Hurry Spring!

I wanted to share this amazing photo with you tonight. As I began to search for a poem that might do such an incredible image justice, I had a thrilling thought. It's nearly April! Some people approach April with a vast relief that spring is in sight. Others approach it by planning elaborate pranks. I approach, book in hand. I'll see you again April first to tell you about my own rite of spring. Here is that poem to share while we wait and dream of spring.

Today

If ever there were a spring day so perfect,
so uplifted by a warm, intermittent breeze

that it made you want to throw open
all the windows in the house

and unlatch the door to the canary's cage,
indeed, rip the door right from its little jamb,

a day when the cool brick paths and
garden bursting with peonies

seemed so etched in sunlight
that you feel like taking

a hammer to the glass paperweight
on the living room end table,

releasing the inhabitants
from their snow-covered cottage

so they could walk out,
holding hands and squinting

into this larger dome of blue and white,
well, today is just that kind of day.


~ Billy Collins

The photographer of this amazing photo is Jaime Walsh. Visit her Flickriver and beguile an hour or so.

A Woman Blessed

I just have to write about my daughter tonight. Something happened yesterday, and it has been on my mind ever since.

My parents were coming over for dinner last night before we went to a production of Harvey at the high school where Jeffrey teaches. Earlier that day Sloane and I had rearranged her bedroom, played a lot, and dragged out all her warmer weather clothes. Her room was a mess, and we had about an hour to get it clean and organized. Sunday was going to be a busy day with no real time at home. So, no shutting the door and naming it “Off Limits” till tomorrow. My mother’s house is always perfect, so her visits are great motivation to have my own house neat and organized and as charming as possible. Needless to say, I was feeling a little self-imposed pressure.

There I was, stressing over problems that existed mostly in my own mind. (I’m afraid I do that a lot.) My mother does not care if my house is perfect. My daughter just wants to be with her Momma. But, stressed I was and growing irritable. Sloane said something innocent that struck me wrong. She asked me why I was in her room anyway when she had a “Private” sign on the door. She was only teasing and I knew it, but I answered before I thought of her precious feelings.

I told her that I thought Private signs were kind of rude and… Before I could say anything else I saw Sloane’s face change. She was horrified. Not because her Momma had just criticized her, but because she had been rude. She walked right over to the door and gently pulled that sign down. I felt terrible and humbled at the same time. I quickly tried to explain and to make her feel better.

The thing is, I really do think Private signs are kind of rude. Sloane had made hers when an older friend was over to play. This friend introduced her to the idea, and Sloane thought the sign would be fun and grown up; like Hailey. Instead of talking to Sloane about the sign, I let it slide. It wasn’t really that big of a deal. I didn’t want to rob her of her fun.

Shame on me for becoming too distracted with trivial things to speak gently to my little one. My love. I held Sloane and apologized profusely for speaking unkindly. I explained that I did understand feeling the need for privacy….. Sloane just patted my cheeks and told me, “It’s alright, Momma. Don’t worry. Do you think I could sit at my desk and make a new sign? Don’t look till it’s finished.”

Sloane went to her Daddy for help with the spelling. She spent nearly an hour trying to get her new door sign just right. Since she wanted the sign to appeal to both boys and girls, she added four-leaf clovers and a rainbow to the flowers and butterfly.

Here’s the sign.

I couldn’t be prouder of my daughter.


By the way, my mother never disappoints. I hadn't had a chance to tell Mom any of this. What do you bet the first thing she said was? “Oh, Sloane, I just love your door sign. Most kids have Private or Keep Out signs, but yours is so welcoming. Thank you. It makes me just want to sit right down in your room for a nice long visit.”

That’s my Mom.

That’s my daughter.

Aren’t I a woman blessed?

Good Things Thursday, Week 1

Don't we all love to find beauty in an unexpected place?

Who doesn't want to reduce, reuse, and recycle?

This little idea offers the best of both worlds.

I wish I could claim it, but the idea and the photo come from Pottery Barn Living Rooms, which you can find here.

Don't you just love it?

The next time you go to the grocery store, try spending 50 cents more for the green beans that come in the pretty can. Maybe visit the foreign foods aisle. So many interesting, colorful containers right there waiting for you to take them home. A vase and a new food experience; all for a few dollars.

