The cruellest month

APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain. T.S. Eliot, The Wasteland, 1922 April is the cruellest month because it can give you a beautiful, sun-warmed day and then the very next day offer a gray clad sky and a wind-chill that can rival the deepest of winter days. I think it is "cruel" because you are so ready for warmer weather, for bluer skies and lighter clothing, for open windows and outdoor walks. And you get tastes of these things. There are days so perfect in their Springness, that you think, "This is it. It's really here!" But then, a cold snap, a spring rain, a late snow. And it seems there may be one of those wonder days nestled into long stretches of rainy days, and not just rain, but downpour grade stuff. You've heard the poem . . . "April showers bring May flowers." It's true. Without all the rain, there would be less vibrant color, and less true appreciation when those endless sunny days begin to arrive. But those things make it no less cruel. Today, I was tired, and not feeling too well. This is the result of spending the entire day outside yesterday on one of those cruel April days. The boys are all sniffles and coughs too, as they generally are this time of year. Tomorrow is another day outdoors, and the forecast says sunny but cold. Today was uneventful, if living this wonderful life -- breathing, every moment a gift, each next moment holding every possibility, -- could be considered uneventful. Daniel tooled around school in his walker today, visiting classrooms. It is so funny to see him walking the halls, "talking" to the kids. Josiah drew a picture today of himself and Jesus. He was so happy about it, and showed it to everyone. Isaac made his own comic strip. It was really quite funny, and he is a great artist. He has been reading a book that we took out from the library on art. It's Thursday, so we had family dinner. We were joined by Doug and Denise, Christian and Edine. Good times. Good company. And great food. Grandpa, as always, put on a spread. And he made a gorgeous apple pie among other delectable desserts for the occasion. The man is the best chef/baker I know. Bless him a million times. Afterward, home and baths and sleep. And I will rest too, now. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety. (Ps. 4:8)

Tennis, anyone?

Today was the first day of the tennis tournament.
It was sunny, but very cold (until a bit later this afternoon when the wind died down some).
Daniel and I set up camp in the truck, out of the chill wind.
Isaac did not play today. He will play doubles with Colton Friday morning. But he served as ball boy for a few of the games.
Josiah joined us after kindergarten.
Being outside can make you tired in a way few other things can, and by the time we got home, the boys had wind-burned faces (with a little sun in the mix, I'm sure). Their friend Avery spent the afternoon with us.

They did some homework and then . . . they went outside to fly kites and shoot hoops! As though they hadn't had enough of outside for one day! Boys . . .

For homegroup tonight we had Fika. There was a spread of Swedish food, and some domestic morsels too. There was a cheese so stinky . . ."how stinky was it?" Well, not stinky enough not to eat I guess. Several, of us tried it. It definitely tasted better than it smelled!
Joe and Ellen shared stories and video of the Sweden trip.

And a good time was had by all. . .
This day is done, and it was a good day.

Here comes the sun

After two days of rain, the washed skies seemed bluer than blue today; the sun sang it's brightness and the wind blew over the earth, drying it off.
It was a beautiful day.
I am up to my ears in boxes and messes, packing, sorting through our tangible life and deciding what stays and what is expendable.
It is quite a chore, and today, I wanted to go outside to play.
The boys called up a friend to spend the day with, and we were off.
Isaac and Jo had coupons for free happy meals from a reading program they participate in, so we stopped at McD's to pick up lunch and went to the park.
We sat on benches under a canopy of trees and watched the geese and ducks meandering around, or sleeping in the sunlight, feathers fluffed up, beaks buried under wings.

The boys had a quick romp on the playground after lunch, and then we went to the tennis courts so they could practice. They have a tournament in April.

It was pretty windy, and I walked Daniel around in his stroller while Isaac and Colton played a bit of tennis. Josiah was an excellent ball boy.

After a ride out to check on the new house, we stopped at Tropical Sno, the first trip of the season.

Daniel had his first small taste of Tropical Sno ever! It think he liked it : ).

It was warmer by the time we got there, so we sat on the benches, watching the people come and go, all craving the sweet, cold ices that are a part of spring/summer life here.

We ordered a Wolverine, Pink Pixi, and Volcano. Guess which one was mom's.

When we got home, the boys played some hoops with their friend and I cleaned a bit and ordered pizza.
Grandpa stopped in for a few minutes to drop off some paper goods he picked up for us (bless him) and he chatted and played with the kids a while.

Mom brought tulips after work to brighten up what has become a cardboard jungle (bless her).

We had a smaller homegroup than usual tonight, but it was good. We talked about what God is doing in each of us, recapped Sunday's sermon, which was excellent, and our friend Nancy shared stories from her life. Amazing, how God has his hand on each of us. We all have such stories to tell.
Before we knew it, it was almost 10 p.m., and then the phone rang.
It was Joe!
I hadn't heard his voice in over a week! It was so good to hear him.
Tomorrow, he will be home, and we will tell him all the things that happened here, and we will listen to all the stories he has to tell.
We are quite excited to see him.
I look around now, and the boxes are all where I left them this afternoon, still waiting to be packed or stacked. There is a pile of laundry that would put Mt. Everest to shame. The boys room looks like a small tornado spontaneously whipped up in there.
I sigh.
If we stayed in this afternoon, it would have all been done.
But today was not a day for boxes, or laundry, or messes.
Today was for playgrounds and fresh air and Tropical Sno and laughter in little boy's eyes.
The boxes will be here tomorrow . . .