I wept for the little boy that used to play here....

This evening I went for a little walk out in the woods to visit the small trillium patch that grows nearby. The plants were still there, but the blooms were dried up. I was too late. They had gone by. This is the first time that I remember ever having missed seeing the trilliums in bloom since I was a child. It made me a bit sad and thoughtful. 


I took a few moments to look around at my surroundings.  I realized that amongst the rocks where I was standing, was my oldest son's "cabin". This spot under the large fir trees and amongst the moss covered rocks was his special spot when he was age 4 till about age 10 or so.


I stood there in that spot and wept for the little boy that used to play there. As I stood there, for a brief moment I felt his little hand in mine once again. He looked up at me and called me "Mommy".  He told me all about his great adventures in the land of make-believe. I miss that little boy and his little brother, too.


Both my sons are alive and well today. They are both fine young men of whom I am very proud. I am pleased to call them my sons and so thankful to call them each "friend" as well. Being a mother, is a wonderful experience. However, having grown sons is very different from having young sons. So much so, that they seem as though they are entirely different people. I am truly blessed to have such fine sons and I would not trade the men they have become for all the world, but I would give all I own to have those little boys back for just one more day (honestly, I would), the time went by far too fast. 


So Momma with little ones at home, treasure this day you have with your children. I know you are tired, I know how much you would love just 5 minutes alone to think, time to yourself... the time will come all too soon when they are grown... hug them now, listen to their little stories, and as you hold their little hand in yours...give it a little squeeze for me.

Springtime in Maine

~~This makes me smile today.~~



My freshly mowed front lawn: 

 

I so love the beauty of the woods, I had to snap a photo of the woods near my lawn:

and my little shade garden:

Isn't springtime in Maine lovely?


Won't you take a few moments to enjoy the beauty of God's creation and thank Him for it, today? 
~Penni

My favorite places to visit... on the internet..

My favorites I visit time and time again:

Money Saving Mom
Crystal Paine posts the best freebies and deals on the web, simple recipes, and contests. Undoubtedly one of the best done blogs out there. SAVE!

Rhett & Link
Hysterically funny. Their "Homeschooler's Song" is great. LAUGH!

LibriVox
Free audio books. Need I say more? Well done. LISTEN!

Bible Topics
"Bible verses indexed by subject, from The New Topical Textbook by R. A. Torrey." GROW!

Alisa Burke
Redefine Creativity -- She inspires me!  Bright and cheerful. CREATE!

Bible Gateway
Search for a word or passage in what must be all the different versions of the Bible and in many languages. Has saved me a lot of time over the past few years. FIND!

Alexander Pruss's Blog
Found this blog a couple of years ago through a Christian blog carnival. It interested me because he shares a name with my oldest son. I keep returning to it. (Yeah, really, I do.)  Meaty stuff, but he has an undertone of subtle humor in many of his posts that make them enjoyable to read. THINK!

How Should We Then Live? Francis Schaeffer
The complete set of 10 videos, free to watch on Google. Based on his book of the same name (one of my personal favorites.) "The rise and decline of Western thought and culture." LEARN!

Chez Beeper Bebe
Yummy crafty goodness! Her little chicken stuffies are absolutely adorable! She has many free tutorials for all sorts of wonderful and simple projects. Colorful and fun. MAKE!

Down to Earth
Tried and true advice and tutorials for everyday life -- cooking, cleaning, gardening, making soap, -- you name it! Visiting her blog is like visiting with a wise aunt and having her teach you the home arts. Helpful and encouraging. DO!

I remember you...

A couple of months ago, I saw someone that I had met briefly a few years ago. It was one of those "I know you from somewhere moments." We figured it out and I told them: "I remember you". I did and I do. :-)

On this day, I am remembering, as well, those who have given so much for the freedoms we have in this country. 

Thank you

 

to all our service men and women

and to those who gave their lives for our country! 

Your honorable attitudes and actions are inspiring ... 

thank you for the freedoms I have!! 

Where did they go???

I deleted a couple of previous posts... for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact they were all about me and on rereading them I found that self-focus to be well... a mite bit....obnoxious. In them, I mentioned a habit I have struggled with. As it is not one I wish to continue in, I decided it was best to delete the posts.




 Moving forward....

Have a wonderful day,
~Penni

God's Glory

“A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.” 

~C.S Lewis

 

 

Smile

"Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."  

~Mother Teresa

Addiction

After once again coming home from the library and being tempted to check out numerous books... 

but being good and only checking out one...

due to the fact that I have no less than 30 books sitting on my "to read" shelf at home...

I have come to realize that I have a serious addiction to books! 

I just can't resist...

Just looking at the following pictures can make me 

drool... 

This is temptation:

 

And this one:

Oooo, just look at this cute little corner...

the treasures that are tucked away snugly in there...

I would love to root them out!

“When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.” ~ Desiderius Erasmus

Mamma Mia!

Recently, I had the opportunity to view the movie Mamma Mia! Whereas, there is a LOT that I did not like about the movie....it was crass and crude in many spots and.... (Plot spoiler alert) for Colin Firth's character to end up paired up with a young man seemed unlikely. Silly me..I had hoped his character would end up with Ms. Streep's character in the end. His relationship with the young man seemed to come out of nowhere, as though they realized "Oops, we had better throw a gay character in there to draw in that audience as well."....Also the marriage that didn't happen and the one that did, seemed all too rushed, like they needed a "big" ending to the movie and so decided to throw the characters together in sort of a jumble. Well... I could go on, but my point today isn't to criticize the movie, it is to tell what I liked about it.

There were a couple of things I REALLY did like about the movie. HOWEVER, I wouldn't say these points would necessarily make it worth watching..... I was indeed part of a captive audience, being a passenger on a Concord Trailways bus and had no choice but to watch in between reading and napping. ~smile

The first thing I really liked about this movie was that even though, Meryl Streep was nearly 60 when she made this film, her character is vital, vibrant and beautiful!  Of course, Ms. Streep IS beautiful, so it is no stretch for her, but the point I'm trying to make is that too often in movies male characters are portrayed as attractive and virile until they are indeed quite elderly (and often paired with a female lead who is 30+ years their junior) and older female characters tend to be either drab and frumpy or else, masculine and bossy.  I really enjoyed the fact that Ms. Streep's character was feminine, cheerful, and youthful. I loved her outfits and long hair! Her character seemed REAL. But for the bad points previously mentioned in the paragraphs above, there would be much in her character worth emulating for women today.

The second point I enjoyed about the film was the joyful, free-spirited factor. People running and skipping around while singing in public. You just have to love a musical for that kind of freedom it gives adults. The uninhibited childlike feeling of wanting to sing at the top of our lungs and dance around freely regardless of who is watching....... ahhh...... that would be great.