A Prayer in Spring

"Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill."

-Robert Frost

I have had my hands in the dirt again and I couldn't be more thrilled! I've been weeding my garden and planting seeds. I even added a couple varieties of irises and poppies to the array of perennials surrounding our swimming pool.
One afternoon this week, I was pleasantly surprised as I looked out my window to see daffodil sprouts shooting up throughout my garden. When I went out to inspect, I also noticed almost all of my perennials plants reemerging through the soil.
I'm definitely an amateur at this gardening thing, and I wasn't sure if my plants would come back again. The stems and leaves that remained after their winter pruning were terribly brown and lifeless looking. At the sight of the bright green leaves at the base of each plant, I couldn't help but think of the new life God creates in our hearts when He regenerates our souls from death to life. What a beautiful picture to see!
I'm so grateful spring is finally here! (I was starting to think it would never come!) What a glorious season to enjoy!

Candy Girl

I couldn't help but think of my Boo when John showed me this Seinfeld video (except I don't think she has a moron, idiot brain!). Recently, Alyssa and Julianna saved up all their candy for a trip we were planning to take. Both of them had a bucketful by the time we left! Seems like every time I turn around one of them
is chomping on some sort of treat, or I'm stepping on candy wrappers! Julianna, in particular, is always looking for ways to earn or scheme a lollipop or a pack of gum. In fact, candy was
all she wanted for Christmas this year. She is officially our
candy girl.

Whom Shall I Fear?

I am a wallflower.
John and Maggie think it's pretty funny that I think that about myself. But it's true! I've always been quiet and reserved, more shy than outgoing. Although I'd totally prefer to stay at home and hang out with my family all-the-time... on occasion society calls. Now that the boys are in school those occasions are becoming more frequent. Just yesterday, I had a meeting with Spencer's teacher. And the day before, he had a school performance. When in public, as silly as it seems, I often wonder if I don't look at other people, maybe they won't speak to me. But it's inevitable my eyes wander, and someone says "hello" and introduces his or herself.
I called my sister on the way home from Spencer's performance to see if she also feels awkward in those situations. (I was happy to hear she does). I'm not sure why, but in a roomful of women relatively the same age as me, I still feel like I'm fifteen. Even when meeting with Spencer's teacher I came away thinking I sounded like a big doofus. John and I talked about how I scrutinize the way I come across to people and the pride it reveals in my heart. I want to sound good. I want people to respect me.
This morning, I was reminded of my true position in this world as I listened to Casting Crowns in the car. Although I am not crazy about the tune, the words are perfect:

"I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours"

Praise God, He doesn't give up on me... but chooses to use me in spite of my sinfulness. Even if I am a big doofus. ;)

Happy 29th Birthday, John!

For John's birthday I surprised him with an overnight stay at Mast Farm Inn. (Ok, it wasn't actually his "29th" birthday, we just like to make him feel better.) The trip was totally a last minute plan, which says a lot about the kind of friends I have. (Thanks Gail, Kristin, Jess, Celia, and Michelle for watching the kids!). We had a very restful, relaxing time, which is just what we needed.
Since we were in Maggie's stompin' grounds, she made the cakes and we celebrated at her house too! (Thanks, Magz!) ;)

Gardening and a Few Ramblings

Other than pool parties, I have been busy caring for my flowers. A hugely rewarding project. Each morning I love to spend time in my quiet backyard to focus on the goodness of our Lord. It is a peaceful haven, and I feel so blessed.
I'm also thankful for my little helpers, who (I think) are achieving an appreciation for God's creativity as they see His creation thriving in their own backyard. We recently hung a few birdfeeders, and have acquired a couple birdbaths. Watching and identifying birds has been a delight.
As the summer comes to an end, I've also been gearing up for the new school year and relatively new season of life. For those of you who do not know yet, Noah will be attending "real" school this year at Covenant Classical in Concord. He will be entering the seventh grade. When John and I began homeschooling Noah it was our hope to keep him home through his highschool years, but as he's gotten older it has become clear to us that he would benefit from a traditional school setting. The academics offered and extracurricular opportunities will hopefully spur him on to excel in his overall education. CCS is a highly respected academic facility. Some of his buddies already attend there, and he couldn't be more excited.
Please pray for a smooth transition for Noah, my biggest concern would be academic. Covenant is known to be uniquely difficult. Also, he will be going from a classroom of four to a classroom of twenty! Noah has always relied heavily on my one-on-one assistance. I hope he will grow more independent quickly!
In addition to transition, please pray for his character to grow in godly leadership and not to succumb to negative peer pressure. Homeschooling does allow parents to protect children from some of the harsh realities that are sadly introduced to children at too-young-of-ages (in my opinion). Though Noah is current on world events, (more so even than myself, he's an avid reader of World Magazine), he certainly has not had to endure the peer pressures that I faced by his age. I'm not hugely concerned about this issue, (Noah's a good kid), but I still covet your prayers for him and for wisdom for us in leading him through these years.
Thank you so much! I feel so privileged to have so many wonderful people walking through these years with us. You are a blessing to me!

Crazy Summer Daze

For the few of you who still visit this blog, I am grateful this
isn't the only place you go for regular updates about the Morrison family. Now that we all peruse Facebook, I've found it much easier to post video and pictures on there... leaving the blog to gather cyber dust. On occasion, the rusty wheels of my brain begin to turn around some story or event that I deem "blog worthy" and here I am again. Sorry for my absence, but I think it's inevitable this utility will be receiving less and less of my attention.
This summer has been particularly crazy around our household, especially July (notice not a single event was posted). Our church has designated July as our Sabbatical month of the year, temporarily postponing all meetings, except for Sunday mornings. The goal is to allow people to concentrate on their families as well as having time to reach out to others. We chose to spend the month opening our home to the small groups John oversees. Since we have the pool, our home is very conducive to large summer gatherings.
Altogether we had a total of six large cookouts in our home, at least one a week. The groups ranged from twenty people to nearly fifty. Here are a few pictures:




Between children flying through the air, and surprisingly older gentlemen cannon-balling into the pool that pretty much sums up our month.
It was fun!

Julianna's Jumpin' Birthday Jam

We celebrated Julianna's seventh birthday at Bounce U.