Skyrals

Laughing all the way...

Frosty was a gift for my dad's 85th birthday nearly nine years ago. 

He's a very sensitive Frosty, 

dancing and singing with only a slight squeeze of his right hand 

or even in response to sudden noises or movements in his general vicinity.  

Frosty would often burst into song 

in Mother and Daddy's living room from the mere closing of a drawer 

or occasional high-pitched utterances in other parts of the house. 

They never knew when he might make himself known, 

and it always threw them into gales of laughter--not a bad thing! 

It's been fun watching Sawyer do his Frosty impersonation this year 

and get his groove-thing going too.

Hold that thought...

Listening to our mechanical Santa playing "Holly Jolly Christmas"...

picking it out on the piano, "by ear"...

remembering my Aunt Wesie who played beautifully, and only "by ear"...

calling my cousin Nema to tell her I was remembering her mother 

and feeling so grateful that her gift got passed along to me...

reconnecting with a cousin who was much younger than I when we were growing up 

(junior bridesmaid in my wedding 42 years ago)...

realizing how much more we may have in common at this stage of life...

and looking forward to getting reacquainted as our "current selves", 

when age has so little to do with anything.

God, thank you for saving some of my oh so many thoughts 

for times when all kinds of possibilities rise to the surface 

and SFH gets born in ways that might have otherwise been missed. 

Merry Christmas Morning...

"It's Sarah!"

No photo for this one...

just a quick interaction with some folks earlier today.  

It seems we're "home for the holidays", 

although Abilene no longer feels like home.  

It's four days of work for Rob, so Abilene is where we find ourselves, 

knowing we'll be home on Monday to celebrate Christmas 

with our immediate Lubbock family. 

All of this explanation is just prelude to the SFH moment I had 

when I dropped in to a local printing establishment 

for a quick visit with some friends earlier today. 

The whole employee team was gathered 

on the upstairs landing having their Christmas dinner, 

and when one of them spotted me coming in the front door, 

I heard her say, "It's Sarah!"  

All I did was show up, totally unannounced, 

and for the first time in a really long time I remembered 

what it felt like to be known, not for anything I'd done, 

but simply because I'd shown up.  

I think I'm ready to start creating places in my new "home" 

where the possibility of hearing, "It's Sarah!" is more likely.  

After a year of cocooning, I think I'm starting to push out a bit more...

hmmm...imagine what could happen by spring!  

God, thank you for unsuspecting folks who simply speak their hearts, 

not knowing what a gift they've delivered.  

Make me aware of those in my circle 

who are longing to be seen, recognized and acknowledged 

simply for showing up in my life.    

Good Evening

SFG...this describes it!!

Those were my friend Cheryl's words on her email sent early this morning, 

after she read her daily meditation taken from Henri J.M. Nouwen's 

Bread for the Journey.  

Nouwen is one of my all-time favorite writers; 

his every word seems to reflect my soul.  

Here's what Cheryl read today:

The Mountaintop Experience

At some moments we experience complete unity within us and around us.  This may happen when we stand on a mountaintop and are captivated by the view.  It may happen when we witness the birth of a child or the death of a friend.  It may happen when we have an intimate conversation or a family meal.  It may happen in church during a service or in a quiet room during prayer.  But whenever and however it happens we say to ourselves: "This is it...everything fits...all I ever hoped for is here."

This is the experience that Peter, James, and John had on the top of Mount Tabor when they saw the aspect of Jesus' face change and his clothing become sparkling white.  They wanted that moment to last forever.  This is the experience of the fullness of time.  These moments are given to us so that we can remember them when God seems far away and everything appears empty and useless.  These experiences are true moments of grace. 

Good Morning

Sweet Baby

Lately, when I'm carrying Sawyer around, cuddling him in his "lovey-blanket", 

and I say, "Sweet baby," he pats me on the back with his little baby hand, 

as if he wants to remind me I'm lovable too.  

I'll take it.

Before my very eyes...

While catching up on emails this morning, 

I looked up and saw this taped to the front of my monitor.  

