One of my favorite books is by Bob Goff, called Love Does. Today my life felt like a chapter in that book. This morning I woke up to the beeping of my phone and this text from a friend: Dear Weldons, would you like to come spend the day with us? We will make you a pancake breakfast, we will get your laundry started, and then we’ll get to work on school stuff. We would love to have you! I went to bed wondering what the day would hold. I woke up so incredibly touched by this practical invitation. Love does. Today at lunch, at a full table of a dozen children and two mommies, Nadine thanked the Lord that our water was off so we could enjoy the day with our friends! I’m also thankful that I can run over to another friend’s house and go to the bathroom at any hour. I’m thankful for the offers of showers and baths. Sometimes we think about how we could help others, instead of just doing it. Being on the receiving end of love in action is incredible, but not even as much as being on the giving end. He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Prov. 11:25 Getting outside our comfort zone is awkward sometimes. It might involve having some un-bathed family raid your house and cupboards. It might not even be that dramatic. But when we love practically and specifically, we bless in eternal measures. Pressed down, shaken together, running over kind of blessings.
friends
Giant Generosity
Today I’m thankful for wonderful neighbors, especially Jen, who is this magical gardener. I’m thankful to drive past her house whenever I come home, and whenever I drive or walk by, I feel as if I’m transported out of the city to somewhere beautiful. I’m thankful for the ginormous pumpkin she gave me. It made five pan-fulls of roasted chunks, and five blender-fulls of puree! It could feed our family for a week, I think. I’m thankful for generosity shown to us through our family in Christ. God loves a cheerful giver! So many times we wonder at what He wants us to do. Usually He is just nudging us towards small, everyday acts of kindness, generosity, and selflessness. He loves that. It reflects who HE is to us. I want to reflect who He is to others.
Experiencing Joy
Experiencing new life never gets old. Today I had the privilege of walking the hospital halls with my friend as she bravely faced the painful journey of bringing their baby into this world. Every contraction just deepened my respect of her, of women, and of the amazing ability God has given us to manage excruciating pain. The mind and body are amazing things!
I was so proud of my friend, Kelly, today. Her courage was rewarded with this beautiful bundle of joy! Elliott Joy to be exact! 8lbs 8oz on the 8th. Thank you, Lord.
Exceptional Reminiscence
This weekend goes down in history as one of my favorites in a long time. I knew it would be fun, but an hour after arriving in Syracuse, my sides were already aching from laughter. It was great to be with my blood sisters and African sisters.
My sister, Sherry, graciously hosted all of us in her home. She is an artist, with touches of beauty all throughout her house. We spent most of our time around her kitchen table, looking at these sweet things her son picked for her.
Mugs of tea and coffee warmed our hands as we told story after story after story. We finally unglued ourselves from the table to enjoy a gorgeous day at Green Lakes State Park.
We took a leisurely 3-mile walk around the uniquely green-colored lakes, with the backdrop of tree blossoms just about to pop, all around us. Our photographers included strangers pulled from their own walks.
Also, a handy log and camera self-timer make for a good shot! I almost got impaled by a branch running over to the group for this one:
There were more funny things that happened or were said than there are legs on a centipede.
More even than the amounts of time a bumble-bee can buzz in its entire life.
Sisters, indeed, are the best.
After our lovely walk, we pampered our toes with some beauty and whimsy. Bonnie skillfully painted flowers, designs, and filigree on our toenails. Can you tell which ones are mine?
Saturday night we made an African meal, complimented by more stories. On Sunday, before we left, we took a series of photos. I gave my camera to my nephew, Nathanael. When I told him he could take as many as he wanted, a small chuckle escaped his throat, and we heard a constant stream of “click, click, click,” coming from his direction. I deleted over 50 shots, kept quite a few, and am sharing my favorite four.
When Ruthie and I first met, we were more like friend-emies… a mixture between best friends and enemies. For over twenty years now we’ve visited back and forth, been in eachother’s weddings, marveled at eachother’s children, laughed, cried and prayed for one another. What a blessing friendships grown with time are. Like the most delightful wine. Aged to perfection.
I love how this picture captures the fact that, no matter how many years have passed, we’re really still just kids deep inside.
I will relish these memories for the rest of my life. I treasure these friendships even more.
Willow’s Day
Life is so beautiful. Today I had the privilege of going to the smallest funeral I have ever attended. The baby was in a tiny wooden box, about the size of a man’s hand. Inside, a life that just one day ago was warm and cozy inside her mother’s womb, lay still, but spoke volumes to our hearts. Sixteen weeks old, her hand barely covered half of her mama’s fingernail. Her feet, about the height of a penny, never touched earthly soil, but now they skip and play on golden streets. The beauty of the spring sunshine and barely green willow trees framed the morning perfectly. We all gathered under the weeping willow tree which marks her earthly tie. Friends and family who mourn, stand, hope, and love. There is courage on her parents’ faces, as they trust in the Maker of life who gave and took away. On the faces of her two brothers and two sisters, there is pride in their baby sister, who made it to Heaven first. We’re told to mourn with those who mourn, and my heart aches with these amazingly special friends. Yet, what joy and comfort we have, knowing she is being kept safe in Heaven for you.
