Sugar and Spice

Faith.

2012-11-15T15:05:00.001-06:00

I had the honor of reading this poem written by my friend Jenn recently.

Wow.

The words and images she conveys are real, personal, and poignant.

I read it slowly, and then read it again. It spoke to me so much that I asked her if I could share it here.

Thanks, Jenn!

I hope this poem speaks to you as much as it did me.

-Amy.

Faith.

It’s like you’re spinning and spinning
And nobody’s winning
Because you’re going around
There’s no end to be found
But you just keep on going
Because you’ve no way of knowing
Where you’ll find the finish line
Or when to stop just in time,
But amidst all the clutter and commotion
Your heart cries with so much emotion—
“GOD!”
And cries again “God!”
Because there are no other words
When you’re lost in the herds
Of the wandering sheep of the world
The burden around you swirled
You cry out, ‘give me an answer, a sign!
To appease my confused mind!’
And when the darkness tries to drown
You worry, wonder, then you frown
There isn’t anywhere to turn
Inside your heart, you still yearn
For light and comfort to carry you away,
Someone to lean down and say,
“It’s fine, I’ll take care of you.”
And know those words are true.
Despite the anger, hope, and rage
Still feeling like you’re in some cage
The lock is done, the bars are sturdy
The man that’s preaching is rather wordy
Words mean nothing to you now
Alone, but you still wonder how
There might be light, there might be good,
But only if you understood
The path to take, the way to go,
The secrets no one wants to show.
So again amidst the darkening shroud
You try to say, scream out loud—
“God!”
And try again, “God!”
But it’s no use, you’re out of options
With no sight of helping beacons
And under this smothering pride
The sins and wounds you try to hide.
But it’s no use, you’re out of chances
No more, the enemy advances.
Call out again and maybe you’ll find
Things come this time better-aligned,
No use in screaming, crying, thrashing,
Cease your self-righteous bashing.
You’re out of league and out of touch
Something you never thought of very much.
Can you still reach out? Can you still think back?
To when you realized what it is you lack?
Stop.

The tears they course down your face
And your heart begins to race
It’s sudden and fleeting
The heart that is beating
Within your breast
Inside your chest
Stop.

Think about where your loyalties lie
And why all you ever did was try
The results were never good enough
But there are some made of stronger stuff
On whose shoulders burdens dissolve
He who can, your sins, absolve
The curtain parts, your blackened appearance in the mirror
That swiftly fades then brightens, turning clearer.
This light, this hope, this reverence
Hardly appearing to be happenstance
This is more than mere affection,
More than liking above caution,
This is love.
Real love.
It is hope for sanity
This is love in beauty
What no words can say nor express
His eternal love and gentleness
In the hope found through salvation
Can be no passing notion
Life with passion and with pain:
Through that, one finds gain
To live in His Love,
Our Holy God above
When all has crashed to a point no longer standing
And you feel there’s no hope of safe landing,
On your knees, you’re safer there
On your knees, unable to bear,
Give it up to the Father,
For He’s much abler
To hold you up, keep you steady
And to let go when you’re ready,
But always there in case you fall
To push you forwards when you stall
To give you comfort in your pain
To share in joy again and again.
So worship on your knees and give Him due
He, most Holy, the artist who created you,
He shares in your disappointments and your glee
Always loving you most mightily.
Never forget.
This life duet.
Live in fashion that your life-story
Will reflect His matchless glory
Cry out your devotion
Never going through the motion
He is greater far
Creator of every star
Of true worship worthy and deserving
Dedication most unswerving—
“GOD!”
And shout again, “GOD!”
For there is no other
In his arms we gather
For hope and comfort
And when we tend to revert,
He’s there with reminder
And bring us out from under,
Into love.
Unfailing love
Everlasting love
Graceful love.
Just love.

Feel free to share your favorite lines or responses in the comments! I have!

Dear Grace

2012-11-09T12:48:00.001-06:00

Dear Grace,

You are growing up so fast!

Just yesterday you proved what a big girl you are by going to the dentist and getting your filling without being afraid at all! Last year when we tried to get your filling done, you were so scared that we had to leave the dentist! It's so wonderful to see how far you've come in your bravery and maturity!

You are so sweet with your little sister. Just yesterday I caught you reading a book to her in your bed about learning to use the potty. You want Emma to learn to use the potty just like you, don't you? She is lucky to have you to show her how to do the things big kids do.