It's been there for weeks now, a reminder of an SFH moment 

when Caleb and I were playing in my Study-o, 

doing art or something on the computer.  

I was focused on whatever it was, 

and then, out of the blue, he hands me this little note.  

Without missing a beat, he resumes his activity, 

and I feel that little quickening in my heart that only SFH brings.  

God, help me feel fully those SFH feelings 

that come so unexpectedly.  

May I stop what I'm doing 

and breathe them all the way into my soul...

soul-food for the journey.

Sundown on Hwy 84

Usually the sight of red and blue flashing lights 

on a highway patrolman's squad car coming up behind me 

is less than reassuring. 

In fact, the sight is usually accompanied by a sinking feeling 

in the pit of my stomach and an awareness that 

I've not been paying attention to "the rules". 

But last night, sitting in my truck on the side of the road 

with a blown out rear tire, 

talking on my cell to a tow service in a nearby town, 

those lights were more than welcome. 

When a young patrolman came to my window 

and offered to change the tire for me, I was overwhelmed with SFH 

and gratitude for something I certainly had not orchestrated. 

Sure, I was taking care of the situation in the best way I knew how, 

but to be surprised by goodness on Hwy 84, two hours from home...

well, it made my day. 

God, thank you for Tommy Hill 

and for all those other angels I've missed 

when I thought I could do it myself.

Urgent Message!!

This familiar message appeared on my printer this afternoon:

                                                                               

                                                       Out of Paper

                                     Refill with paper, and then press OK.

But for the first time I actually noticed that 

desperate little yellow exclamation point 

flashing off and on and off and on 

as if filling my printer with paper were a matter of life and death.  

Of course, I didn't dash for more paper, 

like that crazy point of punctuation would have liked 

because I knew where the paper was, how to replace it, 

and that I would do it later.  

After all, that printer is just a machine, 

programmed to scream that alert any time the paper runs out; 

it's just doing what it's designed to do.   

Dear God, help me remember that the flashing lights 

of "what if" or "oh no" in my head are usually just old programming.  

As I stay present and aware, 

I'll know where my resources are and how to use them.     

Skywriting

                                                     ~sweet early morning baby-sky~
                             (And who says boys and girls can't play together nicely?)

Blue Cars

Remember when you would decide to look for blue cars, 

perhaps to keep the kids entertained on vacation, 

and how many there were, once you decided to notice them? 

Well, I think the "blue car" phenomenon is at work in my life.  

It seems I can't stop "finding" those SFH experiences; 

they just keep showing up.  

And, as promised, I plan to claim and celebrate them at every turn.  

This one may not seem like a big deal, 

but it's another way in which the light through the stain glass 

in my Study-O window "plays" around the room. 

Cool, eh? 

My own personal light saber, 

perhaps, reminding me to, 

"Use the force!"

Huh?

Yes, another one today!  

I was entertaining Sawyer with some Smileboxes of him 

on the computer this afternoon, and when this picture appeared, 

he actually turned his little head upside-down, trying to figure it out.  

Dear God, keep showing me how little I know about the people in my life, 

including Sawyer, so I may always be surprised and delighted.

Another Sky-Painting!

                                                                             Wow!

SURPRISE!

This SFH actually appeared last Thursday, December 2nd, 

but I guess I didn't really claim it as that until later.

It's so easy to dismiss these because we're not used to seeing them 

as sources of "soul-feeling-happiness". 

It's a very different feeling, and it needs to be noticed.  

If you're wondering, 

the computer screen contains an invitation for me to do something 

I've very much wanted to do lately...

something I've really just been "thinking about" but hadn't actually 

"done anything to make it happen".  

How about that!  

So, I'm claiming it as another of those 

amazing SFH "surprise parties".

Forgetting

Well, I declare!  

I went out to get the paper this morning (December 3rd), 

and before I could even look for it 

(our newspaper tosser finds the most creative places to hide it), 

this magnificent display got my attention--

so much so that after taking this photo, 

I walked back into the house without the paper.

Dear God, may I more often than not forget what I think I want or need 

in the process of seeing the amazing gifts right there in front of me.