The Eagle

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Exploring Our World

As I mentioned before, the second spring peeks out from under the cover of winter's gloom, I'm ready to go! The weather hasn't really been cooperating (this morning looks and feels like February), but that hasn't stopped us from taking field trips in May.

The area we live in (San Francisco Bay) has an amazing diversity of natural habitats, perfect for our last science study. The ocean is an hour due west from our home. All around us are hills, covered by forests full of oaks, redwoods, sycamores, and firs. If we drive a little further, we would reach the desert. I arranged several field trips (on every Friday in May) to visit certain regional parks. Some trips were free, and others cost a little more, but every destination was under $10 per car. I'm having fun telling other moms about these little hidden treasures, right in our own backyard!

Our longest trip was to Memorial Park, 10 miles south of Half Moon Bay. This regional park is one of my favorites, full of lovely coastal redwoods and banana slugs. The cost is $5 per car. You can follow a trail to reach the summit of Mt.Ellen, walk along the banks of Pescadero Creek, or find old redwoods to crawl inside. This park has plenty of tables and benches for lunch, and campsites for great overnight trips. We ended the day at Pomponio Beach on Highway 1, which cost $8 (unfortunately, the price for state beaches continue to go up), but it was perfect for the ages of the children with us that day. The fresh water flows down from the hills, through the estuary, and over the beach, forming a warm pond and small stream for the children to swim and splash in. We saw no seals and few birds that day, but crabs were abundant! I can't wait to take my children tidepooling someday!

Another estuary (which, by the way, is a unique habitat where fresh water meets salt water) is right by the San Mateo Bridge. The Hayward Regional Shoreline Interpretative Center is opened on week-ends (though their website says otherwise) to teach about the animals that live in the marsh and the history of the salt mines on the shores of the bay. We were there on a Friday, so we couldn't go into the center, but the trails are always opened. It was a windy but lovely walk.

Another fun place in Hayward is the Sulphur Creek Nature Center, tucked away in a residential area on D Street. Sulphur Creek has a potpourri of activities to offer: a picnic area, a wild animal hospital, a close-up view of native birds and animals (those that have been injured and could not be returned to the wild), and a rent-a-pet program. After oohing and aahing over the golden eagle, red-tailed hawks, coyotes, and gray foxes, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch. And the best part- it's all free! (well, not the rent-a-pet program). I'm definitely taking other home-schoolers there!

Not pictured (because I forgot my camera) was our trip to Sycamore Grove, which is ten minutes from my house in Livermore. Sycamores are perfect climbing trees (remember Zaccheus?) and the walk is not strenuous for children. The cost there is $5 per car, and again, there are tables for lunch. Spring is the perfect time to go there, because it isn't too hot.

I'm planning more field trips for the summer! Last summer, we learned a little about California history with visits to Sutter's Fort, Sutter's Mill, and Mission San Jose. I'm hoping to go to Angel Island this year. We'll see what June brings!

Stream of Life

I apologize for not writing very much lately, but my mind has been elsewhere. I've been working on a new painting (you should see it here in a few days), new songs, and new articles for MOPS. School is wrapping up, and the enticement of summer plans (and beautiful weather) is distracting my focus. It's so easy to take on too much!

To help me refocus, God gave me a song. It's based on one of my favorite verses, Psalm 1:3.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

I wish I could share the song with you; it is playing in my head day and night. At least I could share with you the lyrics. The image that the verse paints is one of the loveliest panoramas I can imagine. Even this photo doesn't quite capture it, but it gives you an idea.

Stream of life flowing through my field of brown

I plant my feet by its banks

The water calls me down

To drink deep

To be green

My thirst is quenched and my soul is satisfied

It eats away hollowness

And fills me up inside

To breathe deep

To grow green

Why forsake the only source that feeds me

So I dig, put down roots

And push out limbs and leaves

And reach deep

I go deep

My whole field is green

A Little Bit of Heaven

I don't know what heaven is going to be like... will we live in houses? will we still be married? will our pets be there?

But heaven will be good, all good. And that's all that matters.

I was wondering what my youngest was up to the other day. Whenever the house is quiet, I have to make sure he's not getting into trouble. I found him sitting with his sister in a little sanctuary that she had built. She was 'reading' to him, and he was so content.

The scene reminded me of heaven: peaceful ... loving ... all good.

A Good Reminder

I'm at week 16 of my pregnancy today. My wardrobe is now limited to a few pants, shirts, and flowing dresses. My legs are wrapped because the veins started bulging and aching weeks ago. The other night, my dinner wouldn't stay down, and I spent the night curled up in a ball.