China Tea Cups and DNA
Thursdays are a highlight for us this year. Every afternoon we get together with some super cool homeschool families and have a blast doing aspects of school that wouldn’t normally be possible at home. Last week the kids learned all about DNA from their amazing Science teacher. They extracted DNA from a strawberry and I couldn’t explain how… I just know that I’ve never seen a five-year-old stoked about DNA. Then we had a valentines day party with mailboxes and cards and a snack that doubled as lunch!
Today, my friend Kim, from Sanderson Images, came up with this fantastic idea to make the kids’ school portraits really creative. She and her husband took these amazing photos a couple of weeks ago, then today the kids made a collage around their picture of things they like. I love how each one turned out so unique to their own personalities and loves. (I got to decorate Betty’s… fun!)
On other school days, we often break for tea around ten o’clock. It doesn’t take much to convince me that the teapot and fancy teacups need a little love. A fine tea time will often bring out the best in children. When real china is served into their sweet little hands, they feel special and of much worth.
It’s a precious memory that I plan on continuing for the rest of my life.
There is something so sweet when I see two of our children pair up and sit as close as they can to each other.
Then there is the sweetness that is sleeping children. Apparently socks on the hands are all the rage for sweet dreams. No lie, sometimes I sleep with socks on my hands too. It’s not because I’m trying to fit in, it’s just because they’re so cracked that I lather vaseline all over them and then cover them with socks. In the morning my hands are soft again… at least for a couple hours. After laundry, cooking 3 meals, cleaning up from 21 place settings, scrubbing hands besides my own, and a great many other things… my hands are usually dry as a bone once more. I don’t mind, though. I love my job, I love this beautiful life God has given me. In fact, this thankfulness inspires me to try my hand at poetry for the first time in years:
Thank you, Lord for mailboxes and letters.
Thank you for china tea cups and DNA.
Thank you for socks on hands and dreams so sweet.
Thank you for precious friends to grace each day.
Highlights of Color and Love
Last night I was playing through the events of the day and picking out my favorite ones. One of the highlights of my day definitely was when I was playing the piano with Betty on my lap and she kept laying her head down on the keys. That is her signature move for love. In words, if she could speak them, she said, “Mom, I love the piano and I could sit on your lap and listen all day.” The second highlight came while I was sitting at the piano and turned to see a dear friend standing at my door and hoping to find the tea pot on. Friends, my tea pot is always on. It was 2pm and I was still in my PJ’s: red fleecy pants with valentine hearts, and a green Ocean City sweatshirt. I looked like Valentine’s-Day-still-clinging-to-Christmas. It was groovy. For an instant I felt embarrassed, but that quickly left me when I remembered that real friends step inside your house, no matter how it or you look. And somehow nothing matters except their presence blessing your home. It was truly a highlight.
Sometimes I want to jump inside of Jack’s head. He thinks deep thoughts, but can’t always express them. Like yesterday when he told me he just can’t wait to get to heaven. He is pretty sure that God is going to lower a sheet from the sky and haul us all up there. I just listened as his wiry strong body tried to fit on my lap. I like to talk about heaven with my kids, because they have such peace about how good it is. The unknown is fearful and a bit insecure for us. Often our “knowledge” gets in the way of our faith.
Jack thinks in straight lines. He thinks a lot like how he laid these cards out on the table the other day.
Methodically. Carefully. A bit wildly at times. Notice the sword at the ready in the backpack? Have I mentioned before how big his hands are? They’re almost my size. Carrots and the color orange rock his world. Why not turn them into works of art? Yesterday he did just that:
Yes, he did that with his teeth.
Another highlight of my day was cozying the whole family up in the living room to watch Kung Fu Panda 2.
I love my kids. I love that all four of their blankets are from when I was growing up. I love that Jack’s special Pooh blanket was actually a baby gift for Nadine and that he somehow adopted it for himself. I love that Elsie has the most ginormous blanket and the littlest bed and that her Aunt Heather had it on her bed before she got married and moved away. I made Jack’s blanket when I was about 13, my first and only attempt at quilting. I was going to give it to my brother for Christmas that year, but thought maybe the roses were a little too feminine when it was all said and done. Sorry, John! We have never had the whole matching nursery/bedroom ensemble and it’s pretty obvious with the medley of colors hugging the kids in that picture.
Our color scheme is a coordination of memories and love. That makes me want to do a Betty move and put my head down on each cozy nook in that picture and say, I love you.