Now that's a pretty good thing.

Something Beautiful

These images captured on film were so surprising and beautiful, they made me gasp. I just wanted to share them. Here's a minute and a half of beauty.

A Brief View of Easter

My daughter in her Easter finery.

The reason for the hope that is within me.

Team Lawson

Today is the last week day of spring break. Sloane and I were planning on taking a short trip, but local flooding led to a change in plans. No problem, I can use some time at home to get started on a big spring cleaning and to get the Sparkle Room (more on that later) organized. Instead, I spent every free moment playing around on the computer. I just love technology, but I'm not very savvy yet. So I am very proud of what I figured out how to do today. In the spirit of celebrating minor accomplishments, I had to post mine. Isn't it cool? I think it would make a great looking postage stamp. Have you seen those "make your own" stamps? Check it out. Anyway, happy Spring to you and yours.

Dreaming of Impossible Things

I love serendipity and synchronicity, and the way things on your mind seem to circle back into the dailiness of your life again and again. Last Sunday, I began a list in my journal. (I told you I was an irrepressible list-maker.) The list is titled Things I Long For. It really is a list about things. This one contains no strong, character-driven wishes. Just a list of material things that would delight me. Today, I was reading some old posts by Maddie of Persisting Stars. One she wrote struck a particular chord with me. Perhaps because it references one of my favorite quotes of all time.

There is no use trying" said Alice, "One can't believe impossible things."

"I daresay you haven't had much practice" said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast!" ~ Lewis Carrol, Alice in Wonderland

I love that quote so much because I believe in impossible things. In fact, my favorite "quote" is actually a Bible Verse. Jesus looked at them and said, " With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." ~ Mark 10:27

I love dreaming of impossible things. I find it amazing to realize just how many impossible things have come true for me. Here's my best example. I spent my childhood reading fairy tales, pretending to star in them, and writing my own. I also spent it in a warm and happy home with parents who loved each other and us. When I was a young adult my mother really believed it wasn't possible that I would find a man I was willing to marry. At least not without changing my standards. You see, I was bound and determined to find my own knight on a white horse. I would only marry a man who was a wonderful as my father. I wanted a man who would treat me as well as my Dad treated my Mom. My father really is extraordinary, and Mom worried for me that no more such men existed. I refused to believe she was right. I just kept on dreaming impossible dreams. And praying faithfully; asking God for what some thought impossible. About a year and a half later, at our rehearsal dinner my mother gave a toast. She told the story I just related and said how very glad she was to be wrong. She said that Jeffrey had made all my fairy tale dreams come true. She was right.

She still is right. Jeffrey and I have been joyfully married almost 16 years. Impossible dreams come true every day.

Here's to your impossible dreams coming true, too.

The whimsical illustration above is by Lisbeth Zwerger.

The First Daffodil of Spring

There is just something about the first daffodils of spring that make my heart beat a little bit faster. I watch eagerly for them each year. Earlier this week I dropped by a friend's house to pick something up, and we took the chance to visit. Dulcy lives in an enchanted cottage in a tiny wood in the middle of a smallish city. It's an old stone house with a red tin roof and a single room upstairs that feels like sleeping in a tree house. She and her husband, Jim, created a dream garden with huge Koi that I keep waiting to surface and offer me one wish. Her front yard is huge and full of trees. The ground between the trees is completely covered in purple crocus. Amazing!

Anyway, back to the daffodils... We were taking a stroll through Dulcy's yard, and I was telling her how eager I was for the first daffodil this year. She smiled her gorgeous smile and said, "They've bloomed. Look behind you." Just behind us, against a fence, was a bank of spring sunshine blooming in the grass. Ohhh!

Being the generous friend that she is, Dulcy went over and picked a handful for me. Being the stylish friend that she is, she took them inside, found a tiny bud vase and tied the vase with a ribbon. A simple yellow flower can bring such joy. There is a greater joy, a lifting of the tired heart that comes from a spontaneous, generous gift. One friend, reaching out to another. One heart, saying, "I see you. I know you." One posy, wrapped in so much more than ribbon.

