Breathing In Beauty

Last night after dinner, I stepped out on our front porch and breathed in beauty--cool, calm, twilighted beauty. The violent storms were gone, the pollen had been swept from the air and the sky was full of glory.

I called to Sarah to come downstairs and she and I grabbed our bikes and pedaled into the evening.

Nature. A daughter. Two bikes. A smile. It was such a lovely evening to breathe in beauty.

Lights, Camera, Action, Easter!

The last few weeks before Easter were extra busy ones for us. For a variety of reasons, we got a late start on our Easter production and so Steve and I, along with our music/drama team, basically ended up writing (and endlessly editing) a script, working out music and video elements, building a set, putting into place fairly complicated lighting, getting fog machines geared up, training the dance team for their number—all in the space of about four weeks.

Steve went up and down this ladder . . .

. . . at least forty times as he was getting the lights into place. And for a man who doesn’t care much for heights, that was quite an accomplishment!

There were meetings with different teams . . .

. . . and the pondering of various gizmos and gadgets.

Steve also worked with “Jesus” in planning out some of his movements.

The lighting for the tomb had to be looked into . . .

. . . and the resurrection itself planned.

After the resurrection scene was done, one of our team members performed a sign language number to the Nicole C. Mullens song, “Redeemer.” It was absolutely gorgeous (And it was made even more special by the fact that it was taught to her by Meagan, our fabulous future daughter-in-law.)

Sarah was a part of the dance team which she loved.

After one of the rehearsals where we were experimenting with the fog machine, I took some random pictures of the floating fog and later saw what looked like a bird floating through the air.

A few final photos . . .

The production turned out very well which we were glad about; however, more importantly, we have heard many reports since Sunday of how it touched people’s hearts.

We have such a wonderful story to tell and we are honored to have the chance to tell it in a fresh, creative way.

____________________________________________

Comments

Ericka said, As a follow up to the question somebody asked about photo storage, I have 2 more questions:

How do you deal with the impermanence of electronic media? Do you print photos/blog entries so that your grandkids and great grandkids will still be able to see them even after CDs or thumb drives are no longer used?

I often worry about this. If we never print photos and online writings, there will never be boxes in the attic for our great grandkids to look through and I hate that. The electronic media will be lost as the ability to access each type of storage device dies, which tends to happen rapidly.

Ericka, wow—that’s a great question.

I agree with you that we have lost something in life when there are no longer boxes in the attic of precious things for grandkids to rummage through. Looking at pictures on a digital device just sort of loses a little something when compared to taking actual pictures out of a box and passing them around to siblings or parents and sharing all those wonderful memories encompassed in every shot.

I don’t know if you’re familiar with online companies that will scan your extra special photos for you and print them out. I’ve yet to use this company called Scan My Photos but when I get some extra money gathered up, I already have some pictures set aside that I’m going to send in to have them turned into prints. I realize that it is possible to scan photos at home but if you have 500 or 1000 that you want to make into prints, it gets a bit time consuming.

As for printing out blog entries—that’s something I’ve not thought about a whole lot. Considering the fact that I’ve written over 700 posts with an average of 600-1000 words per post, that would be a whole lot of printing and too big of a job for my home printer. And yet I sure do hate the thought of ever losing all that.

If any readers have any ideas you’d like to share on answering this question, Ericka and I would both love to hear from you!

Waning Wobbliness

I did call my doctor yesterday about my strange symptoms and he said two things:

1) Discontinue the medication immediately

2) Go get blood work done immediately to check for liver issues.

He told me that this particular medication has a long half life so it might be a couple days all the way up to a week before I start noticing marked improvement in how I feel.

I wouldn’t be overly concerned with treating this fungus if were just a cosmetic issue but unfortunately the podiatrist said that it’s also changing the shape of my toe nails which are causing them to become ingrown and then they have to be cut out about once a year. Which is not so much fun. (Trust me on that.)

I did get my blood work results back earlier this morning and thankfully my liver function is fine, which is what my doctor was most worried about.

At any rate, that’s the scoop on that particular exciting aspect of my life! I’m sure you were hardly able to sleep last night, just thinking so much about me and the state of my toes. (Or not.)

I have a long, picture-filled update about 95% ready to go and will get it up sometime before bed time tonight.

