Monday Musings

Out in my yard today... it's about 60 degrees and sunny with an expected high in the mid-70s.  PERFECT weather as far as I'm concerned.

There are still some beautiful things blooming in the yard. 

My husband and I were blessed to have a close relationship with the couple that we purchased our home from.  They lived here for several years and cared so lovingly for this place.  Barbara was quite a gardener and she planted so many wonderful things in the yard that we get to enjoy. I especially love this pink rose bush.  Barbara was a breast cancer survivor twice in her lifetime.  Whenever I see this bush bloom I am reminded of her faith, courage, and tenacity.  She died a few years ago, but I still feel close to her whenever I work in the yard.

The leaves are slowly beginning to change.  It's a new season... my favorite season!!!!

I'm grateful for... the increase in energy and focus that I have been experiencing for the past few days.  It has been a long time since I have felt this good and had this degree of clarity. Praise God!

One of my favorite things...

As I mentioned earlier, autumn is my favorite season of the year.  Hanging out this welcome sign by my front door somehow makes it feel official!

This week I'm reading... September by Rosamunde Pilcher, one of my very favorite authors.  I try to read this book every year during the month of September.  Her descriptions of the Scottish countryside are so vivid... I feel so warm and cozy each time that I read.

I'm looking forward to... a little quieter week.  Homecoming was last week and I was pretty exhausted by the time it was over.  This week I will finish decorating the house for fall, do some baking, and finish up a few long-overdue projects.

Simple life tip for the week... for a much-needed energy boost,  go spend a little time in a place that inspires you.  I like to wander through bookstores, craft stores, and garden nurseries.  Even if I don't buy anything, I always find something that makes me smile and sparks a bit of creativity.  Spending time outdoors also helps.  A little fresh air clears my head and expands my vision.  Seek some inspiration this week!

The Start of Something New

For most people, January 1st is the start of a new year.  Not so for our household.  Our new year begins with the first day of school.  And it has been so for me throughout my life.  I went from following the school calendar from my own days as a student, to keeping up with it due to my school teacher husband.  Then my own children started school, and so it goes.  The rhythm of our days is established once again with the start of a new school year.  And so today marks another new beginning.

The first day of school... new clothes, blank notebooks, freshly sharpened pencils.  New goals are set by those who are eager to teach and inspire, and by those who are anxious to learn and grow.  The possibilities are endless.  Anything can happen! 

I could certainly feel the nervous vibrations pulsing through our house this morning.  David was up early and anxious to get to school so he would be prepared for his music students today.  My girls were up early so they would have plenty of time to get ready and look perfect for their first day.  It's my job to make breakfast and ask them each at least a hundred times if they have everything they need ready to go.  "Do you have your class schedule? Money for lunch?  Keys?  Locker combination?  School supplies?" 

Then comes the first day of school photo. This morning I got the brilliant idea that we needed to go outside for the picture.  We spent the next several minutes running around the yard trying to find the best light.  God bless my children for putting up with me!  

And then they were all gone.  Off to start a new adventure.  I promised myself that I wouldn't cry, but then I realized that today is the last first day of school my girls will spend together.  Unless Brianna follows Hope to the same college... not so sure that will happen.  My beautiful Hope is a senior; so begins her final year of preparation before she leaves home to passionately pursue her dreams and purpose.  So I got a little teary in that bittersweet moment.  Mostly I'm just so excited for what the future holds for them both!

Now what?  What does the future hold for me?  I've been thinking a lot about this over the summer.  What will I be when I grow up?  One day when I was working outside, my memory took me back to the early years of our marriage.  I had finished college and we desperately wanted to start a family.  After three years of waiting and one doctor's report informing us that we might not be able to have biological children of our own, I found out that I was pregnant.  I remembered thinking that all of my dreams were coming true.  As my mind snapped back to the present moment, I laughed at myself for ever worrying about what I will be, when all of this time I have been "living the dream!"  A wife, mother of two (when I had once feared there might not ever even be one), healthy and able to help and mentor others. What was I so worried about?

The start of something new... the sun is shining, the air is a little more crisp, and I can feel my favorite season of the year slowly beginning to arrive.   I wonder what will happen next?

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~ Jeremiah 29:11