Happy Winter
I don’t think I’ve ever put those two words together at the same time. African blood runs too thick in my veins to really think that winter can be happy. But I’m embracing it, because it’s part of life, part of where we are, part of God’s creativity. There have been some special things that have happened this week that have eased me into this somewhat dreary time for me. A secret bag of treats left on our front porch one night while I was in the basement exercising. Popcorn, Christmas socks, and other treats warmed our hearts. Then, a special package from a friend. The love that came pouring out of that package was tangible. It was full of creatively wrapped Christmas presents. One of those delights was this amazing costume Sarah made. Folks, a pink super-hero has joined the ranks. Elsie calls the mask her “goggles” and she kicks grumpies out the door with her cuteness. Grouchiness (at least in me) runs far far away at the sight of her pink polka-dot cape. Stress is relieved by the smiles this super-cute-hero produces. I highly recommend adding a super- hero into your Christmas mix.
My favorite color is red. I love pops of red all over my house and bursts of red on me and my kids. So when I saw these shoes at the thrift store yesterday for $2, it was a no-brainer. I would love to sport shiny red shoes. I in fact have red heels that make my feet hurt so badly, but I wear them once a year because they make my heart beat faster. This girl makes me smile so much, and these red shoes… they make my heart glow! Thanksgiving meets Christmas here.
This week Matthew is working in Philadelphia on the 30th floor of some condos! To save gas, he is taking the train back and forth from his parents’ house, so we miss him around these parts! It makes anticipating this weekend even sweeter. Tonight is date night with Nadine, and thanks to a wonderful friend offering a sleepover for Elsie, and a wonderful Grandma to watch the other three, we will have a blast. I have a super-fun secret tucked up my sleeve, and I can hardly wait to share what it is! I’m plenty busy preparing for being the host of this year’s celebration! Our home will be bursting at the seams, which is just how I like it.
There is always room for super-heros and red shoes, though!
Happy Winter!
The Best is Yet to Come
Last weekend we had the privilege of going to a beautiful wedding. It was extra special, because we have walked with this couple from way back when… They are an incredible example of what God can do when you give Him control over your life and your love. The day was simple and exquisite. 
I was blessed with an incredible weekend. My sweet friend, MJ, let me swing by her house and she dolled me up with her sweater and jewelry. We met some great folks, ate delicious food, and were refreshed so much.
Josh & Niki, we are so proud of you. We’re encouraged by your faith in God, your trust in His best for your lives, and for your servant hearts. We love you and will continue to pray you through these best years of your lives.
Blue Nailpolish
Growing up as a third world culture kid, I still suffer from culture shock at times. Since it has been 20 years ago this month when my family was uprooted from the Congo, I am surprised when it hits me. It doesn’t always come in the same form. The change of American culture often used to hit whenever we would stand in the cereal isle of the grocery store and be unable to wrap our heads around the fact that there were more options than just cheerios and corn flakes. I’m still shocked when it seems like a new cereal has been added each month. I revert to my old upbringing and rely on the staples that see us through each week, ignoring the new and exciting boxes of sugar that scream, “Buy me!”
This week I came face to face with my past in a whole new, but extremely amazing way. My old friend Nadine emailed me that she was on the East Coast and would love to take the train to see us. The last time I saw her was on my wedding day, and for nine years I’ve been wishing she could meet my daughter whom I named after her. It was a crazy day and I wasn’t convinced it would actually happen until I saw her on my front porch and screamed with excitement, just as loud as my kids. 
The next 22 hours were a blur of non-stop talking, playing, and reminiscing. Seeing Nadine, with her laughing eyes, brown skin, gorgeous smile, and cute accent… was so therapeutic for me. Our friendship goes back to when we were babies. I remember very clearly, that whenever Nadine & I would not be getting along, she would go home. A little while later she would come shyly back to me with a piece of bread or a hard candy as a peace offering. Even as we got older we used to do that just for fun. This time she brought enough candy to make up for many years of peace offerings! In Africa there are these big aloe plants that grew between our houses. We used to break off the pointy bit of the leaf and carve our names into them. The scars would remain even as the plant kept growing. I often like to think that our initials are still there.
Another thing we liked to do was paint our nails blue, just like her mom, Aunt Lyn, after whom I get my middle name. This week my own Nadine sported blue nails. I felt ten again. Yet our conversations involved more than boys, candy, planting mango seeds, and Alf. It was fuller, deeper, and older. It meant so much to me.
When the time came to say good-bye, I was strong. Then as her train pulled away every ounce of strength got on the train with her and I just cried my way home. Sometimes I get angry because I never said goodbye the “right way” all those years ago. Sometimes I can’t even put into words why I feel connected the way that I do, to a past so long ago. I feel like it has been torn away and was never fully repaired. Some days I even truly wonder if the past was ever really there. But I catch glimpses of it, and remember. This weekend I was given more than a glimpse. I was given a huge handful of memories. I was blessed with the beautiful smile of an old friend, the affirmation of days gone by, and a bottle of blue nail polish.
Grow Old With Me 