thursday thought...

flight of a bumble bee...

there is a certain

undefinable

excitement i feel...

.

...when the first signs

of autumn appear

the days are still filled

with sunshine

although there

is a slight chill

 in the air

i spent the afternoon

walking

down a trail

enjoying

the changing elements

of nature

while my youngest son

crouched and ducked

in the woods

with his friends

dodging

 paintball pellets

i closely followed

the flight

of this bumble bee

as it would forage about

 from flower

 to purple plower

in search of nectar and pollen

i suppose

the more i observed

i was reminded

how fast paced our life

can be

if only i would take

more moments

to simply watch

 and observe

the more grateful

 i would be

for the amazement

yet complexity

of our creator's plan

 it is all around us

even

in the flight

of the bumble bee

thursday thought

gifts...

when an ultrasound

suggested

our third child...

.

 

...was likely a boy

our oldest son

asked to name him

a scary proposition

as one of my friends

had also just been through this

and her son's choice

for his soon to be little brother

was alfalfa

still i trusted

 the wisdom of our

eight year old

he chose matthew richard

the middle name i understood

 completely

it was after my father

the first name

came out of nowhere

so i looked up the meaning

gift of god

is what i found

sounded logical

as i believe all children

are gifts

today i had the pleasure of

spending the entire afternoon

with the now teenager

we shopped

for shirts and ties and suits

we dined at panera

his suggestion

we drove around

with him at the wheel

we talked

we reminisced

we connected

it hasn't always been like this

there were days

in the early years that

i would truthfully have

entertained returning

the gift

he was challenging

full of spit and fire

and then one day i recognized

it was partly my fault

he did not have my

entire heart

it was intertwined in anger

full of self doubt

it was living in a state

of denial

i was too concerned about

my fantasy of what

i thought life should be

rather than living

in the here and now

i had to first love myself

before i could expect him to

i had to get rid of the

negative energy swirling

around our life

i worked hard at that

thankfully

i openly shared my journey with

my husband

and found he too had arrived

at the same place

at about the same time

we worked together

as a team

as a couple

each time we plateaued

 divine intervention

would take over

threatening phone calls

came into our lives

at just the right time

untruthful letters arrived

that made us start over

just as we thought

conclusions had been reached

a nasty email was opened

which made us dig even deeper

and with

each mile of the journey

each step of the way

it was matthew

who grew right beside us

as our hearts became whole

so too did his

as positive energy

replaced the negative

so too did his

behavior change

as our souls became

spiritually driven

so too did his

i recognized today

as i held his hand

as i looked into his eyes

as i watched him interact

with those around him

that he truly is a

gift from god

i am grateful beyond words

for his patience

for his love

for giving me an even greater gift

that of forgiveness

for it is that which

truly opens your heart

to the possibilities of living

he makes house calls...

imagine this

a doctor

who still...

.

...comes to the house

sure hope he can

diagnose

and patch up our

wounded johns

seriously

steve jerome

a fourth generation plumber

in mayfield hts

came highly recommended

by a fellow quilter

i trust my stitchy friends

so we brought him in

honest beyond belief

clean and efficient

job well done

we're back in flushing order

now about that

leaking skylight...

thursday thought...

making progress...

and it

feels

so good...

.

 

...absolutely love

 the moment

when you turn it over

and see all 

four quadrants

stitched together

seams lined up

colors working

squared to perfection

ready now

 to tackle

the miniature white border

and the pieced

outer border

oh fiddlesticks...

not entirely sure

where

that expression...

.

 

...came from

but it seems most appropriate

for the exact moment

when you

think you are done

and

ready for the next step

only to realize

you've made a mistake

and a few seams

will need

to come out

birds & berries...

today was

one of

those days...

.

 

...that my mind and body

were craving

the motion of sitting

 at the machine

with the motor humming

it's a peaceful

and relaxing position

started a new

 project today

another schnibble

using birds & berries

the newest

by lauren + jessi jung

a mother/daughter team

i seem to be partial to those

types of duos

the beautiful future...

i believe

the children

are our future...

.

adam, maria, julie & tj

...teach them well 

 and let them lead the way 
show them all the beauty 

 they possess inside 
give them a sense of pride 

 to make it easier... 

thoughtful lyrics by the

late whitney houston

play over in my mind

as i had the privilege

 of spending

the weekend with these

four amazing and delightful

human beings

they are our future

male cousins by blood

friends for life

with their soul mates

divinely and spiritually driven

to make a difference

moving forward with the best

of intentions

with the love and support of

their families

so very grateful
to be able to share
in their lives