"Let the Little Children Come Unto Me"

How do you solve a problem like Maria?
How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Maria?
A flibbertijibbet! A will-o'-the wisp! A clown!
Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her
Many a thing she ought to understand
But how do you make her stay And listen to all you say
How do you keep a wave upon the sand
Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria?
How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?

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Abs finally made it to overnight status.

"Grandma, can I spend the night and go to church with you in the morning?" The plaintive little voice resonated with longing. I could have told her no and she would have been absolutely crushed, but she would have accepted the decision, cried a little, and journeyed on. I would not have expected temper tantrums, recriminations, or begging. I did not, however, tell ABS "no."

Sunday morning dawned clear and cool as we dressed for church after finishing off plates of pancakes. Abs looked adorable in a maroon dress with little white collar. She put on her black boots and I put her hair in "pigtails." I finished dressing as Abs twirled and danced in front of a floor length mirror.
"Uh-oh! You can see my panties when I do that," she said, and disappeared into the other room. When she returned, she had on a pair of long, black stretch pants, sprinkled with silver glitter, under her dress. Abs tucked the pants into her boots and commented on how cute they were, "bagging, just like real stockings."
She wrapped herself in a red, fringed shawl, and announced that she was ready to go. I can count on Abs not to make a scene when I say no to an overnight, but I can equally count on her to wage war when I try to interfere with her sense of fashion.

"Let's go!" I said.

I have two main rules for Abs in church. The rules are born of experience. The first is to not talk unless you are asked a question, then only give one answer. The other is to keep your hands to yourself. I forgot to remind her of these before we went in to the sanctuary. She grabbed a packet as we went to our seats. The packet contained a book, a couple of pipe cleaners, 2-3 colored index cards, paper, a pencil, and a stencil. The packet is supposed to quietly entertain a young child until time for the Children's Moment at the altar followed by their departure for Children's Church.

Abs quickly began making cards from the paper and index cards in the packet. She knew there was not much time before she would have to put it all away. After each card was made, she reached out to hand it to someone who caught her fancy during the morning. Sometimes it was just a person sitting quietly to one side, another time it might be a child who has shown her a kindness. She managed to pass out four cards this morning, and I noticed each recipient had a broad smile after Abs' visit.

The children's lesson was on "The Good Samaritan" who helped someone in need when no one else would.
"What are some things that should NOT influence us when we see someone who needs help?" the leader asked.
The children toss out out suggestions.
"Whether they are clean."
"Whether they are different from us."
"What they are wearing!" shouted my little fashion plate whose pant legs had come out of the boots. There was tittering throughout the congregation.

The leader progressed to the prayer which the children were asked to repeat. There were several short sentences to the prayer and all the children dutifully repeated the phrases as requested, except one. One little voice spoke the first 2-3 words of the sentence, then sang, like a cantor, the rest of the phrase....all the way through the prayer. The first time the singing occurred, it was quietly noted. The second time, there was a rustle as some people turned to a neighbor to share a smile. As the singing continued, members of the congregation were obviously struggling to keep their mirth in check, until, after the final sentence and its vocal reprise, there was a burst of appreciative laughter. Abs, blissfully unaware of her effect on the whole congregation, skipped off to Children's Church leaving a roomful of smiles behind her.

Photohunt - "Delicious"

Piggies with coins, frogs, and healthy looking fruits.....all marzipan.....Florence, Italy

More photos @ PhotoHunt

A Gift

I received an unexpected gift. It was waiting for me on the front doorstep right after I returned home from my Christmas Holiday, so I suppose one of my neighbors had accepted it from UPS and saved it for me. I have great neighbors!


I photographed the box next to an 8 1/2" x 11" envelope to put the size of the box in perspective.




Then I opened the cardboard box and found it filled to the brim with those little, cushiony air-bags. It was absolutely filled to the top. It looked empty but I really thought no one would send a present of air-bags, and I had not ordered anything.
....So..........
....I dug down under the airbags, all the way to the bottom of the box....



....and found....

