blessings...

This morning my husband was a little extra loving. He and I were up too late just talking up in our room, and even though it's not so good on the 'good night's sleep' side of things, it really works on the 'feeling close' side of things! Hearing him tell me he loves me so much, and feeling his embrace in the kitchen with a honey pot in my hand, seeing his smile; I feel like this can only be a good day.

This morning Emma was sitting on the couch in the living room with me, getting her hair done before school. She said the sheepskin 'doesn't smell good'. I pressed my face into it and inhaled deeply. It smells great! It smells a bit sheepy, which is perfect. It reminds me of our sheep when I was little, on the farm. My sisters and I each had one named after us, which I'm pretty sure didn't even begin to matter to the sheep themselves, but made us feel pretty good. My crafty Aunt Mona carded and spun the wool, and wove us scarves from our very own sheeps' wool. And there are few smells that please me better than the warm, dusty scent of a barn. It reminds me of hugging horses, and cuddling a baby goat... watching cows chew their food, and playing in the hay barn. Dad and Uncle Shawn tied a huge thick rope to the rafters, and we got to swing off the top of the calving shed in the barn, and land in the straw. We also had a fort up there, made of small square bales. ...

It always seems to be a better day when I play the piano for a while. I finally took a little time on the weekend and played a couple times. And I helped my children with their own music as well. It feels so good, kind of like a little glow. I haven't been practising much, and I have missed a lesson as well, because of some mysterious (hopefully short-lived :) medical concern. I only have about half the time I am used to- and I have to choose really carefully what I do while I am up and about. This has made me really think about what matters most for me to do in a day... It's not the vacuuming! I am trying to find a tricky balance between work and pleasure; I could read and write and play music all day, but then there is my work to consider! I think it's like this for everyone! (Almost everyone I know, at least :) So I have discovered, by communicating with (read: listening to :) my family, that the most appreciated and valued work I can do for them is making food. Should t...

This has been an important priority to me all my life. I am so thankful that my grandparents, and their parents... left the places they'd called home and braved it all to find and make a place where their families could be raised in peace and freedom. I love peace more than anything else. It's always been that way for me. Getting along with people, having a clear conscience, teaching my children to be peacemakers, - even trying. I will never be able to thank all the soldiers who willingly left homes and families to protect the innocent citizens of the world. I don't know many of them, but I think that making a good and peaceful life with the freedoms and opportunities they've protected and created for me is a thank you. I can try.

What I am surprised and happy to say today is that I feel just fine about winter coming! It's cold and there's some snow on the ground. The sky looks extra clear, and very blue outside. There are patches of ice on the roads, and somehow it's all just fine with me. Maybe it's because I can exercise in the house, and don't have to brave the elements when the great outdoors is a bit intimidating! Or it could be that I am still feeling the glow of my husband's love. We had a good weekend, up visiting his family... He's been so kind, and I love it. Yes, I think that when so many things are just right, I can handle the idea of winter coming to visit for a while.  :) I read a story about a boy whose family escaped from Rwanda when the genocide happened about 15 years ago. His survival of all he endured, and his ability to live so long on a flicker of hope for a better future... these really inspired me. I think I'll keep hoping, too. One anecdote in his book w...