Summertime in Minnesota

Hello again my friends. Life is often unpredictable. Once again my husband was let go from a very good job. Reason: "reduction in force". This is our second experience with unemployment. It feels harder this time because we have been in Minnesota for a short time and don't have the network of friends and the support we had when we were unemployed the first time and lived in MA. He has been unemployed since April.
Our four children are older and more knowledgeable and experience the deeper meanings that come with their Daddy being unemployed. 
We live fairly frugally. We buy clothes from Goodwill or Savers. We buy books from used book stores. We don't eat out. We turn off lights when we are not in a room. We don't have the luxury of an air conditioner because the people who foreclosed on our home stole it before they moved. 
There are so many reasons to be upset or filled with anxiety, but I am not.
Each day we have enough, more than enough. We eat well, we laugh a lot, we count our blessings and look forward to the next adventure we will have. We are healthy. The lyme disease and babesia that I suffered from for 5 years has finally taken a bow and departed. I thank God for Dr. Julia Greenspan. She was a master at treating me and my symptoms have gradually gone away. I feel like she gave me another chance at life. We are together in this journey.

So our children won't get "dumb" over summer break from school, we have been doing "homeshcool". I was really impressed with Julie at http://wingedwisdom.wordpress.com/about/ and her curriculum for homeschooling and have based our summer school loosely on her plan. 
Each week our children chose a place and an animal, insect or reptile to study. They research and write out reports and give an oral presentation to each other and us. They include their own artwork as well. 
Each week we study a well known artist, we cook up something fun in the kitchen (like toffee, cookies, soups, etc..), we go on field trips, listen to classical music, watch Vi Hart http://www.youtube.com/user/Vihart for math and geometry. We go to the local library more than once a week as our children are avid readers and on hot days it's a good place to cool down. We study body systems. We play games and have popcorn and movie nights. Our children bike, roller blade and play ga-ga on our lower, octagonal deck. They are becoming expert skateboarders.
We get out to explore and unearth the mysteries God has left us to discover. Our two younger boys are fascinated with finding "the golden ratio" in nature right now. Spirals are everywhere.

Our children are not lazy or bored or playing video games all day. They keep us active and we are learning new things as they discover the world around us. 
Each night we close the day by reading in a DK Illustrated Family Bible. We began at the beginning and are reading about the Israelites slavery in Egypt and the Exodus. We pray for others. We pray for ourselves. We thank Lord God Almighty for all we have been blessed with. 

In Search of the Super Moon

In the cool of the evening, we decided to go for a walk around Willow Lake. The mosquitoes are hungry so we covered ourselves in an all-natural repellent and were on our way.

Our Pup always joins us. We were alone on the 2 mile hike around the lake. The fireflies were not out yet, so our children chased dragonflies instead.
Wildflowers were found. Charlotte found a wild iris too.

The boys found sticks for poking in the mud and water. As I got lost in the field of daisies.

We spotted deer prints and felled trees (from the recent storm).

We have fallen back into those familiar and comfortable rhythms of a family being together. It feels good to be "home" again.

Willow Lake is peaceful. Even though it is close to a major highway near St. Paul, we felt like we were in our own special place. We had the woods and pathways and lake to ourselves. 

The old walkway that crosses over the lake was tilting and yet, still very sturdy. Water lilies are abundant. We know there are many different types of fishes in this lake, but we didn't see any and weren't there to fish, but rather wander.

Waiting for the "Super Moon" to appear...

As our children are in their own imaginary adventures as knights, ninjas or superheros.

And then we waited. A lone swan floated across the lake from where we were. The fireflies emerged and flashed their love light songs. The natural mosquito repellent began to wear off and it was past bedtime. And then, a hint of orange appeared on the horizon.

There it was! The "Super Moon" and then...clouds.

As we walked on in the darkness of the woods, with the fireflies flickering along the path, we held hands and were thankful for moments like this. Sometimes things don't go the way we plan; clouds get in the way.
We did see a most beautiful sunset ~ created by the Master. He makes a different one every night and the clouds make it spectacular.

