sorpresa y celebrar

-Finishing my sermon at my "office" downtown (aka the fantastic local coffee shop with free refills) and crossing the street, only to see my mom and her friend Debra heading to lunch. I whistled our family whistle (yes, we have one and no, it's not like the Von Trapp one) and shouted hello and they turned around and invited me to join them for lunch. I had a very generous un-salady chef salad that came with an adorable little jar of dressing. I love unexpected meetings (especially when they involve food).

-Giving Hayden a bath and a blow dry (I know, already an over-protective Mother, but he shivers!) and enjoying how fluffy and clean he was. He did not, however, enjoy it as much as I did but I explained that it's for his own good and will be happening every week.

-Celebrating Cinco de Mayo by having a crisp, icy Corona. That first sip is just heavenly (especially after a run).

sprinkling grace

-Taking Hayden outside before bed and feeling faint little drops of rain on my face. In such a thirsty land with no rain in ages, those sprinkles of rain were exhilarating.

-A cold front that has allowed me to wear a bright green scarf all day (which is just about my favorite thing to do).

-The resonant sound of a cello playing.

some thoughts on peace

"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be achieved through understanding."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble..."

-Proverbs 24:17

I'd like to add the assurance that I am deeply grateful for the work of our military and continue to pray for the families affected by 9/11, and do share in some sense of relief. But I do not celebrate Bin Laden's death; I pray for a day when we will find a better way to peace than using the means used against us. As a person of faith, I am most concerned (always but especially now) with loving: loving the families of victims of 9/11, loving our remarkable men and women in the military and loving even those who wish us harm.

Natalie, Thomas and Hayden

-Playing with Natalie this morning before church. She was very intentionally taking care of "her baby" (which closely resembles a frog), giving him lots of hugs.

(Then she gave Aunt Weeza's preaching step a try.)

-Leading communion and preaching about Thomas and how his doubts led him to great missional action (he went on to found churches in India, Palestine, modern-day Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Ethiopia). I suggested that doubt and faith are not mutually exclusive but actually integral to one another. It was all made worthwhile when a woman hugged me at the end of the service saying I brought her some peace from her guilt about doubting God. I said, "You don't need to feel guilty." She responded, smiling, "I know!"

(Ash and Clay saying vaya con dios to Hayden,

who was quite sporting in his bunny ears that Natalie put on him.)

-Today was also a very big day. My sister and brother-in-law, with two kiddos and a third on the way, asked me to consider adopting their precious dog, Hayden. After having him here all week for Camp PapaNonnie, I decided it was time to keep him. He's the sweetest dog, ever, and is already family, so I thrilled to adopt him.

pride and preciousness

-Having fun with Natalie this morning. She loves to wear her Aunt Weeza's glasses, so I gave her Pride and Prejudice for some light reading. It's never too early for Jane Austen.

-Someone stopping to let me turn out onto the road in front of them. I gave a grateful wave as I turned and she waved back.

-A young person I worked with years ago in Georgia requesting to be my friend on Facebook.

lions and monkeys and peacocks, oh my!

Today was another big day at Camp PapaNonnie. We went to see what Natalie calls the "aminals" at the zoo.

(Natalie practiced her best royal wave as we headed out.)

The girls ready to go in their all-terrain safari vehicle.

This lion came right up alongside the glass, and fearless Gianna tried to walk through the glass to give him a cuddle.

As you can see, we brought along our own little monkey.

The peacocks were amazing and I thought my sister would really appreciate these pics.

The girls loved the peacocks, too.

What a fun morning at the zoo, made complete by Nonnie giving them their very own safari hats.

Camp PapaNonnie

Between preparing sermons and services and Camp PapaNonnie (thus named because my nieces call my parents "Papa" and "Nonnie" and they're visiting all week), I am having entirely too much fun, y'all. Here are some of the latest events at Camp PapaNonnie:

Gardening

Some veggies were ready in the garden so the girls helped pick them. We cooked the potatoes for dinner and they loved them.

A Proper Tea Party

No, we haven't gone crazy celebrating a certain upcoming wedding. We just let the girls have a little fun with tea outside (shh...it was water!). They had a ball in their own way: Gigi pouring it all over herself and Natalie telling

her the proper way to drink it.

Library Time

We took them to the library for Toddler Time, where the theme was bugs (that's why they're dressed like a cute ladybug and bumblebee). They played, learned and had a great time looking at all the books. I love that they love books.

Weeza Time

This was Aunt Weeza's (that's me) time to herself, when the little darlings were asleep. Last night, I enjoyed a decadent little cup of coffee ice cream with one of those amazing Geneva cookies. This morning, I enjoyed an early rise, a glorious sunrise admired while sipping fresh coffee and a little run.

sharing recipes

-Drinking coffee with Natalie in the morning. In my family, we like to start the coffee addiction early. :) (Really, we just give her sweet milk with a teeny bit of coffee splashed in.) She loves her coffee, and sips it in her small cup just like I do from my larger cup.

-Making biscuits with my Grandmother. I've had her biscuits for as long as I can remember, but like all good recipes, it's not written down. So, I stood next to my Grandmother with my laptop and camera and wrote down everything she said about making her biscuits, even how to make a log out of the leftover biscuit pieces and slice and bake it to make crackers for cheese. I'm so happy to have this recipe written down! (My Dad makes some pretty amazing biscuits, too. We're a biscuit-munching bunch.)

-A great conversation with my awesome friend Rob. We were just talking to catch up, but realizing that we're both preaching on the same text Sunday, we decided to talk through our sermon ideas, too. I think we could both preach for weeks on the story of Thomas in John 20 now.