Thursday, July 25, 2013

Hello House! Hello Moon!

 Our son Jeff and his wonderful girlfriend Christie, came to the airport to retrieve us when we arrived back in Denver.  It's a long flight from Frankfurt to Denver, nonstop.  The forty-five minute hop from Amsterdam to Frankfurt was easy, but the long flight home isn't so easy.  It's okay.  I read a VERY interesting book titled Out of Isak Dinesen in Africa:  Karen Blixen's Untold Story by Linda Donelson. I was saddened to read about Blixen's personal angst throughout her life, but fascinated by her journey.  I recommend it with five stars!  
As soon as we arrived home, I bee lined out to the garden.  YAHOO!  A pumpkin is growing!




 This morning the moon greeted the neighborhood.  Hello, Moon!  I do love the moon.  I even wrote a paper about it in college and as I wrote, I realized how very much I adore it!  A lot of people that I really like, love the moon, too.  Susan Branch for one!  Jody at Gumbo Lily for two!  

 Even though my kitchen is hodge podge-y, I do like it.  I found the perfect red for my cupboards (on a vest worn by a little boy in a magazine) and the very nicest GREEN, too.  Red and green it will be.  Cheerful and spunky.
 I have my annual eye appointment today, so I shall bring those nice ladies that work there (and always help me choose good glasses) some garden blooms.
 I missed our coffee.  Kelli brought me this mug from Victoria last month.  It's china.  It's so bright!  The lip is so fine and it makes my coffee-drinking experience very lovely.
 My friend Dawn sent me this lovely plant to offer her condolences upon my dad's passing.  It's one of the loveliest floral shop gifts I've ever received.
 Don't you like to come home to your "stuff"?  I missed my Bible with the duct-taped spine.  I did take my laptop in my shoulder bag and I feel sure it weighs 100 pounds.  Yikes!  When we ran for the train, hurried to customs, went up and down stairs, I wished that I had left my laptop at home.  
 Long ago our Brad (or maybe all the kids) gave me The Book of Common Prayer for Christmas and I have treasured it.  Today I read about "the cloud of witnesses", those who have gone before us and surround us.  My dad.  So comforting.
 Just before we left for Europe, this used book came in the mail.  My good buddy MK told me about it.  She blogged about it a few times.  Look at the pages.  It is beautiful and inspiring.





 When we were waiting in Amsterdam, just before we boarded the plane, a young man escorted a lovely little lady to the pre-boarding area.  Now I must tell you that I did look at a lot of people during our journey.  I notice shoes, clothes, haircuts, ect.  Shallow?  Yes.  I saw many thin and fit people (and all those people of all ages on BIKES!) and I saw fancy shoes and handbags. I smelled a lot of fragrance, sprayed on.  However, the person who made my heart feel happy was this little grandma.  She had snow white hair, straight and cropped in a smooth bob, no bangs.  She wore delicate little eyeglasses with no rims.  She had very blue jewel-like eyes and she was dressed in casual comfortable clothes.  She was beautiful.  All this to say, I think I'll grow out my bangs and today when I choose new spectacles, I'll choose a pair like hers.  She looked so friendly and kind.  She may not be, right?  Who knows?  But never in the Bible does it say to compare ourselves to others (shame on me for thinking about being so chubby when I looked at slim peeps!) but says to be an ambassador of love, HIS love.  Well, that's a different uniform, don't you agree?  My sister Karol has the sweetest smile.  Children come up to her and try to make friends with her!  Yes, it's THAT kind of smile!  I love the high calling of giving kindness, don't you?  It's a way better task than choosing the right clothing.

I expect to feel jet lagged for a few days.  I am SO thankful for our bed.  I got up and read for a few hours last night and when I climbed back into our bed, next to Bill, I immediately prayed, "Thank you, Jesus, for taking such good care of me."  The gratefulness comes to mind when I am resting.  Hmmmmm.
Thank you for going on my trip with me, friends.  I hate to be too much of a counter, but I have 20 days until I go back to school.  It's easy to say NOW that I want to simplify some of my teacher systems, so I can focus on the kids and not the meetings, piles of grading, messes that accumulate during the day, and the commute.  But, it IS time to do a little planning and praying.
I am going to call my mama this morning.  Even in her grieving, she has a cheerful tone that I like hearing whenever I can.  Bless her.
Thank you for being my reading friend.

18 comments:

Elizabethd said...

I'm sure you will be jet lagged for a while, I always was after a long haul flight. Lovely to be back home....and I do the same thing, go out to see what the garden is doing!

GardenOfDaisies said...

Welcome home again! Your garden still looks lovely. I love the beautiful sunflower teacup your friend gave to you. My sister is a huge Tasha Tudor fan. She would love that book. I don't think there is anything wrong with being observant of people when you are in new places. It helps to open our eyes to all the possibilities in our own life.

