Zen garden, art magnet

Once I saw it somewhere.
Then there was this white sand at Dollar Tree.
Friday, digging around in the teacher resource room, I spied a lone desk drawer. Hmmmmm
That evening Scout ewwwwed and awwwwed and held her hands under the cool sandfall as I poured.

 I ran out of memory on the camera but you get the idea and yes, she did get to put her feet in it.


For the most part, yesterday was spent with farm animals and a dragon playing in the zen garden. I had pictured a little rake, a few polished stones, you know.....zen. But being 6 she found her own zen.

The truth is, it is hard to keep your hands out of and it draws others to you while you play. Obiwannabe was reminded of something he had seen about a year ago on Youtube.

There are dozens of these, with all different kinds of themes. Scout had to see as many as possible. I think for her birthday I will burn a bunch of them so she can watch them on the t.v.  The budding artist in her was truly inspired. In fact, we all watched them in absolute fascination. Before time to leave for our meeting she had made and wiped away many of her own designs, the cow and dragon tossed aside.  I was impressed with her palm tree and  when I made a silhouette of a woman's face she impatiently brushed my hand aside and said, "Here Mom." adding the dot for the eye, just under the eyebrow, as the artists she had seen do.  She wasn't being rude, just so focused that it was all she could see.


I woke up at 3 this morning, got up at 4:30. Couldn't really settle on a thought or a plan.
Then I saw it.
There was no line to wait in. All the time in the world. So I played.

A question. When school starts up again this will be in my class room. I am thinking about painting the inside of the drawer black. Any thoughts?

An emotionally dismal week is good for something. Perspective.

Just so you know I did not write this entry this week. So this past week was not the emotionally dismal one. In fact it was a very good week. I wrote these thoughts a few weeks ago, have been running like crazy ever since and haven't been able to get here. I wanted to post this entry because most of you don't know me much and so far I haven't really written about my spiritual life. Enjoy!


Last night I took a walk down to the park. 15 minutes after it is suppose to close.  The tiny town that I live in is plopped smack in the middle of a much bigger and growing town. It's boundaries are finite and the people who live here have it just so so. As long as I live around law abiding citizens I might as well break a few rules.
So I sat on a bench after 10:00 in the perfect night breeze listening to frogs. And God.  There was no one else there, I was even free to sing quietly to Him.

I haven't been feeling spiritual lately. That doesn't worry me in the least. Well, for just a second or two it might have but as soon as I turn to Him with it He reassures me.

I think I know  some things about God and I know I know Him some. I see too much lately the danger of having some wonderful revelation of Him and calling that knowing Him. I am reminded that I couldn't put in a thimble all I actually know and not to think to highly of my half-full thimble. It isn't a matter of is my thimble half full or half empty either.  It is a matter of thinking my thimble is all there is to know. It is about limits.  Self inflicted boundries?

Hmmm..... I wonder why people obey that rule about the park.  They have a boundary placed on them, some have even put it there themselves.  A thimble.

As I touched the Lord in this simple and imperfect way I thought to myself. Is it my surroundings that makes Him more reachable? And it was in a way. Because when I feel more at peace with me I am more able to hear Him. And being outside on a bench near frogs in a summer breeze is peaceful. He doesn't rely on my surroundings, I do.  Okay, than I will break that rule more often. And I will break what ever rule I need to break in order to be poured out of my thimble.

I haven't cared about the rules that mankind has made in God's  name for a very long time. That being said I am sure I have my own unspoken, subconscious rules that I have made for myself.

When all the hoops have been walked past (not jumped through) the only thing left is again, as always, to be loved by Him. I use to add here that it is to be loved by Him AND to love Him.  I'm not so sure about that anymore.  It is impossible for me, Gloria, to actually love Him. Thinking that I can has often left me with a sense that I had not yet arrived, but really, I have no where to go. That is a hoop I have tried and failed to jump through.

He IS love. He loves me. He Himselfs me? I Himself Him?  All I have to offer Him is Himself and that is only because He gave Himself. In this moment of realization I know unlimited peace. Without the frogs.  :)

Sometimes a gentle slug is called for

Obiwannabe, Scout and I had a yard sale today. We were going to yesterday but having just one day to prepare proved to much for us. Our reason for the sale was to make a little extra cash to pay a bill while we wait for a couple of houses to move (it's a lease/purchase thing we do from home).  The result was even better then paying a bill though because now I can actually park my car in the garage.
  It's only been a few months since we moved but the accumulation of dust and bird droppings on my car was pointless to clean off. Until now. 


And I  cleaned my closets out! The house is a wreck but it is at that point just before it all comes back together Mary Poppins style. To-morrow! To-morrow! I love ya---  oops, wrong movie.

We got back from Oklahoma Tuesday. Lo lo's (grandaughter by Luna) 2nd birthday party was perfect. The next day we went to the lake with Luna, Her husband and Lo lo. 

Would you believe that she is due at the end of July?! From the side she looks like she stuffed a basketball up her shirt.

This lake and my friend Cowbell are my two favorite "constants" of visiting there. Luna has not and will not always live there but the lake and Cowbell will always be a part of some of the best memories I have ever had. I have known Cowbell for 27 years. The lake for39.

 Cowbell and her daughter. 

  

Here is the lake and Scout.

On the way to Cowbell's house the first day we were there I was on the phone when next to me from the passenger side of the car I heard frantic yet muted shouts of, " Oh! Whaaa? ew! Slug ahhhh Bug! Herbie!!! Herbie!!! oohhhh!" accompanied by a gentle slug on the arm and grunts and guffaws and hand signals indicating the need for an immediate U-turn. This was not from my six year old. I told my mom I would have to call her back because evidently I was going to have to turn around. Obiwannabe had just seen Herbie the Love Bug. 

We play the slug bug game. This game had bad connotations for me because of past Slug Bug competitions gone way to competitive. When Obiwannabe "introduced" the game to Scout and I, I went along with it. Telling myself to leave the past where it was suppose to be and move on.

I was thinking about this game yesterday. Obiwannabe and I can be in a "discussion" that may have turned somewhat heated and in an instant, at the sighting of a Volkswagon Bug, we are playfully slugging (tapping really) each other.  

" I understand what you meant, I just disagree with you. It doesn't matter how many times you say the same thing -SLUG BUG, RED!- I will move past that truck at a speed I am comfortable with."

"Oh! Good eye."

A very useful game in diffusing discussions and boredom.

Back to the story though. We turned around and got pictures.

I had the brilliant idea of taking Herbie for a test drive so we could go somewhere and get pictures of us inside of him but the morning we would have done that Obiwannabe woke up, stretched his neck and pulled a very serious muscle. If the car is still there next time I am so taking that test drive! We had to explain to Scout who Herbie was and promised to get the movies so she can get to know him better. If we were rich we so would have bought this car.

  

 One last thing. I owe someone an apology. In another entry I accused a bird of spitefully mistreating our squirrel. I stand corrected. Thanks to the strong nature of the Mockingbird these four babies were not eaten by a certain squirrel.

Hey, a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do.