Thanks for checking in and thanks too for your patience as I've had to slow down a bit while waiting for this wobbliness to wane.

Wobbly.

Well, I was planning to write a lively, lovely and lengthy post today but I'm afraid my body and brain have other plans for me.

I'm still just feeling "weird" and I don't know why. I slogged my way to the gym earlier this morning and my legs and arms felt so weak I just knew they were about to give out on me at any moment. I feel like I could lie down and sleep for a week and I'm sorta just slogging along trying to muster up one little shred of energy for the day.

I know what depression feels like and I don't feel depressed. I just feel, well . . wobbly. I feel like I've just run a 26-mile marathon. (Which is sort of funny since I can't even run one-quarter of a mile without being threatened by complete collapse.)

So . . . the quintessential quandary facing me is that I have several thousand things on my To Do List at home and several thousand more things on my To Do List at the church. And my body and brain are both saying, "Lie down! Don't think! Don't do! Don't even think about doing!"

But the logical side of my self is saying, 'Girlfriend, you need to get up and you need to git 'er done."

Sigh.

Is it possibly to git 'er done in a wobbly sort of way? I guess I'm about to find out.

(Picture a few minutes passing here. . . . )

Okay, I'm back. Just as I was typing the above words it occurred to me that I've been on an antifungal medicine for about a month now. I thought, "I wonder if that could be affecting me." I did a search for the medicine's side effects and under "severe side effects" were the words, "Unusual weakness and tiredness."

Hmmmm.

Looks like a call to my doctor might be in order. (And also a nap.)

Fun Link

(Edited to add:) A couple of you left comments saying you couldn't find the link mentioned below.

However, when I clicked on the words "this link" I was taken right to it. So it might possibly be that you were taken to a link but you didn't think it was correct because it's kind of a funny looking page with cartoon horses on it.

When you get there, turn up your sound, and try clicking on each of the horses, one at at a time. That is what made me smile. (And if you're still having trouble, let me know!)

(Original Post)

In the midst of all of the malaise-y mushiness of today, this link made me smile.

Malaise-y Mushiness

Thanks to those of you who have been checking in here for a current update. Things are fine and dandy here, with the exception of some random bonus busyness and stressy-ness.

And for some reason, I've been having a really horrible time with insomnia and have lain awake night after night for no good reason whatsoever.

And so lately, during the day, my brain has been feeling extra, unappealingly mushy and I really want to spare my dear readers the horror of a blog post written by a mushy- brained woman. It wouldn't be purty, believe me.

Anyway, I just wanted to check in here and let you know that I do have tons of blog post ideas floating around in the aforementioned malaise-y maze of my mental mushiness and I will be writing them soon.

And that's all. For now.

Notice The Somethings

I called my mom yesterday and asked, “Well, has springtime arrived in Wisconsin yet?”

She replied, “Oh yes, it has arrived; it’s forty-five degrees here today!” (You can tell that she is a true Wisconsin-ite.)

Mom went on to say that they’d just had a bad storm and most of the town’s electricity was knocked out. It took awhile for it to be restored and she heard that the power company got a whole lot of phone calls complaining about the delay.

“But,” she went on to add, “Debbie decided that she was going to do something different so she called the power company and thanked them for restoring the electricity. They appreciated her call so much but I’m not sure they quite knew what to do with it because they mostly just get complaints.”

Since having that conversation, I have thought quite a bit about what my sister did. And I also thought about the way most of us are wired in this regard:

• If the French fries are cold, we complain.
• If there aren’t enough registers open at the local Stuff Mart, we complain.
• If the sanctuary is too hot (or too cold), we complain.
• If the check out person makes a small mistake on our transaction (thereby delaying us 3.72 minutes while it’s fixed), we complain.
• If the service is slow at a restaurant, we complain.
• If we can’t find a clerk to help us in the shoe department, we complain.
• If we’re put on hold for longer than 57 seconds, we complain.

I can imagine that it must be stressful to be a manager of just about anything when most of what they have to do deal with is negative feedback.

Now don’t get me wrong. If something really was done wrong or if an issue needs attention, I’m not saying we shouldn’t graciously speak up. However, I think it would be sort of fun to change the paradigm a bit and start to do more of what Debbie did.