One of your favorite things to do during your "quiet time" (which is really your nap time but some days it's just quiet play), is teach your "class". You bring every stuffed animal you own into your walk in closet and group them into classes. One group is for the college kids, one group is for the fifteen year old's, and the last group is for the preschoolers. I don't know what you teach them about, but I know you have "circle time" with your students just like you do at preschool.

You love your preschool class. Mrs. Malon, the assistant teacher, is so friendly and kind. You cannot stop talking about her! I remember when I used to talk about my Sunday school teacher all the time with my mom (Grandma). Certain people are just heroes to us, aren't they?

Lately you have been working on your skills on the playground. Your goal is to get better at pumping on the swings. We go to the park to practice every chance we get.

When you meet new people, you just open right up in conversation. You tell them detailed stories about what is going on in your life, and you even ask them good questions. People really love meeting you, Grace. I think you make them feel comfortable right away.

When you grow up, you want to be a geologist. You used to want to be a phlebotomist, but you have moved on to geology as your love. You first became interested in lava and volcanoes, wanting to watch ever YouTube clip you could find showing real lava. Then we read the Jules Verne book "Journey To the Center of the Earth". You were hooked. It was the perfect book to read to a little geologist like you. You are so bright, honey, that I know you will be able to do anything you set your mind to.

You love to go to your little classes and learn new skills. We have you in dance and soccer right now. You also took swimming classes this past summer. You are a great learner and pay good attention to your teachers as they show you how to do each new thing. You try hard, and you don't get discouraged too easily. Most importantly, you have fun!

Grace, I am so very proud of you. Your name means "unmerited favor", which is exactly what you are in our lives. I love spending each day with you, and I look forward to all the years to come. You are my special little doll.

Love,

Mom

Literacy and Learning: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2012-10-30T09:48:00.001-05:00

It's the last day of our awesome series! I hope you've enjoyed it! If you missed any of the days, scroll to the end of today's post to see the full list of all 31 days of Literacy and Learning!

READ.

Such a classic story book! Just like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is an Eric Carle staple I'll bet most of us have in our bookshelves (if not memorized) and read often. I know it's been a favorite for my girls.

The story is told of a caterpillar that hatches from an egg, grows, and eats and eats and eats until he is so full that he becomes big and fat. He builds his cocoon, stays inside for more than two weeks, and becomes a beautiful butterfly. It's the classic metamorphosis story.

PLAY.

Create a "beautiful butterfly" with your child that they can play with over and over again. Follow the simple steps shown below:

My girls love to make these, and they only take about 5 minutes. I love them because they aren't messy, and they don't involve too much skill on the parent's part! We have quite a collection, and my oldest daughter Grace plays with hers often. She loves to hold the butterfly by the stick and swing him around to flap his wings.

It is also fun to make each one unique and different. One thing we have done is make a butterfly for everyone in the family. The kids have fun deciding which colors, patterns, and designs best reflect each person. So fun!

EAT.

Make a healthy caterpillar for lunch!

Take a large strawberry and slice to create his head. Next, create his eyes by using little bits of pineapple cut into circles and place sliced green jelly belly candies in front. Form his body with green grapes , carrot feet, raisin mouth, and ham antennae. He is walking on an oatmeal ground and taking in the cheddar cheese sun!

Enjoy this post? Check out the rest of our series!

Day 1: Cloudette
Day 2: Now It's Fall
Day 3: Blackout
Day 4: Applesauce Season
Day 5: If You Give a Moose a Muffin
Day 6: It Could Always be Worse
Day 7: Who Ate All the Cookie Dough?
Day 8: Flaptastic Shapes
Day 9: Rumplestiltskin
Day 10: Giraffes Can't Dance
Day 11: One Yellow Lion
Day 12: Lousy Rotten Stinkin' Grapes
Day 13: Walter the Baker
Day 14: Goodnight Moon
Day 15: The Lion and the Mouse
Day 16: Red Leaf Yellow Leaf
Day 17: Nuts to You
Day 18: Brown Bear, Brown Bear
Day 19: White Rabbit's Color Book
Day 20: Maisy Goes to Preschool
Day 21: JUMANJI
Day 22: Bridget's Beret
Day 23: Little Duck: Finger Puppets

Day 24: A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Day 25:The Ice Cream King

Day 26: Happy Birthday to You!

Day 27: How Rocket Learned to Read

Day 28: Science Fair Day

Day 29: Mouse's First Halloween

Thanks for following along with us!!