Family Picnic

The simple things bring the biggest smiles for everyone some days!

Battling It Out

Well, this is how it is some days. With Edwin working from home and now needing to study for his 2nd national board exam (aka Step 2) I don't know that I will ever get a few minutes to post a blog or read an email. But I am hopeful that some days the universe will move in my favor and both my girls will nap at the same time, Edwin will not need the computer and I will return to indulge in the glorious blessings of the Internet. For now I will settle with the 10 minutes I have right now to let you know...it may be a while before I return! However, Edwin had better be careful because I do have a tough right hook!!!

Eavesdropping On Grace

We overheard Grace singing her ABCs! She did it by herself with everything in order!

(Okay so she missed the letters "E" and "L" but come on she's not quite 2!)

Something Beautiful for God

I recently read the book "Something Beautiful for God" by Malcolm Muggeridge. It is a view into Mother Teresa's life and work. The book is broken into three parts. Part One is the author's view and perspective on Mother Teresa's lifestyle and dedication to her faith. The author is not catholic and doesn't anticipate that he will ever join the church despite his feelings of wanting to belong to something great. There are some very political and religious points the author makes and I was grateful for his willingness to share his own perspective on Mother Teresa's life. While discussing the value of life he states that life is always precious or it is never precious, but it can't be precious some of the time and disregarded other times. People are therefore all precious all of the time or no one is ever precious. Part Two includes Mother Teresa's philosophies on topics such as Service, Prayer, Holiness, Silence, Love, and many other poignant ideas. This is a refreshing look at how intricately her religion is woven into her life. Her love for Christ affects every aspect of her life, as it very well should. I was touched by her dedication to religious services and the strength she drew from worshipping the Lord. She needed Him daily and made prayer and worship the highest priority every day. Part Three is an interview between the author and Mother Teresa. There is only dialog, no fillers or third party interpretations. I could really get a sense of Mother Teresa's simple view on life and how to serve God. Her faith and devotion shine brilliantly and I enjoyed reading her words.

I remember being in high school when she passed away. I did not know very much about Mother Teresa other than she was a nun who received the Noble Peace Prize and was rather old and homely looking. Since reading this book I have come to appreciate the way she lived her life and the philosophies she treasured and shared with the world. Mother Teresa taught school to the poor children in the neighborhood. She also created a place to tend to the unwanted babies (a growing trend among the middle-class youth is to induce early labor and leave the fetus with the midwives). This kind woman found a way to purchase a printing press for the lepers so they would be able to make pamphlets and sell them to the public to provide for their livelihood. I was especially touched by the Home for the Dying. A place of beauty for the homeless and forgotten people to die peacefully. A place for the forsaken to be loved one last time before leaving the cruel world they had known.

I feel the need to follow Christ's example and serve others. Some days I am overwhelmed by the insurmountable task to be Christlike in all things, however, I am filled with hope when I find others who have succeeded and live truly beautiful lives. Mother Teresa speaks volumes when she says the basic need every individual must receive is love. Human love.

At the Lake

Edwin kept asking me what I wanted for my birthday, and after several weeks of this I finally found something worth having! A quiet morning on the lake enjoying nature.

Edwin gave me the world!

Family campsite

Our fishing hole

Dad and Grace going fishing and finding "camping treasures"

Grace fishing with Daddy

Grace fishing alone

Girls hanging out at the campfire

Edwin's catfish

Anne ready to go home!