From Wrestling to Letters

Have you seen Nacho Libre?  Well, if you have, think of the scene when Nacho is getting his butt kicked by the two midget wrestlers.  That is how it has been going with me, except I'm getting my butt kicked by my allergies and my laundry.  Instead of tag-team, they both jumped in the ring.

Totally unfair.

Seriously?  I don't know where the time is going, and I am not sure what I have gotten accomplished, but somehow we keep having clothes to wear and I am getting Christian to school each morning.  We are just doing some ordinary stuff around here these days.

The kids have started T-ball and softball.

Christian recited the Gettysburg Address for his class, and made it onto the plaque that his teacher keeps for all the students who have memorized it.

We went on a Hawaiian vacation.

Just kidding.  We went for a walk around the block, and I took some pictures for the I Heart Faces challenge, but then didn't get them on the computer and write a post early enough.  So, I will share the picture with you!  Michaela is one sweet girl, y'all.  You have no idea (unless you know her, then you have some idea)...she is such a helper, and she is so encouraging and loving.  I love her so.

Guess who else does?

I have been a stitching fool, and to keep me company while I stitch at night I have been watching movies on the computer through Netflix.  So cool!  Not good for my back, but a fun way to get something done.  I will show you what I've been up to soon...it's not quite finished.

There are so many things floating around in my head...thoughts and ideas, things that have happened.  I feel as though I'm sorting through mail in my mind, and I'm not good at that in real life, much less in my head.

What am I talking about?!

I might need to lay off the Benedryl, but this would lead to some very messy moments and feelings of insanity in general.  So, I'm not sure what to do about that.  Maybe I could write a letter...

"Dear Allergies, GO AWAY!  Sincerely, Christina".

I am also sending this note, pronto...

"Dear Puberty, I'M 35!!  GO AWAY!  Sincerely, Christina".

I have a way with words, right?

I know.  That's what keeps you coming back here.  And I'm so glad you do!  Until next time, and I am hoping that it will be a bit more coherent.  (Like all the other things I write.)

Some Important Stuff, Apparently

When Christian gets a hold of my camera

I never know what I will find

but it's always funny to see

what parts of our life he deemed important enough to capture

no matter how odd they may be

That jogger is going for its inaugural trip tomorrow morning; I promised Michaela that we would go for a walk/bike ride. 

Camera back in my hands...upcoming events:  T-ball and softball.

Oh, and also Who Can Hang Around and Be Cute.  You can always look forward to more of that.  And rest assured you will see pictures like the one above, and not like this (back to Christian's photography)

That is just plain scary.

Seen and Unseen

I have learned something this week.  It is the same lesson from two different sources. 

I have learned that things are not what they seem. 

Maybe I should have written that things are not always what they seem, but I think that in this one case it may be accurate to say that things are not, ever, what they seem. 

There is always something that lies beneath.

On the surface what we see is beauty, or organization, or mature spirituality.  And I am not trying to say that these things are a fake, a cover-up, or a sham.  What I am trying to say is that it isn't the whole story.  There are things that lie below that translucent area which is clear and visible and sparkling.  While the unseen isn't apparent, it is important; it gives substance to what is seen, it gives weight to what is seen, and it sometimes forcefully determines what is seen in the end.  It may be shocking, and it may even be devastating.

There is a family here that has been left behind.  A mom and her girls are now missing something; they are incomplete, in an earthly sense.  And I don't think anyone saw it coming.  We can be very good at appearances.  And yet...what good is it to look good on the outside but be unraveling on the inside? 

As for being the one who is looking?  Look deeper.  Don't take what you see for granted.  Try to get the whole story.  This involves knowing people, which is much harder, time-consuming, maybe even inconvenient.  But really knowing others and letting them really know you could be part of your saving grace.

Shhhhh

I have a secret. 

Stay seated!  It has nothing to do with my uterus. 

By the way, that is one crazy word.  Just look at it.  It doesn't even look right, but I double checked.  Who came up with that word?  I will have to look into that one day, but not now.

Right now, I am busy.  Busy with a secret.  And with the 17 sneaky loads of laundry that were hiding all over the house and have now converged in the back of my kitchen (where I am fortunate enough to have my laundry paraphernalia!) wreaking all kinds of thorough havoc in an otherwise very peaceful and orderly environment.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  That was a good one, wasn't it? (The peaceful and orderly part, I mean)

Are you the kind of person who can't stand not knowing a secret when you know there is a secret?  Well, if you are then here is a hint...

I have been stitching...I am, in fact, a stitching fool. 

Well, the stitching has nothing to do with my foolishness...but I have been stitching up a proverbial storm the last few days.  Hence, the disaster in my house?  Can I blame it on that? 

Ah, that would be nice, but...I have to be honest.  The disaster has been around longer than the mad stitching. 

I thank you all for your kindness regarding my last post and the sense of solidarity that I always find here.  I must get back to my cornucopia, though, having now given my finger a small break from pushing the needle through the fabric over and over for a couple of hours. 

Oh, and you can guess my secret, but I can't tell for a little while...

Melancholy Monday

one of those days

you can't quite pinpoint

why you feel so blue

or just a bit fragile

tomorrow is coming

and you can still smile