Day 46

In Search of the Golden Egg. Today I took my twins on an Easter Egg hunt. It was held in our town park and it was really quite a marvel. Thousands of real eggs had been dyed and strewn across the park grass. Age appropriate areas had been roped off and at the sound of a whistle, hundreds of children stormed forth in search of Easter eggs. 3 minutes later, the hunt was over. My sons had each found three eggs. Their comment, "Mom, this wasn't really fun." No, I thought, this wasn't. But then again, this isn't what Easter is all about anyway, so taking our eggs, we made our way over to my Mom's house and shared our bounty with her. She got 4, we kept 2. On our way home, I smiled at my children and laughed with them about the hunt. They were neither upset, nor did they worry that they hadn't found enough. They were simply content with the one golden egg left in each of their pails. The moral of this story: Again (because you've heard it before), it's not the quantity, but the quality that counts.

Day 45 Good Friday

The Friday that is Good. Today has been hectic: back to back therapist appointments for one of my twins, a rushed lunch and off to a community wide church service. But as today is a holy day, it is important that I take time to reflect on the great sacrifice that was made by the Savior. Today I am happy because my Lord sacrificed himself so that I - we - can be with him for eternal life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlkxYDvyQ84

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Week Seven Paintings

Pink Forsythia?

Day 44 Holy Thursday

Chocolate. Today my Mother, the twins and I made our annual trek over the hills to visit the best chocolatier in the area. For those of you in the know, yes, I'm talking about Victoria's. There we stood in line gazing at the various confections which ranged from hollow filled chocolate Easter eggs to chocolate covered sea salt pretzels to old fashioned rock candy. After making our Easter purchases, my mother treated me to my very favorite childhood candy: peanut butter melt aways. As I walked out of the store savoring every last bite of my treat, I thought, yes, this is truly a slice of Heaven.

Day 43

Look for this week's Wednesday painting on Thurday due to a previously scheduled appointment.

Rocks. Are Cool?! Yeah, they are! I have always loved rocks. When I was a little kid my Dad had a collection of rocks which he displayed at eye level on his book shelves. I think this is what got me hooked on them. They were never taboo. I could pick them up. Touch them. Turn them over. Look at them any time I pleased. My Dad also had a friend who was an amateur geologist. He had this amazing collection of rocks in his basement. He even had a moon rock. Anyway, my son is really into rocks. He has a nature collection box (my old lunch pail from the 80's) in which he puts his rocks. This week I surprised him by checking out a book and a video on rocks from the library and today I pulled out my own rock collection. He has now stood for the last hour microscope in hand examining every nuance of these rocks. He is such a little scientist! How cool is that!

Day 42

Wild Wacky Weather! This morning as my children and I were eating breakfast, I happened to glance out the kitchen window only to be surprised by the fact that my forsythia was blooming. When I pointed this out to my son, he happily acknowledged that this was a "sign of Spring". Later today it began to rain, and as he splashed in the puddles, he noted that the weather was cooler. I laughing told him that we were supposed to get snow.  How surprised was I when just a few hours ago, it really did begin to snow and he said, "Mom, now we can go sledding!"

Day 41

Putting My House in Order. Sometimes things get out of control and I seem to be in a downward spiral. Lately I've felt like I've bit off more than I chew and today I hit the wall. Total meltdown. Luckily at age 41, I am still humble enough to know when I need some outside guidance. Today, I relied upon my parents and trusted in their wisdom. After talking to them and following their guidance, I feel much better. This afternoon as I took the time to sit on the floor and play with my sons, I thought about the importance of putting my house in order. First God, then my children and husband. Everything else can wait. Peace through Priority.

Day 40

a clerical note .... as I am counting all of the days in Lent and not skipping Sundays, this blog will continue for the next week and conclude on Easter. Happy Reading!

Created in 1884 by George Seurat,  A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, is an idyllic example pointillism, one of my favorite methods of painting.

Sunday in the Park.  This morning as I awoke to this beautiful day of our Lord, I pictured my family spending a quiet afternoon in the park together. So after breakfast, I packed a picnic, play shoes and tee-shirts  and told the children that today we would have a special treat after church. The boys were so excited that they could hardly contain themselves. After church, we drove to a local park, unpacked our picnic and enjoyed the warm afternoon with our children. This is the day that the Lord hath made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it!