Hints, tidbits, and little look inside. 10 November 2014

Outside my window...there is frost on everything and a definite nip in the air.  If I look up I can still see the moon.  On days like this, when the moon is well up in the sky I imagine that it has made a tryst with the sun and just for a few hours they get to be together.The sun's embrace can be seen by the brightness of its reflection off the moon.

I am thinking...about the weekend past.  Matthew and I got to spend some time together.  I was graciously welcomed by the family of his friends and treated to not only their hospitality but also made to feel a real member of the family, if only for a day!  

God knows what the soul is in need of even if the soul does not.  Mr. and Mrs. Curley don't know how the warmth, (both literal and figurative) brought back memories that soothed my heart.  Family prayers recited around the wood stove, the clatter of the stove in the morning as Mr. Curley made the fire to warm up his family, the laughter shared and the blessings and embraces given to their children reminded me of raising my own family.  

I am thankful...for families.  The family that I am a part of and the larger family that God has blessed us all with.  I have been frequently comforted by the familiarity of going to mass when away from home because the Catholic Church and the mass are so welcoming and well known to me.  The same is true about spending time with a truly Catholic family.  The framework that the practice of the faith creates for family life is a blessing to visitors to the Catholic home.

 I am remembering...hugs shared with my babies, laughter, tears, and contentment.  We are not an island nor did God create man to be so.  It is the connections that teach us about God, ourselves, and how to live so to be with Him in heaven one day.

In the creativity department...there was none this weekend, at least not from the sewing room.  My journal, however is full of reflections, poems, phrases, and other bits of wisdom gleaned from my time away.

Mary-Kate this guy is a new friend that I made while on my travels.  They say everything is bigger in Texas and that may be so, but the chickens are definitely impressive in Bethune, South Carolina!

An indulgence...on my way to see Matthew I passes this cemetery tucked into a little clearing in the woods and promised myself that on the way home I would stop and make a visit.  Yesterday to begin my journey home I visited the people buried here.  Though hardly modern the graves here have been lovingly surrounded by a beautiful stone wall.  The beloved dead here have been carefully tended to by the residents of the community and it is quite obvious, while walking around, that the tenants are visited frequently. Color me strange but I cannot resist a cemetery, especially an old one.

From the kitchen...there are thankfully plenty of leftovers to fall back on.  My loving husband cleaned the house for me while I was gone and all that I have to do today is care for mom, do a couple of loads of laundry, and finish up in the sewing room.

A few plans for the rest of the week...keep the glow and determination that comes from reflection and love shared wrapped tightly around me.  Though that cloak will be my warmth and comfort I hope to extend it around all those I meet this coming week.  The gift that I have been given is only good if it is allowed to wrap itself around others thus growing and fulfilling its purpose.

I am reading...The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell.  I am in a definite Arthurian mood lately and thought I would revisit my collection of Arthurian literature.

Here is a picture thought that I am sharing with you...the moon and the sun are sharing the morning.  I wonder what they whisper to each other on cold mornings like this one is.  Does the sun wrap herself around the moon to keep it warm when it is frosty out?  Does the moon crave the warmth of the sun as the seasons march determinedly toward winter?