Things That Make Me Smile

Smiling is cathartic. It makes the world look better when we find things that tickle our senses. I have been on the prowl for such things this week and have been blessed.

I love autumn - the colors, the sound of geese overhead, the crisp morning air, and the smell of the evening. I love driving around town, taking note of the colors. Unfortunately, we had a couple of really windy days, so many of the trees are looking rather sparse already. But I love this drive down 37th Street on the way to my house.




I love the sound of the twins babbling and giggling when they are supposed to be taking a nap. They have such a great time together, and eventually they settle down for a nice sleep. I chuckled when I spotted one of them chillin' out with her bottle (which they still love a couple of times a day - I know, I know).




I love the option of sleeping a bit later on Friday mornings, when DC doesn't go to work and I don't have the littles here. We don't seem to take advantage of it often - the body clock is set quite early after all these years. But it's nice to know the option is there. It makes me happy to not have to rush every single morning.

It is so much fun to watch the development of the girls - all 4 of them. I know I meticulously journaled all of these steps with my own kids, but it is great to enjoy it again.

It is a joy to watch Care Bear's enthusiasm for life. She has been wearing glasses since she was the age the littles are now, and one eye is badly crossed. But she seems to have figured out a way to straighten it out when she wants to. She asked me to take a picture of her doing this so she could see what she looks like, since she can't see herself without her specs.




And this just melted my heart - she and Grandpa were sitting on the couch reaching Genesis - she got through Chapter 5. She does Bible quizzing on Wednesday nights and this year they're studying Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. The other night she and I were working on it together - she read an entire chapter of Joshua out loud to me, doing a pretty good job even reading those Jebusite, Hittite, Amorite words.




Nothing brightens a week like a surprise lunch with friends you haven't seen in a long time. I have to thank Facebook for getting us back together. They used to live here, but now spend a lot of their time back in Indiana caring for her mom. They spend the rest of the year in Denver. We had a great time catching up. Here they are with my mom and dad - their favorite pastor and wife ever. (In case you wonder, my friends are in the middle!)




I can remember my kids asking me why we celebrated birthdays of grandparents since they were so old. I told them that we celebrate because we still can! It was fun celebrating last night with DC's mom - she's now 91. She got a Snuggli and had to try it out right away. Her sister comes out from Minnesota every year for the birthday.






Another thing that gives me pleasure is having a good book waiting for me when I have a few minutes. I take every opportunity to get in a few pages - including while I am on the elliptical machine, the treadmill, and the recumbent bike at the gym. I finished the new one by Faye Kellerman, am now reading one by Lynn Austin, and I have a pile of 4 that I bought at Women of Faith, written by the speakers.

I'm really smiling tonight because I have two exciting week-ends coming up - my 40th college reunion the first week-end in November and a visit with Kev (and hopefully some blog friends) in Maine the next week-end. Woo-Hoo!

New subject - an update on the patio project. The final thing for this fall took place this past week. I wish I had been out there with my camera, but I didn't know it was even happening. DC roped a friend in on the process - our friend has the equipment we needed to haul in 3 very large moss rocks through the gates. That would have made some great pictures, but here is the end result. It'll be fun to see what the master landscaper does in the spring.





See what you can find to make you smile!

In Memory . . .

From the official obituary:

Daniel Max Walker, 22, passed away July 23, 2008. Dan passed away during his sleep due to a ruptured aortic aneurysm.

Dan was born Aug. 29, 1985. He graduated from F C H S in 2004, where he participated in football, lacrosse and track.

After high school, Dan attended Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill., graduating in May 2008 with a degree in mechanical engineering.

At Olivet, Dan was a four-year member of the football team, a football captain a member of Testament Men’s Choir, built and raced a Baja car and was a stellar disc golfer. Dan was currently working as an activities director at Golden Bell Camp and Conference Center. . .

Dan was a pilot, enjoyed the outdoors and was an excellent potter. Dan was a committed son, brother, friend and follower of Christ. His friends’ sentiments are…

“You were a living testimony to what God teaches us through Jesus Christ. It takes great character to live out your belief, and that trait was very evident in you.”

“You are an inspiration, a true man of God, one day I hope that I can be like you.”

“I know you lived your ‘grown up years’ as a man of God ... a true Testimony of Christ!”

“You set the standard ... you were a great example and an amazing Christian man.”

“You were a Man of God that everyone could lean and rely on. You have not only been a leader to your peers but to the family around you.”

I have been to many funerals in my life, and have played the organ for many as well. I have been to very sad services, and I have been to celebrations of life. This was the latter. Of course we're sad. Obviously there were many tears. But there was laughter and joy as well - our church building isn't large enough to handle the outpouring of love for this family, so we went to a large church in the town just north of us.

I wish I had known Dan better - based on the stories told during the audience participation, he was a truly amazing young man. He was wise beyond his years. Here are some excerpts from his application to the Focus on the Family Institute, where he planned to be for the fall semester.

"I'll probably never be in a full time ministry position in the church, but I'm convinced that I should be very involved in and contribute to the ministry and health of the church."

"I'm by no means perfect, but I have convictions that I hold on to, and I think people respect that."

"There are a lot of people that talk about God without basis or understanding, and I think that one thing I'm called to is to let people know of God's word for them wherever I am, and I know the need I have to know God's truth in order to do that effectively."

"Being a Christian also shapes how I look at everyday tasks. Something very powerful was when I learned that everything, no matter how trivial or menial, can and should be seen as an act of worship to God. So when I see the world through that lens, doing my homework, playing football, or even art takes on a powerful new perspective."

Dan's girlfriend, who would probably have been his fiancee soon, has spent the last month or so in India, doing a mission that was amazingly challenging for such a young woman. She shared with us that the last time she and Dan spoke face to face, they sat on a patio down at the camp and talked about heaven - about the streets of gold - how something we value so greatly here on earth is used for paving the streets in heaven. Did he have some inkling of his future?

I don't presume to understand God's thinking. But I have to say that I have thought often in the last 3 days of how close we came to losing Kev so many times during the years of his lostness (See Kev's story on my sidebar, if you don't know what I am referring to). I am so thankful for the grace of God that allowed Kev to live long enough to be ready to die. Dan was ready. And he will never more feel the sting of death -