Thacia stood still in the road. "Yes!" she cried, and Daniel was astounded to see that tears had sprung into her eyes. "Oh Daniel-yes! If only I could make you see, somehow, that it is!"
"All this--" she exclaimed, the sweep of her arm including the deepening blue of the sky, the shining lake in the distance, the snow-covered mountain far to the north. "So much! You must look at it all, Daniel, not just at the unhappy things." Suddenly she reached out and touched his hand. "Look!" she whispered.
He lifted his head and followed her gaze. Overhead,barely discernible against the blue of the sky, a long gray shadow hung suspended. Cranes, hundreds of them, were passing in a great phalanx. They wheeled and caught the sun, flashing light from banks of white feathers, with a shimmering like the snow on the mountain. Motionless, the two watched till the line slowly melted into the distant air.
Thacia let out her breath. "How beautiful!" She sighed. "It is beautiful just to be alive in Galilee!"
This quote is from our current read-aloud, The Bronze Bow. I actually missed this part in the book, (Ben read a chapter while I was away one night) and Ben brought me back to it because it is so beautiful. It is so easy sometimes, to get caught up in the unhappy things, the ugliness of this world. But, oh! What joy is found in looking for and basking in the beautiful things. Every beautiful thing is a glimmer of hope.... this world is being "renewed in the image of its Creator." One day, it will all be made new, and together with creation,we will all join in the beautiful praise song we were meant to sing to our God. But in the meantime, we hear measures of this beautiful praise all around us, like:
(the food from Backyard Bowls in Santa Barbara...YUM!!!)
3!!! That's right, 3!!! Dates with my husband this month! (Totally a side note, but it is oh so necessary, and such a blessing when people recognize that parenting five tiny people can be difficult, and that our marriage is absolutely worth investing in! I was on such a high from being able to go out with my husband that I offered to babysit for three people!!! I want to stand alongside people and say, "Your marriage is important!!!)
(The Spring Rolls from Mary's Secret Garden...YUMMMY!!!!)
Five beautiful, healthy children
Reading wonderful stories as a family- (Emma reading to the boys and some friends)
Vegetables in varieties of colors, tastes, and textures
Hearty, earthy grains, crumpled on top of pears...
Friends, and laughter!!!
The sunrise every morning whispering God's love and hope for the day
The sunset whispering God's peace for the night...
The sleep that each night reminds us that we are not God!!! (He doesn't need sleep but we do!!)
The cloth diapers that saved the day since we ran out of diapers and don't get paid until next Friday. =)
Baking pies with Emma and my mom
Staying up WAY too late with the girls
tea parties with friends
Warm smells and delicious tastes, reminding me of winter
The beautiful falling rain, watering the earth, pouring down God's blessing
I could go on and on... but I am sure you get the point. Today, I am so thankful. "It is beautiful just to be alive in Ojai!!" =)
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