• Is the electricity finally restored after being out a couple hours? Call to say thank you.
• Does the bus boy bring a new fork after you dropped yours on the floor—without being asked? Mention it.
• Is the Post Office clerk extra patient when you ask fourteen questions about the cheapest way to send a package to Cincinnati? Tell his supervisor.
• Does the teen running the cash register at McDonalds smile extra bright, compliment your hair and look you right in the eye when giving you your change? Tell her manager.
• Does the person cleaning your office building keep the toilets extra clean? Comment on it.

Bottom line? If you’re like me, you probably just speak up when something is wrong. But think about all of the innumerable somethings that have been done right. Wouldn’t it be cool to make someone’s entire day and mention the somethings?

But before you do, be prepared for someone’s face to light up. Be prepared for someone’s eyes to brighten. Be prepared for worry lines to ease a bit. Be prepared for someone’s step to be a little lighter as they walk away. You might even need to be prepared for someone’s eyes to become suspiciously moist.

Because you know what?

We don’t know what unendurable burden the stocker in the cereal aisle is carrying. We can’t imagine the traumatic phone call the waitress at the diner just got. We can never know how very close to the “last straw” the manager at Walmart is.

To a person who is starved for attention, desperately lonely, or one step away from completely giving up, one kindness from one stranger could end up being the one thing that turns the tide for them. Once and for all.

Does that sound a bit dramatic? No, it’s not. At all.

So keep your eyes open. Speak up. Make a difference. Notice the somethings.

COMMENTS

First of all, let me mention that I took all of your great comments concerning things to do on the Outer Banks and added them to this week’s earlier post called, “A Grumpy OBX-er.”

You can always find that post again later by going to the labels in the right column and clicking on “Manteo.” I’ve also added an Outer Banks tag to some of those relevant posts but for some reason, that’s not showing up . So you can just find all Outer Banks posts under Manteo.

Heidi said, “I wondered if you'd ever crossed paths with Nathan or Tricia from cfhusband.blogspot.com? I check Nathans blog as well and I know he too is a minister and in the OBX area.

Heidi, Yes we have run into Nathan and his (pastor) dad a couple times at various functions and events around town. They are such a great family!

Janet said, I always enjoy your pictures--whether they be of your beautiful family, the scenic area you live in, or just something you thought was interesting. I am not a photographer--in fact I haven't even owned a camera since 35 mm cameras were "in". But I was wondering--what do you do with all of the "pictures". I think I read they are stored on memory cards (?), but how do you keep them organized? Say, six months from now, if you wanted to remember where the picture of Sarah on the beach with the green shirt was--how would you find it?

Janet, yes keeping pictures organized can be a bit of a challenge but I must say that it’s much easier to keep them organized in digital form, rather than printed form. (And yes I’ll admit it; I’m one of those people with shoe boxes full of old pictures!)

Different photographers all use different organizational methods but I mostly use a free download called Picasa Once it’s on your computer, you can very easily make virtual folders for all your pictures. For instance, the one you mentioned of Sarah on the beach would be in a folder (with the other ones I took that afternoon) called, “Sarah, beach.” (Catchy isn’t it?) And then if I want, ALL pictures I take of Sarah on the beach can put in that folder. The pictures are also organized by year and date too, so that makes the job a little easier.

The program also provides easy-to-use, basic editing which I really love.

Enjoy!

And since I hate to leave you all picture-less at post’s end, here is a shot I took of my favorite girl.

Here she is during rehearsal for our Easter presentation.

And here’s a sneak preview of the first part of the resurrection scene.

It’s going to be a busy (but wonderful) weekend. Wishing you a blessed Resurrection Day!

Meganate

Yep, it’s true. Every couple needs their own nickname and “Meganate” is the one that Steve, Sarah and I have bestowed uponst Meagan and Nathan. (You know, like “Meg and Nate?” But squished a little?)

Since so many of you have so kindly adopted this lovely couple into your affections, I wanted to let you know the latest on their upcoming summer plans.

On May 4, Steve, Sarah and I will head out to Florida to attend Nathan’s college graduation in Lakeland. While we’re there, we’ll no doubt get to take part in one (or several dozen) Wedding Planning Conversations which will be lots of fun.

