One of the families injured in the blast come from my home town. Webster seems to have become battered and bruised the past couple years... The family affected are not personal friends of mine, but easily could have been. The grown children were homeschooled, and their mother, the one actually running in the marathon, is familiar to me. I was introduced to her this past year, I can't remember exactly where, but I think it was at church, maybe a graduation party or something.
Perhaps the most touching part of this union was hearing emotion in both the bride's and groom's voice as they recited their personal words to each other. (I don't know if I'd really call them vows...) Knowing that my dear son has someone special to have and to hold, that he is no longer lonely and alone, means everything to me. I wish this for each one of my children and pray that in His time God will bring that special person into each one of their lives. 
Michele, who picked her wedding date months ago, must have a special con- nection with the Maker of the Heavens. She (and all of us too) was blessed with an incredibly beautiful outdoor wedding sandwiched between two snowstorms. Kristina called it a "miracle". Temperatures were in the seventies and above for the duration of our stay. The weather couldn't have been nicer had it been July!
Our plane flew out of Rochester, NY a little after 6am on Friday. We were delayed slightly by some late passengers due to the Southwest airport computer terminals being down. Half our traveling group boarded the plane late making my already frayed nerves begin to unravel. When Nate and Sabrina, and Josh and Adam were safely on board, I breathed a big sigh of relief, and I'm sure they did too.
Kristina arrived not long after I had stepped outside into the warm morning air (a Minnesota miracle this time of year) when she drove in. I waved and when she stepped out of the car, we each gave the other a big hug. There were introductions she'll never remember and several hours of walking about, looking through the barn, and sitting in the sun getting to know each other in person. "Yea!" Later that day I found I had sat enjoying the sun and cool breeze a bit too long and was blessed with a fine Minnesota sunburn just in time for the wedding (blush). It's now becoming a very nice tan and I have a head start on my New York summer.
I'm much too tired and distracted to write much about it. I'm still absorbing the experience and can't quite believe it's all behind us and we're back home already.
It's almost time, almost time to pile into the car and take that ride to the airport. We are going to Minnesota! Some of us have already begun the journey. Dave and Leta, along with Lucas and Josiah, left yesterday morning. They're driving. Bethany and Jacob flew off this morning in time to attend Michele's Bridal Luncheon, and another eight of us will meet up at the airport tomorrow morning and arrive in Minneapolis around 9:30 am. We're going to a wedding!
For some strange and unknown reason I have been searching for old news online. Old news can be interesting sometimes, especially if one knows who the tidbits of information concern. I googled my grandfather's name and came up with old town newspapers, pages that read something like a gossip column or Facebook newsfeed.
And then this one. It's even older.
In just a few days we will board a plane and fly to the lovely Land of the Thousand Lakes for the wedding of our oldest son. I am the kind of person who fends off excitement until I just can't deny it any longer, and now I am excited. All those little details that have been brushed out of my mind until now are flooding in. I am likely to wake at night, toss and turn, and think of all that needs to be done, but mostly I will be excited for my son and his beautiful fiance'.
We've had a bit of rain this past week and as suspected, it turned our world green, or at least got the process in motion. No longer does the grass look brown and lifeless. Instead we have a green, grass carpet with multitudes of daffodils scattering spots of sunshine throughout. Warm temperatures have encouraged trees and bushes to bud too and soon we will have an entire world that is green and growing. If only my allergies to everything green and growing didn't leave me sprawled on the couch with throbbing ears and aching eyes. Ah well, I have recently built up my allergy arsenal. Hopefully that nasal spray kicks in and starts working soon.
I think I may have found myself a new hair stylist. The only problem is paying her. She says she always cuts hair free for family. I didn't intend to go away without paying her, but she did suggest that perhaps I could make her a pie, a chocolate pie. Sounds like a good deal to me, and just maybe I'll find a nice gift card to go along with it.
For most of my early years I had short hair. Even as a teen my mom insisted my hair looked much better short. My early married years were filled with babies, toddlers, and small children, and since I didn't know how to take care of long hair, I continued to keep it short. It was easy to wash, easy to comb, and easy to style. It didn't blow into my food at windy picnics, it didn't get closed in car door or rolled up in windows, and I didn't find it wrapped around dishcloths as I washed plates in the the sink, but when my youngest daughter turned four all that began to change.
The weather turned wonderfully warm yesterday making my daffodils.. er,... I mean, Narcissus, very happy. They were just bursting with happiness! With the arrival of blooming daffodils comes the official feeling of spring and the tulips can't be far behind. 
Although I've stopped numbering and writing down "gifts", I have not stopped noticing them. Friday afternoon, after days of cold and rain, the sun broke through and lit up our world for a little while. I gazed out the kitchen window toward the driveway and a little patch of yellow spots caught my eye. I knew they weren't flowers, but in the late afternoon sunshine they almost appeared to be. I went out to investigate.
There at the base of our silver maple tree were several little patches of moss catching the sunlight and tossing it back toward the sky. Since I've been imagining fairy gardens and homes, this little patch of life made me smile. It also made me think once again of that list I stopped keeping. I think maybe I should start all over again. I'm pretty sure God doesn't mind me picking up at one again...
The weather has been nothing short of wishy washy. I'll take the wishy, but really could do without the washy. It's a good thing for bright, sunny windowsills and green, growing things. With some background sunshine (the wishy part) and a little green on the shelf, I can almost make believe it's warm outside. I know warm weather is coming, it almost always does, but in the meantime we have to put up with the rain (washy).
The seeds I planted a couple weeks back have sprouted and are as eager for sunshine as the rest of us. The are quite happy with the shelf James installed in my laundry room, but are eager to have a better look out the window. I keep having to turn them around.
In my kitchen window is a small Elfin child. She holds a ladybug on her lap and keeps guard over a tiny garden of marigold seedlings. It's a quiet, relaxing kind of job which she rather enjoys. I've not heard her utter one complaint as she sits in silence, staring at the sprouting seeds. In fact, I think she's smiling.
Today would have been my dad's 81st birthday. It's hard to believe he's been gone over three years now. Just thinking about him can still make my eyes sting and my throat tighten up, but I know he wouldn't want us to live our lives in constant grief, and most days I am able to smile a the memories and thank God for the gift of an incredibly wonderful dad. He was one of the best! No doubt I will miss him until we meet again.
I have one small flower dancing about the house today. She's been scratched by the cat (not good...) and is now proudly showing her battle wounds to Grandma. I can hardly wait until her daddy comes... (read sarcasm here). She's told me already that I am the queen and she and Grandma are the princesses. She has a small plastic, curly haired doll who she's named "Pahvala", and very nice little "baby" lion who has been an almost constant companion the past few days. "Relax and enjoy, relax and enjoy."
Oreo is looking out the window. I thought perhaps he was watching some birds hop about in the cold rain, but there is nothing out there but wet, dead leaves. "Relax and enjoy."
Yesterday morning, just before leaving for Ladies' Prayer, I got a message from the mom of my friend Vinegar. Could he come and play while she went to MOPS? He doesn't do so well there and would much rather play with Hannah. We ended up meeting at the church, acquired one small and much loved little boy, and went home later with two small "flowers", Rocky and Vinegar.
I'm still not quite sure what to do with "The Garden". Some- times I des- perately want to do something else, and sometimes I get great satisfaction from the tales and antics of small children. Perhaps it is all in my perspective.
