shadows and light

-Participating in liturgical dance in chapel this morning. It's a transcendent feeling to pray through dance...it felt somehow more raw and honest than spoken prayer.

-Caleb's whistle in the Clothes Closet today reminded me of my Granddaddy, and made me smile.

-Listening to Joni Mitchell's "Shadows and Light" on my record player. Her voice haunts me. "Every picture has its shadows, and it has some source of light..."

reminders of forgotten beauty

-The smell of the little white flowers I picked today. They smell almost like gardenias...crisp and fresh.

-When I was looking for quarters to do laundry, I went through an old purse and found a miniature Christmas card I had received from Lois (6 yrs old) in Belfast. It has been carried with me in that purse for the last year and a half, and today I just happened to discover it. Lois is the daughter of a very good friend, a child who always has a smile for everyone.


-Walking back from the coffee shop, Song and I watched the sunset turn the sky pink. The moon was bright and hazy above the trees, and the streetlights burned bright white against the pink-blue sky.

leaf-ing and returning

-Driving with my windows down and blaring Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" from the radio. When I left Belfast, my kids and Ruth made a slide show from the year to that song. It made me think of them, and feel grateful.

-The little girl that was picking colorful leaves off of a tree in her front yard. As I drove past, she waved a big yellow leaf at me and smiled.

-This tree.

colorful encounters

-Chatting with a really sweet man named Tom at church, and realizing we'd both graduated from Texas A&M, him '41, and me, '03.

-The woman who smiled at everyone and everything as she wheeled her daughter around in a cart in the grocery store parking lot.

-The brilliant colors of my scarf.

novel stars and constant showers

-Sitting on Jessi's lake house porch, watching the rain and leaves fall while reading a book.


-The bittersweet feeling of finishing a really great book (The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay). There's almost a mourning that comes with the sense of completion. I'll miss the characters like old friends.


-A single star guiding me on my drive home.

roses

-I was having a sorta stressful morning and, when I turned on my computer, the cd I had in it starting playing on its own. It was the Bed of Roses soundtrack...about the most relaxing music I own.

-Watching children pick flowers across the street.

-Cheryl and I singing along to Jae's western cell phone ring in the bookstore today and enjoying the irony (he's Korean).

(objects in the rearview mirror are closer than they appear)

-Walking to class this morning to take my theology midterm, I looked up at the wintery clouds. They were moving so fast, it made me stop and look. I realized that there are bigger things than exams.

-The feeling when I finished my second midterm. The "click" of my laptop as I closed it was just about the best sound ever.

-Driving this afternoon, I saw a teenage girl on the sidewalk with a look of profound sadness on her face. Then her boyfriend wrapped her in a hug and just held her for as long as I waited at the light. They were still hugging when I drove on.

distance, size and new eyes

-Drinking my coffee with ice cream in it this morning, like my sister does, made me think of her. Then I realized that she was probably doing exactly the same thing at that moment. That's so like my family: no matter how far apart we are, COFFEE will always bring us back together.

-The itty-bitty dog that growled at Sandra and me as we walked outside, and then softened up and let me pet it. His owner apologized saying, "he doesn't know his size." I'm glad I don't know my size.

-While I was studying in the library, a man walked into the room and just looked around him, awestruck, with his mouth open. It was clearly the first time he had been in our library, and he seemed to really enjoy it. His wonder made me see the books, tables, windows and light with new eyes.

socks and sweaters and daughers, oh my!

-At staff meeting this morning, Frankie brought her adorable daughter because she was sick. She was quiet the whole meeting, until we were discussing what morning everyone was available for a meeting. People said "Wednesday's out for me" and the like, and Frankie's daughter jumped right in, saying, "Every morning's out for me." We all shared a laugh and thanked her for her contribution.

-An unexpected package from my Grandmother, including some wonderfully bright Halloween socks.

-The first day that feels fall-ish enough for me to wear a comfy chunky sweater.

smiling, shining, gurgling

-When I had nothing to put in the offering plate this morning and just sort of smiled at the usher, he leaned over and whispered, "Your smile's offering enough. You have a beautiful smile."


-The sun suddenly breaking through the clouds to highlight all of the greens, browns and yellows outside. I feel myself light up a bit with it.

-The bubbly-gurgly sound of my glass-bottled Coke as I put a lime into it.

wine, coffee and other transcendent things...

After reading threebeautifulthings.blospot.com, I've decided to record "glimpses of grace" I encounter, hopefully daily. They may seem random, but they are the little moments that add up to life for me.

-The way the light danced in my glass of red wine at Eddie's last night to the beautiful voice of Matthew Perryman Jones.

-The fuzzy whiteness of my room when I first opened my eyes this morning.

-The cinnamon smell of my coffee.