FAMILY GROWTH. . .TWO AT A TIME!

My beautiful, wise, wonderful daughter is a mom of two bubbly girls who are a delight.  And she is pregnant.  Again.  With TWINS!!!  Wow.  She and her husband have successfully grown through the process of dating since middle school, going through the college years at University of Florida, an amazing beach at sunset wedding, the birth of Hannah and the birth of Claire.  How wonderful it has been to see their life unfold as God has kept them close to Him and they have been involved in ministry all along the way.  And now their lives are being blessed in a very special way by the lives of TWO new baby boys.  The entire family is waiting anxiously for the day we can celebrate their arrival and finally meet Jack and Henry.  What an amazing joy, incredible challenge, gigantic responsibility and unfathomable adventure twins will surely bring to this young family!  As the grandmother, or "Gi Gi" as I am called, my role will be to support my daughter and her husband with whatever kind of help I can offer.  At times it will be the physical work of housekeeping, preparing meals, doing laundry and scrubbing a toilet.  Often it will be hands-on grand-mothering including changing diapers, washing little faces, filling sippy cups and making the little girls giggle.  Most dear to my heart is being the mom, giving my daughter a shoulder to lean on, a voice of encouragement on the phone and reinforcing her knowledge that I will forever be her personal cheerleader.  I truly miss those mothering days when my children were spilling milk and playing hide and seek.  As they have grown, I have grown.  Now I watch them and their family grow. . .and I am still growing.  Family growth.  It's not just about numbers.  It is about love.  How deep. . .how wide. . .how pure. . .how true.  And now we will have two more to love.  Tonight I am praising Him who is LOVE and the author of our family's story.

Creation's Testimony

Come... sit with me and observe the sun
As the salty sea makes its colors run.
A hot-white ball spreads spendor
And ignites the horizon.
Rays paint the sky with broad strokes
Of blazing vermillion intermingled
With fiery gold on a cool teal backdrop.
Fingers of dancing color reflect playfully
Accenting the movement of the iridescent surf
Stretching out like blue-gray liquid silk.
Marvel as the early evening's subdued hues
Melt into an ebony night.

Come...count the stars
And stand in awe at God's creation.
How vast is the sky
And finite our ability to perceive it.
The heavens celebrate
Victory over the details
The earth offers apologies
But does not understand infinity.
Time remains unaware of its beginning
And blissfully anticipates no end.

Sketch Sketchy Sketching

Day two...and I have actually done three sketches!!! I tried to upload them but they were too light to see very well. One was a small glass jar of water, which was interesting because of the way light affects the water and the shadows created by reflections. I thought the result was respectable. Another sketch was of my daughter and her husband...the result was good if you just wanted to see a couple but it definitely did not look like my daughter and her husband. I was happy with the image's emotion and general look. I just need to work on technique and making sure the details are exact so that the likeness is accurate. The one I did tonight is of three tomatoes on a plate. Again, the shading was a challenge but I think the finished sketch was pretty good. I have a lot to learn but I am realizing that I need to stop "playing" at art and actually "work" at it! I am up for the challenge.

Inside Out

What is hiding on the inside of you?? For me, I've always had that thin, athletic self somewhere inside. I like to call her Jenny because that was my birth name before adoption. I think Jenny is mad at me for allowing her to become hidden. She tries occasionally to escape the prison I've created for her but, so far, without success. I am hopeful that my efforts to free Jenny will increase and the goal to be healthier and fit will be reached before this year is over.
Weight loss was not my original purpose to this message. Back to what other things might be locked up inside. If you scroll to a post made soon after this blog was born, you will find the title, "Art Is Not Just What I Do, It Is Who I Am." Again, inside more than out. I've been told I have talent. I love being creative in a variety of ways and learning more about expressing myself artistically has always been on my "to do" list. Unfortunately it often slips to the bottom of the list. Work, family, errands, lack of money, lack of time, and my Self often hinder this desire to let my inner artist FREE. There have been a few bright spots when I actually created a piece I did not mind signing my name on as the artist. Too few such creations I must admit.
So...I have determined to stop just thinking about and talking about being an artist. The artist in me will have the chance to be exposed and, hopefully, create a body of work to be shared with others. Getting started is always the most difficult. My intent is to research, learn, practice, and CREATE. Since drawing is a foundation for most good art, I will be working on my drawing and sketching skills first. Today I read about a "365 day sketching challenge" and I am considering tackling that as a self-administered teaching tool. If I do, you will be seeing my work posted here and I invite you to comment on it. The every day for a year thing scares me a little...maybe a "3-4 sketches each week challenge" would be more appropriate for my lifestyle??? Maybe that's just me copping out again...let me think about it, okay??!!

New Thoughts on POTENTIAL...

Wow, I can't believe it has already been a year since my last post. Enough of that! I am determined to share my thoughts in writing more often. My "Personal" notebook is jammed full of scraps of paper covered with scribbles that might make sense to someone (besides me) if I post them on my blog. The following is a recent "scribble" commenting on my interpretation of a particularly challenging word...