I'm Back!

It has been a while since I last posted. Those of you who have been faithful to continue following me, thank you! "Every journey begins with a single step".

We have been on quite a journey these past 3 years. My husband found a good job in MN and he moved away from me and our four children in MA to begin work. We put our home on the market in MA and waited. A year later, we finally got an offer and said, "Goodbye" to our home with 2 acres, our friends and neighbors and we packed up the last of our things in two cars, our four kids, our dog and two old cats, and headed West to MN. I will tell you about traveling across half of a country with two cats and four kids next time!

 We will never say "goodbye" to the memories that were created in those 10 years. 

We are now reunited as a family in MN.
We found a foreclosed home in a charming town North of the  "Twin Cities". It needs some work, but I think in time we will make it feel like ours. 
Our four children are adjusting very well to the changes we have been through. I think children have a better way of coping with change than we adults do. 

They have made school and neighbor friends easily. They have each other as well; and I have them. They have become my closest friends through this journey.
I grieve "home". Home had become the East Coast for me. Even though I was born in Southern California and lived most of my life there. There is something magical (I don't think that is the right word) about New England.

I feel like I grew more in New England than I ever did in So. Cal. (I definitely weigh more)!
Of course, I experienced some monumental things in our 10 years in Massachusetts. This may play a role in my love for this area of our country.
We are now in the Mid-West. I wonder what kind of transforming experiences we will have here?
Seeking the blessings in the journey, Rebecca 

Cape Ann ~ Gloucester, Massachusetts in Winter

In yesterday's post I promised photos of our afternoon in Cape Ann. We went to Stage Fort Park in Gloucester. It is located along the northern coast of Massachusetts and is one of the earliest settlements (1623) in our fair state.

Our children are standing on the most prominent geological feature, a large rock sixty feet high and two hundred feet wide. It gives us panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding fishing village.

The waves gently break on smooth stones and trees grow out of the larger boulders above. There are winding trails through the rocks and a wonderful playground at the park near the large rock. Our children loved being in the rocks and woods above the sea.  Max found a hollow in an old tree and claimed it as his own. 

It was a quiet time there by the sea in winter. No snow on the ground but, cold enough to wear our winter gear. I found a nice piece of pale blue sea glass. I want to come back to this place again. There is something restorative about the sea for me. I love the smooth stones, the dragon art on a huge rock, the sea glass, the trees growing out of rocks and all the winding trails above the sea. Magical.  Healing really. 

Our children want to return too. I'm hoping the next warm and non-scheduled day to head back. Max can reclaim his tree home. Grant will fight the enemy. Ben and Charlotte will create imaginary scenarios and play them out and I will search for more sea glass and enjoy the solitude together with them. 

Hello again

Hello again my friends. I apologize for not blogging recently. So much has taken my time and attention elsewhere. 

My Beloved flew home for five days a few weeks ago and we spent those five days as best we could. He has been with his company for a year now and got a good review. He really likes what he does and the people he works with. They are salt of the earth people. What a blessing ~ both work and good people. We are thankful. We are also thankful that he got to come and spend part of winter break with us.

That means we spent time together as a family doing what our family loves the most. Going somewhere and doing something together.

The first full day with David, we went to Gloucester ~ to the sea. Cape Ann this winter is different. It's cold but, we had no snow yet and our children explored the rocks and trees right next to the sea. I will post photos of that in my next post. Our second day together we went here north of where we live. 

Because our weather had been so mild, no snow yet then, the woods gifted us with unique mushrooms and fungus. We hiked on fallen leaves and our children poked sticks into the icy edges of the river. We wandered holding hands again. We wandered watching our children play out imaginative games. We wandered as our dog would run off and back to us again. We breathed in the crisp, winter air and held tight to the warm hand in ours. It was timeless and lovely to be together as a family again. Priceless really.

Our friends offered to watch our children one night and David and I were able to have a quiet supper out together. Of course I wore heels! David dressed up too. What did we talk about besides the food? Our kids. We got to spend time with some of our friends at an evening Bible study in their home. They prayed for us and the sale of our home. We felt loved and loved in return.