Happy spring, and small handfuls of daffodils to you all.
Sursum Corda!

The daffoldils

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills.
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay
In such a jocund company!

I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
~ William Wordsworth

The photograph above shows where my posy from Dulcy lives now. My bedside table is always a little picture of what's in my head at any given moment. It usually has a journal, a letter to write, several books, and some things I find beautiful. What's on your nightstand?

What I'm Really Good At...

You know how we all have things we are really good at? Well, I am good at fun. That's it. Just fun. That's my skill, my number one talent, the main thing I am really gifted in. I can have fun with anybody doing almost anything. If fun is on the menu, you can bet I'm gonna love it.

Funny how the act of writing brings self-knowledge. As I try to describe what I am good at for you, I realize that my talent is not just fun, but also enthusiasm. I have a great enthusiasm for life and for experiences, which makes me good at fun. Whatever it is, I jump in wholeheartedly.

However, I also have enthusiasm for you. You know, you - the people with whom my life intersects. I just love people, their stories, their experiences, their opinions, their animated faces... just people. This love gives me great joy and pleasure in daily life.

I have been trying to find words to explain how this "talent" works. (See, there I go - belittling a talent, hesitating to call it that.) This is what I could come up with:

• I believe that everyone has a story - an interesting story.
• I believe that when we pay attention, we will find that the world is full of remarkable, magical people.
• I believe that when you learn how to really look, and really listen, you will find that so much of what fills your daily life is so interesting.
• I believe that the retelling of a child's recent dream is as worthy of real attention and interest as a heated discussion between political candidates.
• I believe fourth grade recess play is funnier than a Seinfeld episode.
• I believe that talking to your passengers is more important that finding a better song on the radio.
• I believe that experiences are worth more than things.

Don't get me wrong, I love music and movies, too. It's just that I know that people are more important and more interesting. In fact, if I love a movie or book you can bet the reason is that the characters are quirky, interesting, and feel like friends.

Speaking of people being important.... My daughter is waiting (not very patiently) for me to come play Go Fish. After that, I think I'll suggest we spend some time coloring while we sing along with the Grease soundtrack.

The amazing photo above is from this blog.

Why Is It Embarassing?

Have you ever noticed how most women have such a difficult time acknowledging their talents and strengths? I bet that if you were to ask a woman what she was good at, she would likely look very confused, then hem and haw around before finally coming out with something pretty innocuous. What is it about our culture that makes women feel embarrassed to admit what we are good at? Why is it difficult for us to own up to our talents and name the ways in which we are excellent?

Mother Teresa said, "Be the change you would like to see in the world." Well, I am trying - one child... one friend at a time. When an appropriate moment arises, I try to ask people what they are really good at, or what their great talents are. Something amazing happens when a person answers the question from their heart. I love to watch their face as they tell me the ways that they are excellent, the thing about themselves that they really like. The answers are almost always surprising. I frequently ask my students what they are good at. Then, I ask them, "OK. So, what are you great at?" This is tougher, but you should see their smiles when they finally admit it. Amazing - the pride they feel to say it out-loud and have someone hear them.

Go ahead. Try answering the question yourself. It's not as difficult as you might think. "I'm really good at __________________." See? Not so bad. Maybe you want to ask a friend the same question today. If you do, will you tell me their response? Don't forget to watch their face.

Tomorrow I'll tell you what I am really good at. For now...
Sursum Corda!

This slightly befuddled girl comes from one of my favorite children's books by an artist whose work I absolutely adore.

List of Perfect Things

Do you have one of those books that is so you, you almost feel gypped that someone beat you to writing it? And, at the same time, you are so thrilled that someone else out in that big, big world is an awful lot like you?

There is a book I treasure called Love Walked In by Marissa de los Santos. For me, it is one of those books. I love it for the way the narrator talks right to the reader. (I just love it when books do that.) I can relate to the way the main character always imagines her own life as an old movie. I love the quirky descriptions of people. Most of all, I love this book for the surprising love story. (Some time I will have to tell you how I came to read this book, but that's another story.)