POTENTIAL

Nine letters...assembled in a way that simultaneously evokes HOPE....and FEAR.
What lies beyond my present horizon?
What talents or gifts remain undiscovered....or undeveloped?
Is there something I was meant to accomplish that is yet undone...
or is not yet defined?

Just three syllables...spoken within a compliment...
Or was it really a comment acknowledging my apparent shortfalls?
It seems if I've too often waited silently on the shore of expectation...
Waiting for some elusive ship of self-discovery
to transport me to that ethereal island where
POTENTIAL dares me to trespass!

There have been times that I constructed my own canoe...
Out of driftwood gathered while seeking education...
or teaching myself a skill...
or praying.
A canoe that managed to take me only so far
Before the waves of doubt or circumstance pushed me backwards
Crashing my dreams upon the beach...
prolonging my wait.

And now the years fly faster and POTENTIAL mocks me
from behind a smoky glass.
What used to be an adventure and an exercise in learning
has become a race.
And time is no long my friend.

What is it that I really seek?
What outcome to be realized?
Will I ever reach that island?
Or will I sink below the waves?

The answers elude me.
The "P" word makes me crazy.
But the journey is a worthy one...
and I find myself no longer content to wait upon the shore.
Even if I must swim in ice cold water...
in the darkest of nights...
amidst hungry sharks...
with no ship in sight...
I MUST SWIM!!!

And I will keep my mind's eye on that distant island...
Where POTENTIAL sits by the fire...
Ready to celebrate...
MY ARRIVAL!!!

An Amazing Love

Recently I had the opportunity to see the movie entitled "Nights In Rodanthe" starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane. The story unfolded about two strangers (both gorgeous) who met by chance in an incredibly romantic setting (a beach house with multiple balconies facing the ocean on an isolated strip of beachfront), who discovered they were "soul mates" and shared a brief encounter that resulted in an amazing love. Like most of the women in the audience, I enjoyed the movie not just because I was watching it, but because I was living vicariously the part of the beautiful woman swept up into the arms of the dashing stranger, dancing on the pier, sharing moments of in-depth conversation and crazy abandon in the blue room. I experienced the whole range of emotions with the actors and when the movie ended caught myself thinking about their relationship as it pertains to real life....my real life.

My thoughts went back thirty-three years (from today, Oct. 5th, 1975) to when I first met my husband. No one was more "swept up" into a relationship than we were. He was a tall, handsome military man with a smile that lit up my world. He held my hand and stole my heart. We were young and neither of us had ever had a serious relationship before. Our first few months together was a whirlwind romance that turned into a brief courtship. Just four months later we exchanged vows in a military chapel witnessed by a few friends and family on Valentine's Day in 1976. Although our courtship was brief, our romance has lasted. Unlike the movie where the characters weathered one storm, we have stood strong through many. We've endured times of great affection and moments when we hardly spoke to each other. We welcomed three babies into the world and cherished every moment with those children throughout the years. Although our life together has been free of major catastrophes (no terminal illnesses, no direct hits by hurricanes, no separations, etc.), it has not been without struggles. Our difficulties came with everyday things like jobs, finances, schedules and attitudes. Our challenges were met with a spiritual strength derived by a faith we had in common from the start. Now that our children are grown and we are pretty much alone together again, we find pleasure in the little things and the quiet moments we share. We now have history with cherished memories. We've shared the joy of seeing our children become the responsible adults that they are. We treasure our grandchildren and the moments spent with our family. Whereas the movie portrayed a couple that enjoyed a very unrealistic "romance," their fantasy love had little in common with our extremely real, and truly..... amazing love.

ON BEING "GiGi"

Wow....a grandmother....at my age??? Yes, and I've been proud to be one almost three years already!!! Of course, I was a child bride....or at least very, very young! They say age has its rewards and I can't think of a better one than being a grandparent. When my son and his wife brought home little Ethan, a new world opened for my husband and me. Since they lived north of Atlanta, it was difficult to visit very often and their new bundle of joy became an active little boy before we knew it. Almost two years later Ethan's calm little sister, Laurel, came into the world just happy to be here. Not even a complete year passed before my daughter and her husband had their first baby, a beautiful little girl named Hannah.

Watching my children grow into the wonderful parents that they have already become has been incredible. Hannah is just three weeks old today and her parents seem like experts already. They handle car seats like pros, change diapers in a snap, and are up on all the latest handling-a-new-baby techniques. I promised myself long ago that I would always respect my children's decisions when it came to their own parenting. Sure, I want to be helpful and offer my advice WHEN ASKED FOR IT, but the wealth of information that is at their fingertips keeps them pretty informed. A lot of things have changed since I first became a mom; but one thing hasn't changed. The most precious sight in all the world is still the way a baby's whole face lights up when they break into a big smile. And nothing is more precious than seeing my own grandchildren smile. I am so proud and delighted to be Grandma Ginger - or GiGi!!!