Sunday Morning Processing

     It has been a long quiet morning at home this Sunday morning. The sunshine streams in on a cleaned living room.  Carolyn's carnations from Noah stand in a  glinting crystal vase in bright clean colors. The stove radiates steady warmth.

    As the family was leaving for church, Dru and Lisl sent pictures of a baptism they had at the new Thai church a short twelve hours ago. I have my own praise and worship with tears as I look at the pictures. At Grace Bible this morning someone will show them big on the white chapel wall with a digital projector.

 
    Yesterday, Amy initiated our first clearing out for spring housecleaning. Old puzzles came down from the stairway wall. Don't ask, girls, they are gone. There were corner pieces missing and lots of dust embedded in them. We also emptied a whole book case to be able to have shelving for the sewing room things we want to have organized. We now have a big box of "give away" books and another box of books for the bookcase at the cabin. And some are in file 13. Others to individuals. I hope we own a hundred fewer books now.
    We are STILL...maybe again, trying to get rid of the cough/flu/sinus stuff around here. Elv says that warm spring weather will help. Bring it on, soon. Thank God for ordinary blessings like new boxes of tissues.

 
   Here is a piece of domesticity that I enjoy. Amy hates the term 'domestic' in reference to home making and the arts thereof. "I am NOT a cow!" she says. But I like the idea of creating our own beauty and refinements at home for ourselves and for others. Domestic, as opposed to uncivilized and homeless is the thing.
    I remember reading about Corrie ten Boom's sister, Nollie, who used the only things they had in a prison cell with five other women to create home and beauty. She hung their coats in a row, then she took one arm of each coat and placed it around the shoulder of the next coat, so that they hung in a friendly row like playful children arms around each other. It doesn't take money or matching possessions to make it home. Just hearts and hands that create, will do.

     One day, the curtain for this window caught fire from the lit candle. We have very deep sills and I love candles and stacks of books and lots of other things with which we clutter our lives...shelves. Elv was horrified in the first place to see a lit candle on this sill even though we conscientiously use candles only on or in glass holders. So when he discovered that the curtain sustained a very large burned hole; we were charged to not put a candle there anymore! I suppose it grated on his firefighting sensibilities. Since this is the bathroom window; we had to have the curtain for privacy so I have only lately replaced the scorched thing.  Yes, it is a neck scarf with dried roses pinned on to it to hold it on the rod.  The clock replaces the candle and so I am satisfied. Ok, now you may laugh at my eccentricities.

    And here it is Tuesday evening and I think I'll post this the way it is.