Tonight I started reading this lovely book again. In the first few pages, I was struck by a list of perfect things. The main character was talking about Philadelphia Story, which now I have to watch again, and she said the movie belonged on the list perfect things. Being the compulsive list-maker that I am, I had to sit down and make my own list of perfect things. The first six on my list are from the book. The rest are my own. I hope you enjoy a few of my perfect things.

• a starry sky over the desert

• grilled cheese sandwiches

• The Great Gatsby

• the Chrysler building

• white peonies

• those little sketches of hands by Leonardo da Vinci

• hot pink post it notes

• the Mall in Washington D.C.

• the duets of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

• Etta James singing At Last

• a perfect triangle of Baklava, dripping honey and bringing back all kinds of memories

• To Kill a Mockingbird

• that moment your newborn daughter stares into your eyes and you know her, bone deep

• a hammock under the trees in early spring

• Monet's Waterlilies (in person - not those insipid reprints on umbrellas and totebags)

• Van Morrison's Crazy Love

• MoonPies and RC Cola

• polka dots

• the very first daffodil of spring

• My Fair Lady, the scene at Ascot

• huge, old, curly brass beds

• VW Bug convertibles, vintage or otherwise

• Airstream trailers

• ferry boat rides

• faded vintage quilts

• Niko blue hydrangeas

• dimpled, pudgy baby knees and feet

• windmills, silos, and old red barns

Wishing you a perfect day to add to your own List of Perfect Things.

Sursum Corda!

I Love To Boogie!

It has been a long, hard week in our house. My daughter has the flu, like so many other children this winter. This is the sickest she has ever been, and the whole thing has been quite nerve-wracking and exhausting. I was beginning to feel just like an unmade bed: rumpled, untidy, and ready to drop. But, God is good. He sent a reprieve just when I needed one. Sloane began to feel better this afternoon. While her Daddy spent time watching a movie with her, I knew just what I needed. I needed to boogie!

I would like to say that I danced like this.

I dream of some day dancing like this.

I really looked a lot more like this.

Doesn't matter though... By the end of my boogie, I felt like me again. I just love to boogie!

Sursum!

Here are some of my favorite boogie songs. What are yours?

1. Old Time Rock n Roll - Bog Seger
2. Footloose - Kenny Loggins
3. Honky Tonk Badonkadonk - Trace Adkins
4. Tutti Frutti - Little Richard
5. Twist and Shout - The Isley Brothers
6. Rock Around the Clock - Bill Hailey and the Comets
7. We Go Together - Grease soundtrack
8. Mambo No. 5 - Lou Bega

Ladies and Gentlemen, Would You Please Join Me in Welcoming...

I have no idea how many times I have given that particular introduction for my daughter, Sloane. Since she was a tiny thing we have held fashion shows to model any new clothes for her Daddy and Bapak (my Dad). Over the past handful of years, my mother or I have made many such announcements in our best ringmaster voices. We have incredible and amazing livingroom shows featuring new gymnastics routines, art shows, even special dramatic performances, complete with costumes. The list is long.

Isn't it fun to share life with a little one? Their joy has way of making even the smallest things an occasion. And, think about it - a pretty new dress is worth announcing and admiring. A creative effort does deserve the applause of those who love you.

So tonight, in honor of my daughter, I am going to celebrate a few small joys and creative endeavors of my own. I hope my short and simple list will inspire you to celebrate your own life and the lives of those you love.

1. The weather today was perfect. As I drove from errand to errand, I had all the windows down and the radio blasting. I sang along and did a shimmying seat dance or two. When other drivers gave me funny looks, I just grinned and waved.


2. The weekend is almost over and my house is neat and tidy. The laundry is sorted, sprayed, and ready to wash.


3. My husband, Jeffrey, recently finished reading By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman aloud to Sloane and I. That was several hours of pure pleasure. What a lot of laughs!


4. My friend, Katie, made a gorgeous name sign for me because I admired one she had made for someone else.


5. I have a swingy, new, springish hair cut that mysteriously makes my hair look shiny.


6. I am just about finished and ready to publish my first ever blog post. Yeah, me!!

Send me your list, if you like. I would love to celebrate with you. Yeah, you!!

Sursum Corda!

I just love vintage circus pictures. The one in this post is an old advertisement.