All 10 Popes

Often when I peek through my camera lens I am looking, searching for the beauty. Often times, it seems that for that kind of beauty, I have to look beyond what is right in front of my eyes...beyond what I am tempted to focus on. And sometimes that beauty is just a glimpse.   And right in front of my eyes. All at the same time.    And sometimes it's walking right in front of me: water bottle in hand, camera slung over her shoulder. Chatting with my girl. And if you don't get catch it, right then...you miss it. This beauty, she came and washed dishes, hugged grand kids, did 35 loads of laundry (at least), brought me coffee in the mornings, told my kids they are special, loved the ones that are called fostered like they were her own, let me borrow her husband for a couple of projects around the house, laughed hard and long, told me what I needed to hear and said, "you are doing well" as I wept before she left. For this beauty and for these I...

I was watching this video on YouTube today as I was sampling one of Amanda Bennett's Download-N-Go Unit Studies. My kids love them. I love them. And I love that here is actually one thing in this world at we all love (ok maybe there is more like 3 things but that may be pushing it a little) b/c they are actually learning something that they love. So we are all feelin' the love so much  that we might pick out a couple in our spring-like summer up here in the UP to do together. And as I sat down to plunk away, still I was thinking about this video and how much like this wispy life feels like it is flying by....flying by just like what you see here (cept in the UP, well it would be confusing b/c half the video would be covered in wintry snow) And it is isn't it? That our lives are but a vaper and I am constantly trying to grab hold of something that I can't take hold of. Time keeps going and I keep grasping. I always thoug...

Today was that day. You know the one. The one where if there was a grading scale for parenting you would give yourself an F in mothering (or life in general.) And for those of you that are hollering at your computer, "Oh, Kari you're always too hard on yourself!" well, today that is just not true. Today, it just is the plain, ugly truth. And these days? We all have them don't we? There were many a time where I thought, "you know they are not going to be here forever...." and then just went on being an F parent. And here is the thing that I have found to be most true when this happens. My focus is myself. My focus is my circumstances. My focus is on what others are doing or not doing. My focus is on what others may think of me. My focus certainly is not Christ. And the brutal, honest truth is that today...this very day... I didn't want it to be. There must be a reason that many times, I find in the Word, (as I told my daughter today...again) that fa...

Sometimes all you can do is open your hands, receive the gift....and say thank you. Sometimes thank you is all you have to give...and not even in the form of a card. Just a hug, a meagre smile and a thank you. A thank you to the friend that showed up weeks before the move. Told you what to organise where and when. And then showed up those weeks and packed like a maniac. And unloaded and unpacked and positioned couches and worked it all out lovely in her mind. Oh, and she's teaching you to garden. Oh, and she's homeschooling one...and teaching art too. But there she is helping you...still. She is called mother. And all you have is thank you. A thank you to the dear one who brought you meals the two days it took you to move in. And enough to eat later for left overs. She has been on her knees and prayed for you. She took your fire and ice boy for a night and kept the littlest one too though she had 3 at home too. She teaches with her life and ...

Describing motherhood is a bit like catching a slippery fish don't you think? I mean it's hard to get a hold of and certainly hard to describe in words that are adequate. It is a job that I always thought that I was fit for...that is until #1 made her grand entrance and well then it was soon after I realised that changing diapers and holding crying babies at my mom's daycare all those years didn't add up to wisdom. Preparation? Yes. Wisdom? Nope. And so as we celebrated our fourth turning three at the circus and all that entails, I realise that it is in the letting go of expectations (you know those silly ones we keep hidden in our hearts) that has helped this unprepared girl along the way. Babies cry. They don't sleep. Toddlers whine because they don't get the $15 light up toy. Big ones moan because they have to wait and well, "we NEVER get cotton candy!!"  And there was a day when I couldn't really enjoy being with them because they were no...

Sitting here, sunshine glowing through the curtain, Wreck It Ralph playing in the background and trying not to freak out about all that needs to get done before move day. So things will be quiet a bit around here for awhile...maybe a few weeks even...but that's good....breaks are good. I do hope your celebration of our risen Lord was lovely. And as spring blows in soft breaths of fresh air (or the hope of spring if you're a Yooper!), dear friends, may the Light of the World shine hard-bright into your hearts, showing you His truth.       And of course this list that keeps. on. growing.:   852. a church family willing to always, always help 853. seeing God at work...and the face of people who are just blown. away. 854. celebrating a RISEN Savior 855. a pastor and his wife fixing, serving his flock breakfast 856. empty walls...full boxes 857. kind friends 858. excited for spring...having a hard time waiting....   One last t...

Reading through the Bible is not for the faint of heart. This, a journey of a thousand miles in words no doubt. I think I've said this before. Yes, I'm pretty sure that I have. Then again, I do get to passages like this one in Isaiah 53 and I am reminded...again why I'm doing this. To know God. To know His heart. And to know what is exactly in the Bible though I might not understand every jot and tittle.  Here are some of the parts of Isaiah 53 verses 5-7. But He was [ h ] pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our [ i ] well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To [ j ] fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not ...