Tina said...

I'm glad you had a nice time, and glad to see you home again. You will show us your new glasses, won't you?

Big hugs to you, xxxx

ann said...

20 days will go quickly. I am not cou it g days anymore and I ame a little sad abouT that. I keep thinking of things that I would want to say to my new freshmen. You had a wonderful vacation and isn't ti nice to return home to find that the garden did well without you?

magsmcc said...

I'm so glad you're home. I feel I'm home when you're home! It's been a jetlag time of emotion, PP, and I wish you calm routine and homely joy as the summer Spirit moves quietly along apace with you and yours xx

Farm Girl said...

So glad you are home. I prayed all day on your flight back home. I kept thinking of you. I am so glad that everything you loved was waiting to greet you with open arms. Yikes 20 days, I need to get busy with our summer project!!! :)
Have a blissful and peaceful time of being at home.

Gumbo Lily said...

I'm happy you're back home. Is there anything much better than laying your head down in your own bed upon your very own squishy pillow? Nope! Your flowers are so cheery! The eye glass people will love your happy bouquet. I do like your glasses choice of rimless style. I had a pair last time and really liked them, and this time I chose half rims. Still, I do like rimless and wish I could have a pair of each.

I wish you happy school planning. I used to enjoy doing that. Happy Homecoming!

~Jody

Gumbo Lily said...

P.S. The moon....the moon I saw last night as it was rising was a big, bright, orange moon. I thought of my moon-loving friends too.

~Jody

Leslie said...

Welcome home! This is a sweet post...remembering your father, thinking of your mother, enjoying the good gifts God has given, and I love your prayer. Jesus had taken very good care of me, too, and I am so grateful.
Blessings from tx,
Leslie

April said...

Welcome home MomPom! I'm so glad you had fun. I want to get together and hear all about Corrie Ten Boom's house. Maybe the kids and I can come down and visit you when the guys are in the Philippines. I love you and want to see you before you go back to school!

Maggie said...

How lovely to come home to all those flowers. It feels like you are pleased to be home. I always say if you're glad to be home it means you've had a good holiday. So sorry to hear of your Dad's passing. Sorry I missed that. xx

Susan B said...

I enjoyed your lovely post and photos. So thankful that you are home safely. Enjoy being back home again, and ease yourself into your daily routine. Have fun choosing new glasses! :)

My sympathy on the passing of your father. God bless.

Attic Clutter said...

oh glad you had a fine trip to Europe (:)
like you have pumpkins in your garden(:) too

libbyquilter said...

home sweet home and yours is full of blossoms and green goodness, like that newly growing pumpkin.

it's funny, when i'm resting in my bed i have many grateful thoughts too.

the Tasha Tudor book looks inviting and i think the way that you have reinforced (red polka dot duct tape) your bible's binding is so fun~!

i hope that you get just the right glasses and in addition to all of that planning for school be sure to take an extra hour or two daily just to enjoy. enjoy. enjoy.

:-)
libbyQ

Aida said...

As the saying goes; the best part of going on holidays is coming home. Isn't that nice to be back in your own bed? Nothing is sweeter than being home sweet home.
What a pleasant welcome to see those beautiful blooms in your garden.

Enjoy the rest of the school break.

M.K. said...

Welcome to your happy home, dear friend! So glad you're back safe and sound. I must say, that baby pumpkin gave me a thrill of joy! Autumn is being prepared for already! Yippee!! I love the fall. Sigh. And your T.Tudor book, oh! I hope you enjoy it so much. I love all the photos of her hands. I love the looms, don't you? When I need a dose of "calm" and "fall is coming" and "won't you sit at home and knit?" I just pull out that very book, and it makes my heart easy and happy.

Do enjoy your 20 days. I recall I always wanted to simplify and cut back on all the teacherly work load, but it's very difficult not to fall back into all the old practices and habits, when you step into your classroom again. Sometimes I had to come up with one or two very specific, precise things that I would determine NOT to do (or take), or to DO, in order to improve the upcoming year. At one point, I determined I would NOT bring home my school laptop each night. For some periods of time, I'd decide that I would not bring home grading, and whatever grading I accomplished during my "off" period, my grading period, was what got done. Of course, I couldn't do that for weeks on end, but it helped. May you have a blessed teaching year!

Lisa Richards said...

I love the moon, too! I'm always trying to capture it with my little camera. :)
Good to see that your garden is prospering. Love the sunflower tea mug!
Thanks for sharing so many happy thoughts today and for sharing your trip.
Welcome home!
(Next time I get glasses I'll go back to lighweight wire frames and BI-focals instead of TRI-focals, which give me a headache! lol!)

Attic Clutter said...

Hi Pom
you are so right
European are shocked at how fat we are over here
I am too LoL!!!

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