing freedom in opposition to this crazy culture we're in?

Love to All, Amelia, the last Child in the Woods

3 comments:

Mary said...

Nice thoughts. Thanks for sharing.

Barbara said...

Beautiful post. I do try to seize the moments when I can to remember the Lord is with me and has all that concerns me under His control. I've made a conscious effort with this over the past couple of months and my mind has been much more at peace.

Thanks for a fun post!

Marianna said...

What a beautifully written post! And beautiful ideas too... that is so neat about all the special people at the store. And it is victorious to realize that we are actually living in that spirit of thanks that links us to God constantly. Lovely!

Also, the Kitty Nash alias pictures made me laugh- -- I had forgotten about those!! Lol... those are great. And that day was so fun, just as all our W.C. days are. I treasure them. Love ya!