Rest

"Rest is a vital activity in all of creation, including us. When we forgo rest, we are not only running ourselves to exhaustion but forfeiting one of God's primary provisions for us. As part of God's original, perfect creation, rest was meant to meet us with peace and clarity. It keeps us from dialing up our lives to an unsustainable pace. It transfers us out of a domain of chaos and frenzy and centers us in God's presence, where we remember what matters most and where God would have us invest our time and energy." 

~Eryn Lynum, "The Nature of Rest"

The recent snow and ice forced us to slow down and gave us space to spend time with people we love doing things we don't normally have time and energy to do. 

Like a spontaneous afternoon of drinking coffee and playing Azul with my cousin, Luke. The slower pace and the laughter created a perfect Sunday afternoon.

After Thanksgiving

I bumped into one of my orchestra students at the gym the day after Thanksgiving. We did pushups together :-)

Olivia and Connor joined us after they shared Thanksgiving with his family in Oklahoma. We discovered Spotify's shared jam and laughed ourselves silly while decorating for Christmas.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, I got a text from my favorite berry farmer, David. He said they were about to harvest the sugar cane before the impending freeze and invited us to come over and get some. My tropical kids were super excited about the prospect of sucking on a piece of sugar cane.

Some of our favorite little people came over to visit. We sure do love the Davis family.

The Playmobile nativity set and the Christmas book basket experienced small hands to kick off Advent 2025.

My cousin, Luke, had a birthday during Thanksgiving break, so he joined us for lunch and a birthday cake after church. The first Thanksgiving after we were married, Aaron and I went to the hospital for the waiting room party that is traditional for my side of the family. We stayed up most of the night waiting for Luke to be born and partying with my grandmother.

Sarah wanted Olivia's baby to know her voice, even though Aunt Sarah will be living on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. So she made sure to talk and sing to the baby as much as possible.

All in the Singing Tree

If you have known me for very long, you know that one of my favorite books is The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy. One day, maybe I'll open a Bed and Breakfast decorated in birds and named the Singing Tree, but until then, I'll just enjoy whomever God sends my way.

Recently, Benjamin asked if he could come stay for a weekend because Hannah was hosting a bachelorette party at their house. Then Sarah requested a bed since she was sharing at a nearby church the same weekend.

When Olivia heard her sibs would be around, she and Connor rearranged their work schedules so they could also come for a visit. For a few hours, I enjoyed a very full house with all my kids, minus Hannah. We made lots of yummy food, like this pear upside down cake with pears from my favorite farmer, Billianne.

We sat in the congregation as Sarah shared her passion and excitement for helping people worship with their own forms of art and music.

And my cousin, Luke, joined us for lunch. We decimated a couple of roasts from one of our local beef farmers. It was so nice to have a full table again.

Our family makes music almost without even thinking, but this time we had a world premier by the almost famous composer, B.A. Choate. One of his college friends is a high school choir director and requested a setting of Psalm 121. As we sang, we were blown away by the beauty and creativity of Benjamin. We field tested the song so he could hear how it sounded and also get an idea of the difficulty level. What a joy to make music with this amazing crew of young adults!

 

Road Trip

We took a quick family road trip the weekend before Christmas. My cousin Luke rode along with us. Since he's always ready for a coffee stop, he fits right in :)

We enjoyed spending some sweet time with my nephew,

and we found a nearby trail for a chilly morning walk.

I began reading a new book, Radical Compassion, by Tara Brach.

 Katherine and Elijah got lots of snuggles as they read the Christmas picture books we brought along. One can never have too many books, even on a road trip!

A "Net for Catching Days" in the middle November

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor...a mock-up of reason and order...it is a peace and haven set into the wreck of time; it is a lifeboat on which you find yourself, decades later, still living." ~Annie Dillard

Our rhythms these days include cheering on our good friend Evan as he storms the basketball court and takes cello lessons each week.

Katherine and several other orchestra students performed with the AYSO for a fabulous concert.

I discovered this classic, "Abide in Christ" by Andrew Murray, and listened while running errands. Highly recommend this book!

 

In February I played the cello for a wedding, and now the couple is expecting a sweet little girl. So fun to be a part of their community and attend a baby shower for Becca and Luke.

The beautiful sunrise bike rides transformed into foggy, dismal bike rides. But they hold their own kind of beauty.

Easter Weekend 2024

 

"Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime" ~Martin Luther

We had a lively bunch at our house to celebrate Easter weekend. 

Luke, Sarah, Olivia, and Connor stayed with us, so the table was full when we made resurrection cookies and sang.

What a sweet tradition to wake up on Easter morning and start the day with cookies that remind us of the empty tomb. 

After church, extended family began to arrive.

After living overseas for so many years, the opportunity to gather with family to celebrate a holiday is extra sweet.

I especially appreciate the time with four generations of family.

Of course, Sarah whipped up a coconut cake for the grand finale.

On the Homefront - February 2024

While Aaron and Katherine were in the Solomon Islands, I stayed busy visiting Grandma.

and listening to books like Awestruck, which strengthened my resolve to do things like getting outside in God's creation and building community through hospitality.

My sweet friend, Gayly, came through town and was willing to meet me for a quick supper stop before she continued on the road. She is a faithful friend, indeed, even visiting us in Marulaon Village.

I diligently cared for Katherine's zoo while she was gone, and none of her animals died :)

Chemotherapy treatments continued, as I counted down towards the final one on Memorial Day weekend.

My mom and I took walks with her buddy, Roxie.

My Grandmother's little sister turned 80, and it was a joy to attend a celebration honoring her.

My cousin, Luke, had an apartment fire, so he moved into our house. I really appreciated having somebody else around while the rest of my family was overseas.

Luke is a photographer, so we took a sunrise trip up to Petit Jean State Park.

Fueled by a thermos of hot chocolate, we soaked up God's handiwork as the sun made the Arkansas River glow. Then, we hit the trails for a different kind of beauty.

Finally, on the day Aaron and Katherine were scheduled to return to Arkansas, 

I got to play my cello for a wedding at the church where I grew up.

The bonus to this wedding? Olivia was a bridesmaid, so I got to spend some time with her, too!

I hadn't worn concert black in a very long time, and it felt so good.

Thankfully, after the wedding I got this photo from the weary travelers on their way home, and by the end of the day, they were safely tucked in their own beds again.