Of course, we always enjoy the rare treat of getting to hang out with Meagan’s parents (and our dear friends), Revs. Frank and Sheri Hawley. And might I just add that if you don’t read Sheri’s blog on a regular basis, I highly recommend that you start. (You can always find it in my right column.) Sheri is a writer and speaker par excellence who in addition to her really full time job as a co-pastor, also travels around the country speaking at churches and conferences. Need a speaker? She’s your gal.

Alright. Back to my story.

Do you want to know the best part of our upcoming trip to Florida? The absolutely, exquisitely, very best part of the trip? When we climb back in the van to return home, Nathan is going to be in there, too! He’s coming home with us! For a week! His last time to be home before being married! I’m crying already! Sob! And sniff!

And to make me sob and sniff even more, here’s a photo of them on our trip to Florida to drop Nathan off for his freshman year of college. One of my favorite pictures ever.

I imagine you’ve pretty much guessed that we’re thrilled out of our socks to have this opportunity to spirit him away for a few days and say good bye to the passing of this old chapter and prepare ourselves for a great new chapter to come.

I haven’t told him this yet (because maybe he won’t come home if I do), but I have plans to not have the camera out of my hands for even one second while he’s home. If he so much as sneezes or scratches his eyebrow, I am going to take a picture of it. The only place he will be truly safe is in the bathroom and by the time he leaves, his life’s slogan may very well be, “Just when you thought it was safe to come out of the bathroom. . .”

After about a week of having him here, we’ll put him on an airplane for the last time as a single man and watch him wing his way back to his new life and his new future, not to mention the eventual production of at least a dozen darling grandchildren. (Although I must say that I still can’t quite imagine any short person looking at me and calling me, “Grandma Smith.”)

Their wedding is on the calendar for July 23, Sarah’s lovely yellow bridesmaid dress has been ordered and we are all counting down the days with great anticipation.

When the wedding is over, Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Smith will depart on a cruise ship for a 5-day honeymoon and Steve, Sarah, and I will depart in a mini van for a 13 -hour trip back home, accompanied by the melancholy (yet joyous) knowledge that the Smith family has been changed forever.

I know I’ve heard people say that “You’re not losing a son; you’re gaining a daughter” but I’m just now beginning to truly understand that sentiment. I am very much looking forward to being a mom-in-law to such a delightsome daughter-to-be as Meagan. The more I get to know her, the more thankful I am that she will grace the Smith family all the years to come.

I think mother-in-lawing is going to suit me just dandy! I mean, what’s not to love?

And just because I’m almost fifty years old and am much more prone to reminisce than I used to be, here are a few photos tracing The Official History of Meganate. (I realize that for some of you long time readers this is a review; however, my newer readers might like to catch the whole story.)

The first time Nathan and Meagan ever met was in Greenville, NC. Meagan and her parents and sisters lived full time in an RV and traveled doing concerts and services at churches, and Nathan and his parents and sister lived full time in an RV doing the same thing. How cool is that? (Meagan is in green, the girl beside her is one of her two sisters and Nathan is third from the right.) The other kids on the couch belong to a third family we know who also traveled and did concerts and services around the country.)

Can you believe how young Nathan and Meagan are? I think Nathan was about eleven; Meagan was about a year and a half older.

Here we all are a few years later; the same two boys and their sister from the couch above, along with Nathan and Meagan. This was six months or so after Sarah’s bone marrow transplant.

While Meagan’s family was transitioning between their mobile ministry and pastoring, they parked their RV at the church Steve pastored in Smithfield and spent over six months helping out in our ministry there. One of the many happy byproducts of that situation was that Nathan and Meagan got to hang out together in a lot of fun and informal situations and ended up becoming really good friends.

Then the day came when the Christian Academy Nathan attended had its annual formal. Since Nathan and Meagan were such great friends, they (and their mothers), thought it would be fun if they attended it together. No romantic undertones, you understand. Just friends.

It was especially funny that he picked her up for their first “social occasion” (not really a date) at an RV! Given each families’ history, how appropriate was that?

Nathan had no clue he was standing next to his future father-in-law.

A pretty good lookin’ fella.

Well, most of you know the rest of the story. Years went by and they dated sort of casually but broke it off when Meagan went off to college. Two years later, Nathan went to the same college and their friendship continued. And continued.

And then one day? It was a whole lot more than friendship.

It was this!

Love that picture, love them, love the fact that she said yes.