Winter Treasure Hunters

Winter stretches out it's empty branches, still in the wait for life, laughter, leaves.

It's the work of the boy, the mamma too to go and seek out beauty in the dead, the grief, the loss...Winter.

The work, it's a choice. It's digging deep and looking really, really closely, attention to detail that helps one to fined the beauty that lies quietly.

Or searching the horizon, wondering and wandering...searching for beauty.

Treasure of Winter, found

And then he comes to me with a handful of sparkling beauty, stones that are in the mix, but because they've been hunted, discovered, they are treasure right there on the dirt.

And we drink up the hot, minty tea-water that soothes the soul and warms the belly, Right out in that Winter. My soul is warm, satisfied.

The boys dig, and I count. I number on paper the ways I have loved my Grandpa. The ways he loved me. And my achy soul is soothed, I am hunting treasure too.

...our lives are never quite the same after we spend time hunting treasure. We always, always find it. And our eyes are tuned in a bit more to the beauty found right in the middle of Winter.

I love you, Grandpa

You will be so missed. I can't imagine life with out you. Thank you for so many great memories....

 

 

 

 

12 of 365

I love this picture....Eli still in jammie pants, Nate with unbrushed hair. Bball on a winter's morning. This is our house.

Things have been buzzing around here.

Last week I had three friends come from Oregon to stay over while we all attended an Andrew Pudewa conference on writing (equipping little people to write well) here in WA. The conference was fabulous, the guests were a treat, we had a lovely time! I took crazy notes and perhaps I'll be sharing things with you here as I digest them.

I've been painting! It's a settling, peaceful job to be doing. The boys pop in and out while I work, I get a lot of help from one particular boy. I started in Joe's room as we had chosen the colors and his room is small...I need small weekend projects while we're in school.

Been picking through the Handbook of Nature Study, thinking on how boys should be outside, and just what that means for me as a teacher of three boys. It's easy to think that we should simply take our seatwork outside, but I'm thinking of other things that will draw my boys out. We're planning our garden. We do have a fabulous, large yard that's an empty slate. I have big plans in my mind. I have to steer the boys away from the seed corner in the store, they'll want to buy up one of everything! So far we have a lot, I'm excited. Today we'll get out and do some surveying of the land, make some plans where things will be.

I've been running in the wee hours these days, before Ralph drives off in the dark. I was pleased yesterday that the sunrise beat me home. However, I tripped on the sidewalk bump and tumbled hard, my knees whined all night long and I felt a new sympathy for the scraped up knees of my little boys. It hurts to fall. But really, I'm memorizing this new sidewalk trail. When I hit the pavement Juneau flew to my side wondering what on earth I was doing down there I'm sure. It was reassuring.

I saw Mr. Heron, (third or forth sighting) and a beaver scooting around joyfully in the early morning. What a treat it is to be on the river! All new wildlife. Our joy stops at skunk #2, trying to take up residence in our backyard....

Reading Ann Voskamp's "One Thousand Gifts" and digging through the stuff it all pulls up. I read a page or two, then digest a day or so. It's really that much for me. What a treat to get my hands on this little book, and it lifts my soul, I'm thankful for the words that she dared to put on paper. And chewing on this;

I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live

on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in

every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

(Philippians 4:11-12)

And today I'll push up out of this distracting desk and shower, school and launder my clothes and house.

I hope you all have a lovely day, friends. Think about cultivating thankfulness;

1. sunshine slipping through every window on our East side

2. the happy, quiet sound of little trains on tracks on wood floors

3. the leisure of sitting at this desk for a minute before I get my day going

4. jack johnson's wandering happy music on a tuesday morning

5. dental insurance

Day 11

Sunshine on our School.

Day 11 of 365

My hero-pantry-building-husband. A jeans pic...