...the most sinful chocolates! It was only a small basket, about 4" x 5", holding a dozen Nirvana chocolates, but they were beautiful! These are hand made in the shapes of nuts, mushrooms, and such. A thin, chocolate shell with a rich, melt-in-the-mouth filling.

I limit myself to no more than one each day, but they are almost too pretty to eat.

Many thanks to my benefactor!

Bread and Life

Bread for myself is a material question. Bread for my neighbor is a spiritual one.

-Nikolai Berdyaev

If bread is the first necessity of life, recreation is a close second.

- Edward Bellamy

My up-the-street-neighbor, KH, came down last night bearing a loaf of bread. It was so fresh from the oven that it might have burned my hands had she not wrapped it in brown paper to keep it hot until she arrived. I lost no time cutting a slice and slathering it with butter (actually margarine, but anything yellow and spread on bread is called "butter" in our family....unless it is obviously mustard). The fragrance impelled me to eat the slice as soon as it was prepared,while the butter was still melting into the hot bread.

This was not the first time KH had gifted me with such a delicacy. The results are never exactly the same since she adds different grains / nuts / seeds, whatever sounds good to her at the time of baking. She says it is a no-knead recipe, but the results belie that fact. A lovely, crisp outer crust with a dense (dependent on the additions), moist inner texture, the bread not only tastes wonderful, it is good for you.

The friends and neighbors in my community make life easier and more interesting. We walk and talk together, write together, and break bread together. I am blessed.

Thursday Theme - "Shopping"

There are many things to shop for in Seoul, Korea, but this day I stopped to peruse a street vendor's stand near the park. Note the 2 silver-colored pots on the right hand side of the stand in the first photo, then follow as I inspect the contents more closely. I did not try this delicacy, but by the number of empty shells in the area, I would think it was a popular snack.

Look for more photos on Thursday Challenge - for fun and learning

Wordless Wednesday - "Meeting the Street Gang"

While this could be wordless, the explanation should make it more interesting.

Our son was born in Peru while we were living there. When I pushed him in a stroller in public, I usually kept him covered because he attracted so much attention, especially from the children. So many children crowded around, that it was hard to maneuver the stroller. Then they wanted to touch his fair skin, stroke his blonde hair, and hold his hand. He was delighted with the attention, but I had a hard time letting them handle my young child. They would run over from their street games and I could never be sure how clean their hands were. They certainly did not look clean.

This day, there were so many children crowding around, that I put DS in the car and the local children followed, peering in at him through the closed window. He loved it and waved frantically at them.

Happy New Year - 2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


That translates from Webdings font to HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! It rather reminds me of the tween years when we devised our own codes so our parents would not know what we were writing. Actually, we weren't writing anything earthshaking, it was just nice to know we were in control of something.

I am finally beginning to relax after Christmas "vacation" and two days of driving to get home. There was a ton of mail (figuratively speaking) waiting at the PO and it was (mostly) a joy to go through. I LOVE the Christmas letters people send with their cards. I understand they get mixed reviews from recipients, but I love catching up with what has been going on in my friends' lives.

Our family dynamics have changed drastically over the past couple of years, but we still work to keep family at the forefront. It does take work! Gone are the days when almost everyone lives within a short driving distance of one another. I could always count on seeing my grandparents and great aunts during the holidays when I was growing up, but as our own families expand and move about, it requires a concentrated effort to maintain family ties.

Gunner's brother is a prime example, having made a one-day trip across the country to see his daughter, as reported by the "El Paso Times," 12/17/07 :


Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Steinbring fought back tears Sunday as he held his daughter, Sgt. Nicole Steinbring, 21, after she returned from Iraq on Sunday at Fort Bliss. Thomas Steinbring, who is stationed at Fort Knox, Ky., flew in for the day to see his daughter. (Photo by Vanessa Monsisvais / El Paso Times)

I am off to lunch at DD #2's home - ham, black-eyed peas, cornbread, and collard greens. I won't eat the collard greens, they are not good luck in my book. I will eat plenty of black-eyed peas and cornbread. Gunner will be leaving for a 3rd tour in Iraq in a few months, so we will make sure he eats plenty too.