The Sound of my Childhood

This morning, I woke up to the sound of my childhood. "What is that sound?", you may ask...It's rain. When I was growing up in Vancouver, it rained all the time! I would wake up to that sound, go to sleep with that sound.... It was so calming. I didn't realize how much I actually missed the sound of rain on the roof and windows until a couple of years ago. It's one of those things that I think I didn't even think about until it had been gone for a while. So, this morning, when I awoke to the sound of my youth, I sighed and rolled over, pulling the covers up a little higher, and went back to sleep. Ah, yes, a rainy day. Perfect for cuddling up under a blanket and watching "Black Beauty" with my girls. All is well in my world.

Old Things

I love things that are old. Not old and ornate and fancy (although I can appreciate the craftsmanship and beauty of them), but rather old and worn and rustic. The thought that someone else lived with them - really lived, not just took them out on special occations, appeals to me. I ask Art to make things for me that look old, because I think that they have so much character. Why is that?

I was reading in a magazine the other day, and there was a couple that was building a house on land that had been in her family since 1871. They wanted the house to look original to the property, to look like a cabin that her great-great-grandfather would have built. Can you imagine, having something in your family for 130+ years? I wonder if this land is something that they hold very dear, if it's like a millstone around their neck, or if it's simply something they take for granted. I wonder if her great-great-grandfather thought about this land and how great it would be for his life and the lives of his children, or if he dreamt about impacting the lives of his great-great-granchildren... I want to not only impact my children's lives, but the lives of my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. So often I am too short-sighted. Thinking only of the immediate future, rather than future generations. Just trying to get through a day or week, rather than thinking about the long-term effects I as a mother can have.

How great to leave an inheritance to our children, but even greater, is my desire is to leave them a legacy. A legacy of a woman who loved the Lord, her husband and children, friends and family. A legacy of a marriage which did more than survive (although that is commendable these days!), but rather, that thrived! A legacy of love and joy and peace....

Inspired

I've been inspired! I've been reading all your blogs and thinking, "Hey!" I can do this. So, it's my first ever blog....well, second actually, because I started one a couple of years ago, but we only had dial-up, so that didn't work too well. And now, I can't even remember the address of it. So, I shall this again.

Yesterday, we went to listen to the Matoto Children's Choir at church. As soon as these children started singing, I start weeping. As I listen to them sing and share their stories (they are all orphans - many by parents who died from AIDS), I am thinking, "Man, these children are survivors!." Against all the odds, here they are, singing their hearts out. As Art and I talked about it later, he said that the thing that he was thinking was, "These children are singing for their brothers & sisters, friends.... The millions who are affected by this epidemic". It was powerful. Did you know that there are an estimated 15 MILLION children right now with AIDS. 15 MILLION! That is a whole generation of people who will leave their children as orphans at too young of an age. It's crazy!

On a lighter note, while this concert was going on, I was in and out of it with Ellie Mae, who has a bad cold. So bad, in fact, that she coughed so much that she puked on me. Yup, once again, puked on. Isn't life as a mother so great? So then, I stunk like puke. Yummy!!