Become Fascinated With the Ordinary

Life lessons from Erin.

Last week,

Erin was ecstatic!

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Celebrate!

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The dandelions are here!

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She was so excited that she grabbed

two mismatched

flip-flops for her feet.

What a lesson

in

joy

and

abundance

and

simple

delight

and

happiness.

Jesus said,

"Let the little children come to Me,

and do not forbid them;

for of such is the kingdom of heaven."

{Matthew 19:14}

He keeps teaching me simplicity and joy

through the heart and mind and hands

of a little girl

with a fist full of dandelions.

The Lord keeps teaching me

that He came

that they may have life,

and that they may have it more abundantly

{John 10:10}

through simple little things like this.

A fist full of dandelions

is

a

little

glimpse

of

abundant

life.

Have a Happy Easter.

Enjoy a time of remembrance today:  Good Friday.

And celebrate His resurrection

and the

beautiful newness

He has given

and will continue

to give and create

in

your

heart

and

life

forever.

Last year's Easter Post here with my mudpie making girl:  Gotta Love Her

Communion with Erin was a challenge in 2011.

This year, she is excited.

She said,

"Yay!  Communion!"

My adult mind thinks, "Yay? Excitement? Should I teach her reverence?"

And I say,

"What do we remember when we have communion?"

She says, "Jesus."

Yes. Jesus.

She is five. She is excited.

Should I let her express her genuine 5-year-old feelings?

Or teach her false reverence that she doesn't understand?

She will learn the true reverence

on her

own,

I believe

as she gets bruised and banged up by this world.

So, today,

I am glad she is excited for communion.

Does she understand it all?

Hmmmm . . . .

Excitement for dandelions?

Let the little children come to me

for such is the kingdom of heaven . . .

I think in some ways

her childlike faith

understands much more of the kingdom of heaven

than my adult mind that

has been wounded and wearied by this world

and has to be

taught

again

the

truth

of His kingdom.

I teach her about Jesus.

And she teaches me about Him too.

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I found this little hymn in my great-grandma's hymnal:

Little Sunbeams

I think God gives the children, as through the land they go,

The most delightful mission, That anyone can know;

He wants us to be sunbeams of love and hope and cheer,

To brighten up the shadows that often gather here.

O we are little sunbeams, sent down from God to man;

In all life's shady places we shine as best we can.

The clouds may hide the sunshine of heaven from our sight,

And life have much of sorrow to mar the heart's delight

But if like faithful sunbeams we children do our part,

we'll bring a ray of brightness to ev'ry shadowed heart.

O we are little sunbeams, sent down from God to man;

In all life's shady places we shine as best we can.

Then let us live our mission of sunbeams day by day,

And scatter joy and brightness about us all the way;

Let's chase away life's shadows with loving thought and deed,

And be the sunshine makers of which the world has need.

O we are little sunbeams, sent down from God to man;

In all life's shady places we shine as best we can.

copyright 1902 by E.O. Excell.

Photos and art copyright 2012 Jodene (Jodi) Shaw.

Look So Close

Thursday

my long-awaited book order arrived.

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.

A dare to

live

fully

right

where

you

are.

I resisted it at first.

Afraid of getting trapped in the legalism, duty, have-to, obligation

of making

a gratitude

list.

But what I have found

is richness

a massage for my weary body, mind, and spirit

luxury

life

in my

right

here

and

now. . .

#20.  Looking so close at a dandelion . . .

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Photos Copyright 2011 Jodene Shaw.



~ Artistic Mother Poetry ~

Erin is 3.

She teaches me

To find delight

In the little things.

When she was a baby

I remember

Watching her look at the leaves

Blowing in the wind on the tree.

And wondering

What it was like to see leaves on a tree

For the first time.

At three years, like all three year olds,

She sees and celebrates dandelions.

"Oh, there's MORE dandelions!"

"Let's go PICK 'em!"

After picking all she could find, she asks,

"When will they turn white

So we can blow the little things?"

"We have to wait for them to turn white."  I say.

So she lays down in the grass.

And says, "Ok, let's wait."

At last on Mother's Day,

I record her words in my poetry journal from my Artistic Mother project Week 2.

To make it easier to read, I will type it here ~

"Oh look!  White flowers!

I will go get some and blow them

and the little things will go

everywhere.

And I will laugh!"

So she did.

And she came back with dandelion seeds in her hair.

And she said,

"Mommy, take mine socks off.

You take yours socks off

and come down in the grass

and it will tickle yours feet!"

So I did.

{Mothers Day 2010.}

Photos & text copyright 2010 Jodene (Jodi) Shaw.

Mother's Day 2010

Erin Grace has been waiting for the dandelions to turn white. . .

we went to the yard a couple weeks ago to pick dandelions

I told her we could not pick them if she wanted them to turn white

And that we'd have to wait.

So she said, "Ok, let's lay down right here and wait."

At last, Mother's Day . . .she says, "Oh LOOK!  There's white flowers . . . and so I wrote the experience as my first entry in my poem journal {one of my projects from The Artistic Mother by Shonna Cole}.

And my Jim remembered the Robin's Nest necklace I loved from Hazelnut Cottage . . . 3 eggs for my 3 babies.  Yes, that's my pores, my scars, my wrinkles, and my new favorite piece of jewelry...took the picture myself.  I'd call it a "reverse macro".

Sydney Jo had a sweet little piggy that she made for me to go with the little lady bug from last Mother's Day.  And my son made lovely stationary that he hand-stamped.

~A beautiful day to be a mom~A beautiful day of life~