I found this illustration in GOOD Magazine, and I love it. Since Avery's been born, I've been thinking about what "work" means to me. It is finding joy in working hard for whatever is set before me, whether official employment that yields a paycheck, or a flesh and bone baby that yields serious delight. The top colorful depiction of "work" is how I hope to view and celebrate achievement, rather than the bottom stoic, empty depiction. How do you feel about the work set before you? How can you make it more like the top?
"Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it." -Colossians 4:17.
In a study I've been doing on Worship from the Tabernacle, we looked at the priestly appointment of the Levites as God's designed ministers. His selection and their duty to Him were very specific; their ministry received, not achieved. Sometimes I wonder if we're trying to achieve work we have in mind for ourselves, before the Lord, instead of receiving what He designed for us.
Paul wrote, "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus." - Acts 20:24
Makes us think about who, and what, we are working for.
Our munchy monster is thriving! She's down a bit in weight to 18 lb 5.5 oz, or 86%, but her head has grown to 91%! Length is relatively steady at 63%, or 26.25 in. Poor baby got her mama's big noggin. She'll be a smart one:)
I don't know if it was her shots, or Tim and me talking about it with the Dr., but she slept 11 hours uninterrupted, no feeding last night! Through the night! 6pm to 5am, but still. We were just planning on eliminating the night feeding starting this weekend, if we can. She obviously doesn't need it!
She's developing well, sits by herself, rolls back and forth, is eating solids 2x/day and has 2 bottom teeth! All in like a week! Talk about progress. Soon she'll be spouting her ABCs, just wait.
We had an awesome first Easter with Avery. We were blessed by the reminder of our Second Life in Christ through his death and resurrection and by celebrating with the Broweleits. I found this old postcard at a flea market last month:
Our cutie on Easter in a super-ancient hand-stitched dress:
Leading up to Good Friday, I thought this 13th century Latin hymn (English here) was appropriate describing Mary's sorrow leading up to Jesus' crucifixion. Having a child of my own, I can't imagine what she must have felt. My heart feels heavy and amazed trying to fathom something I will never quite understand, but that I accept with my life.
At the cross her station keeping
Stood the mournful Mother weeping
Close to Jesus to the last;
Through her heart, His sorrow sharing
All His bitter anguish bearing
Now at length the sword has passed;
O, how sad and sore depressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole begotten One;
Christ above in torment hangs
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son;
Is there one who would not weep,
Overwhelmed in miseries so deep
Christ’s dear Mother to behold.
Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain
In that Mother’s pain untold?
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled
She beheld her tender Child
All with bloody scourges rent.
For the sins of His own nation
Save Him hang in desolation
Till His spirit forth he sent.
O sweet Mother! Fount of Love,
Touch my spirit from above
Make my heart with yours accord.
Make me feel as You have felt
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.
Avery is 6 months old today. She let mommy celebrate by giving her a fabulous day!
She got to wear her new dress from Roxie, she went to the nursery for the first time and slept the whole time, she devoured her Avocado and tried sweet potato (not a huge fan yet, at least compared to avocado), she took a really nice long afternoon nap with no crying despite teething issues lately, she posed for a photo shoot, and she fell asleep on time, again with no crying! She just definitely is the most perfect baby in the world:)
Avery likes to flap her arms around when she's excited. She can mostly sit up by herself now, and everything goes into her mouth (pretty sure part of teething, with variable fussiness). She sleeps around 11-12 hours a night with one feeding before mom goes to bed, and she luuuuves when dad gets home from work! She's slowly trying new solid foods, always has to hold the spoon, and really likes her sippy cup of water. She also loves touching all the pages when we read books.
Tim and Jesse Marble started a book club. I'm happy (slightly embarrassed?) to say this is the first book club in which I've successfully finished a book. Probably because it was less than 200 pages.
Great Gatsby! For our discussion evening, everyone was charged with bringing an artistic rendition describing some impact the book had on him/her.
For example, Jesse made an amazing slideshow featuring some of his favorite Fitzgerald quotes. Check it out:
Tim wrote about the Eyes of Dr. Eckleberg and the theme, Does God see?:
A gray man behind a sooty window
Turns his eyes out to ashheaps and the pale, enormous eyes of
Doctor T.J. Eckleburg
“I spoke to her,” he mutters after a long silence.
“I told her she might fool me but she couldn’t fool God.”
His ashen face close to the windowpane
repeats “God sees everything”. (Fitzgerald)
God sees everything. Does he? We are both simultaneously soothed and discouraged by this thought. We want to believe that He is watching even if just “from a distance”. The notion of a constant Presence in our lives alleviates our nervous fear of loneliness and assures us that at some level that we matter. This is comforting, except of course when we’re acting in a way that we're embarrassed by. This could be the willful sin, or even an impulsive lie. Then in our subconscious there is the dreaded looking over our shoulder, hoping no one saw that. We are angered when friends face endless or unjust difficulty. Inwardly we shake our fist and challenge the open sky saying, “Don’t you see this?” But already we are at the main point and that is this - we know that God's “seeing” must be more than just that, it necessitates action. The notion of a god who watches is comforting sentimentality. However, unless his awareness is connected to decisive divine action we find God to be as dimmed and irrelevant as Fitzgerald’s Doctor Eckleburg.
I kind of established a smorgasbord of party mood/character reenactment with candlelight, fancy dress, fine drinks and dessert.
Red velvet (beet juice for coloring!)
We partook of (hard-boiled) East and West Eggs.
kind of a symbol of life's reality in East and West Egg?
Finally, I shared one of my favorite images from the book:
"The most grotesque and fantastic conceits haunted [Gatsby/Gatz] in his bed at night. A universe of ineffable gaudiness spun itself out in his brain while the clock ticked on the wash-stand and the moon soaked with wet light his tangled clothes upon the floor. Each night he added to the pattern of his fancies until drowsiness closed down upon some vivid scene with an oblivious embrace. For a while these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination; they were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy’s wing." (Ch. 6)
What a 'promise.'
What an evening. Join us in April for Jane Eyre (if you dare)....
We finished the week with a visit from our Boston friends, Pete and Miriam. Even though we only had 24 hours with them, we dined richly with good sunshine, food and fellowship, reflecting often on the truth, genuineness, and reconciliation that great feasts bring. In fact, at times the table has served as more of a platform for healing and sharing the gospel than the church has. Keep feasting with one another!
We've had a great couple of weeks around here! After my girls' week in Tacoma with Roxie, Meag spent her Spring Break out here with us. We enjoyed great conversation, yummy meals, homemade breads and granola in many forms, shopping in Boulder, live bluegrass, and some hikes to see Red Rocks. Here are some shots from the hikes:
Today was superb. I had my family all to myself: me, Tim and Avery. Trapped by two colds, one in the blizzard outside and the other in Tim's nose, we were left to our playtimes, cookings and sleepings throughout the day.
mmmm, kale!
Our Boston guests were delayed in their arrival today, so we'll enjoy them tomorrow. In the meantime, I have a sweet taste in my mouth - of good food and friendship, of Tim's awesome dadness, of Avery's cuteness and excitement over her first "solid" meal today, of last week's time with Meag, of an encouraging sermon online about the realities of life's depressions and God's nearness. Life is a gift.