David had one on one time with our oldest. They went to see the Star Wars movie in 3D. I had one on one time with one of my dearest friends. Even though it was raining cats and dogs, Miss Caragh and I talked until the Japanese restaurant closed. 

We went to our favorite used book store and our favorite second-hand store too. We had family meals together. We prayed together. We played together. We just were ~ together.

David fixed a leak under the kitchen sink. The dog got to sleep on our bed. Pup usually sleeps on the sofa in the living room. Life felt a little normal again. 

Our kids showed him their artwork, Lego creations, played baseball in our yard with Daddy, got piggy-back rides upstairs to bed each night. We caught up on bill paying and phone calls and grocery shopping. Five days fly by quickly. Too quickly. We signed our kids out of school early and drove David to the airport and prayed he have a safe journey back to Minnesota and that we will be together as a family soon. 

I remind myself that each day is one day closer to us being together again. 

The Heaviness of Life

My dear friend Mark...
We've known each other since High School. He is a year younger than me. We were in the same Drama class and had the same friends. When our school performed the musical Snoopy, I was Lucy Van Pelt and he played my little brother Linus. We were close. 
I was the last of five children and always longed for a little brother. He was the oldest of two boys and always longed for a big sister.
We were that for each other.

Mark became a hero. He is a firefighter, an engineer and paramedic. He saves lives every day. Mark married Stephanie, the love of his life. They have two sons Sean and Dillon. 

Stephanie is golden. She loves people, her animals and the outdoors. She is the type of person who others are drawn to. Strong, intelligent, joyful and determined. 
When Mark met Stephanie years ago, he was so smitten. He called to tell me about this beautiful girl he had just met. 
A few years later I was at their wedding. They glowed. One could tell that this would be a marriage that would last. They were tender and kind with each other. Respectful.
Life was good. Then. 
Stephanie was diagnosed with anal cancer. 

A few days ago this is what Mark wrote:

Thanks to all. The boys and I know and appreciate all of the Support, Blessings and Love. Stephanie  has had a very challenging(to say the least) Adventure Race. She is nearing the end of this journey calmly but with periods of fight. I don't know where the finish line is for her but its near. Please continue thinking and praying for her and use her strength as an example for you in your every endeavor. Kiss hug and Love your children always. I will try to continue updating as I can. Summas Exicutio Subter Quivas Status.

We prayed. 

We prayed more. Then yesterday we got the news...

Stephanie lost her battle with Anal Cancer today at Noon. The Boys and I want to thank everyone for the incredible support and love we have received.

Please remember Mark and their young sons Sean and Dillon in your prayers.

Sometimes...

Sometimes I really look at my life. You know, those moments when time slows down and I see what is memorable. It usually happens when I'm not searching for it. 

Often I am focused on just getting through the day doing the things that all good moms are supposed to do. I am focused on making sure our children are safe, fed, clothed, loved and hopefully learning something. I am usually so focused on the menial tasks of the day that I don't take the time to really see. 

It's those moments when I just am and not trying to be that time slows and I actually see the beauty in my life. I am so thankful. I know we all have gone through tough times. Times of loss, times of grief, times of injury and even illness. None of us are immune to the human experience. 

I have held dying children in my arms. I have lost my own. I have grieved because of years of infertility. I know what I have. I know how God has blessed me and I don't take it for granted. I appreciate what I have. It was a very painful and long journey to have what I have. I cherish my life. 

I cherish our children. Yes, they are a lot of work. Yes, they push me to my limits. Yes, sometimes I worry about who they will become. Yes, they bring me to my breaking point at times. I know some adults who do the same.

Having four children so close in age is a lot of work. There is always something to clean, wash, fix, do, teach, pick up, make. There are hugs to give, tears to wipe away, matching socks to find, decisions to make, books to read, words to define, food to make, projects to do and clean up. 
The times they remember and love the most are the times when we are not doing but, rather being.