Different viewpoints

We are 2-1/2 months away from our third anniversary, and Chill and I have never really had a fight. We don't always agree, but so far there has not been a disagreement where we both felt so strongly about our positions that we were unable to find an acceptable solution.

There are some things that we view differently that are not likely to change. For example, the food I love most to cook and to eat is bread. I married a guy who could happily forgo bread at most meals. To him, bread is for keeping the mayo and meat off your hands when you eat a sandwich.

Then there are meal times. Before we married Chill often ate no meal until he got home from work in the evening. Breakfast was a never meal and lunch occurred if a buddy showed up with something. Efforts to seek out a mid-day meal were pretty much non-existent. I, on the other hand, ate four meals daily and at pretty much the same time each day. It keeps my blood sugar more consistent. And I snack in between, too.

I have adjusted the time of day that I eat so that I can have a snack when Oyster comes home in the afternoon and supper with Chill after he gets home in the late evening. He still skips breakfast, but he dutifully eats the sandwich I prepare for him most weekdays. We generally share a meal as a family between church and his opening the shop on Sundays.

But then there is how we view lawn care. Chill sees it as a battle that must be waged to keep everything neat and tidy. He likes order and he hates for he plants to fight back. Trees that I see with graceful branches reaching out to drape across the landscaping he views as adversaries out to slap him in the face as he mows. I like the wild and untamed landscaping of wildflowers and ground cover without straight lines or symmetry. I've been trying to teach Oyster the difference between balance and symmetry. Balance is more pleasing to the eye and less boring.

As a compromise, I am trying to limit my planting to the edges of the lawn--up against the fence, close to the walk-way, and near the front of the house. I've also put in a few things around the trees (where previous residents left perennials). And Chill has asked me to point out what I would like to survive the battle when he mows or uses the weed eater. While we may never truly agree about which landscaping rules are the most important--we are both making an effort to see the other person's point of view.

Do you believe in magic?

I believe in magic. I look at the wonders of this planet on which we live and I am astounded at the magic all around us. According to Wikipedia, one definition of magic is, “the use of supernatural forces to manipulate natural forces.” Merriam-Webster says magic is, “an extraordinary power or influence seemingly from a supernatural source.” Sure sounds like antiseptic descriptions of God to me.

When most people think of magic, they envision white tigers with tuxedoed trainers and whips, coins being pulled from behind ears, card tricks, or disappearing buildings. But those are actually sleight of hand parlor tricks that require much practice and a bit of redirection. God doesn’t ask us to look away while he performs his magic. He doesn’t try to hide the mechanism. In fact, as humankind has developed, God has slowly given us insight into his creation.

Consider the science of evolution. How can that possibly be accidental, coincidental, or happenstance? From the migration of the birds and butterflies to the pollination of the trees, magic is present everywhere, and I believe that magic was instituted at the hand of our Creator. In addition to the gift of life itself and all the wonders that abound around us, we are being given the opportunity to learn about our Creator by learning about his creation.

We have the chance to learn the physics, biology, and chemistry that make up our world. We get to see the mathematical progression and the psychology of life. We are privileged to see the wonder, the magic.

Let’s make the most of the world around us. Take a moment to contemplate how truly fantastic our environment is. Whether it is the joy of biting into the first fruits of the garden, the fun of watching a child watch an insect, or the breeze wafting the smell of the Easter Lilies, recognize God’s magic and revel in the wonder.

As the Book of Common Prayer says:
“God of all power, Ruler of the Universe, you are worthy of glory and praise...At your command all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth, our island home...From the primal elements you brought forth the human race, and blessed us with memory, reason, and skill…”(Eucharistic Prayer C, page 370)

I believe in magic. Do you?

May I brag?

I sent the following message out via e-mail to family and friends recently. And I am still bursting with pride, so here it goes again (for those who already received it) and here it is (for those who did not). There is something different at the end--so if you stop reading now, you may miss something.

Hi, everybody--


Just a proud mommy writing to let you know that three of Oyster's art projects were chosen by her teacher to send to Art Break this year. She has had at least one piece in the show each year we have been in town. This year one of her three won a Showcase Award! Each school gets to choose 21 pieces to enter into the contest. I have no idea how many win or what the various names of the awards convey--but the ribbon was blue.


Also, at the after-school program she attends she had several poems chosen to go into a book. They named the book after one of her poems, "Over the Hill and through the Gate." And here is the poem:


Over the Hill and through the Gate


Every once in a while, I dream of my own personal playground. It is magical. My mom always comes with me. When we go, we just walk over the hill and through the gate. The gate is made of wood strips. The hill's grass is green. There is an invisible man. Sometimes he even makes ME invisible! He is the one who makes everything magic!


She turned in her Share Fair project today and I have my fingers crossed that she will get an A. She and her firend, Abalone, put a lot of work into it. Abalone wrote about how Egyptian pyramids were constructed. Oyster wrote about what has been found inside Egyptian tombs. Last year she received first place in the Science and the Social Studies fairs. This year the third grade combined them into one fair and the kids had a lot of latitude in choosing a project. The competition looked pretty tough (I helped set up the displays yesterday evening after the PTA meeting). Keep your fingers crossed.

As soon as school ends (May 27), Oyster goes under the knife. Adenoids and tonsils come out on May 28 in what is scheduled to be out-patient surgery. The doctor advises she needs one week in bed and a following week of very quiet activity, then should be able to resume her normal life. We are hoping this will nix the chronic cough she has had since she was two. We will no longer be dealing with huge tonsils that make it hard to swallow, too. And, I have heard that maybe her disposition will become less irritable when she is feeling better. We will all enjoy that.