But I heard news of my friend's sister-in-law, who found out in an ultrasound that her pregnancy was abnormal. The baby's organs are not developing properly, and their only choice is to wait for a miscarriage, or abort for the mom's own good.

This was so sad to hear.

And I hear from another friend, who had miscarried several months back, then became pregnant again. In her e-mail, she writes, "I'm so BIG!" You can hear the joy in her voice.

This was a good reminder.

The nausea, the varicose veins, the round belly, are all blessings, because of the blessing they are connected with. Similarly, my five children, my husband, my home, my health, are all blessings because of the ultimate Blessing that they are connected with. Which means that even illness, sadness, and tragedy are blessings. Hmm... something to chew on.

I woke this morning to whispering and giggling in the kitchen, punctuated by pots and pans clanging and my youngest squealing for attention. What a lovely Mother's Day I had, with breakfast in bed and doting servers. It's easy to be grateful on days like today, or Thanksgiving, or birthdays, but I want to make a practice of being grateful in every situation. When I am at the end of my rope with my disobedient toddler, I want to be grateful. When I am cleaning up after my husband, I want to remember the blessing. When I'm washing dishes, taking out the garbage, or pulling weeds, I want to be thankful for a home, and for my family that makes it a home.

Happy Mother's Day to you if you're a mother, and don't forget your blessings!

How to be a Super (Role) Model

Every now and then, you hear an athlete or pop star say something along the lines of, "But I never asked to be a role model." What the celebrities don't always understand is that everyone is a role model (unless you're a hermit, but then, I guess you might be a role model to other hermits on how to be a good hermit). No one chooses to be a role model, but everyone can choose to be either a good role model or a bad one.

My children know that they are role models. As soon as they are old enough to understand, we teach them that they are role models to their younger siblings. And as they grow, we remind them of their constant responsibility, by praising good role modeling, or gently pointing out bad role modeling. From there, we build. By the time they are seven or eight, my children know that they are role models for their peers, and sometimes, even for adults.

(In a similar vein, but completely unrelated, we teach our children about good and bad consequences. Their actions will always lead to a consequence, but their choice of action will determine what kind of consequence they will receive. We learned this from my husband's cousin Lois and her husband Mark. Amazing people.)

I was reminded the other day that I too am a role model. Not that I forget this, because a great portion of my job as mom is to be a good role model, but oftentimes, I am not conscious of the fact that I'm a role model for other people. I am so focused on loving and training my children, that I am unaware of observing eyes. So the reminder was good, and that the reminder was a positive one was even better.

Now you may think, after reading the title, that I'm going to write, "So, if you want to be a great role model, do what I do." If I wrote that, I wouldn't be a great role model at all! The secret to being a super role model is to keep your eyes focused on God. He gave us two commandments- love God, and love your neighbor. I have found that when I am striving to obey God, I don't care about what other people think, nor do I worry about doing the wrong thing in front of observing eyes.

When young single people come over, I want them to enter a home of peace, compassion, and laughter. I want them to see that young children are not crazy, out-of-control monsters, and that 'having a family' doesn't equate 'giving up your life.' When we invite couples over for dinner, I want them to witness a sacrificial kind of love on my part towards my husband. I want them to hear kind words of respect, not bickering tones of underlying resentment. Not that our home is always like this, but I will strive for a family that loves God, and loves our neighbors.

I know if you were hoping for a practical list of ten-things-to-do, you are disappointed. But  this is a matter of the heart, and I can't sum that up in a list. Pray that God will show you what changes you need to make in your life, and pray that He reminds that you are always a role model!

Alabaster Jar

Our friends Rob and Lina gave us the The Jesus Storybook Bible with the CD last summer. Those of you who already own it know what I'm talking about- my whole family loves it! Because I don't like listening to the radio in the car, we always have stories or music CDs handy. The Jesus Storybook Bible is one that we will always take with us, for trips long or short. The author, Sally Lloyd-Jones, has the gift of getting right to the heart of the story and weaving it in a way that is a delight to read or listen to. And at the end of each story, she links it to Jesus, fitting each short 'chapter' into the overarching theme of God's love and redemption through His Son. I have to say, every time I listen to it, I myself gain a golden nugget of new truth. If you are interested in purchasing a copy for yourself, I do highly recommend it. It is published by Sondervan, and you can buy the illustrated book by itself, or the deluxe edition with CD, which is read by David Suchet (famous British actor and voice of Aslan on 'Focus on the Family's Radio Theater' version of The Chronicles of Narnia).

There was a reason why I'm mentioning this book... what was it again? Oh yes!

One day, we were listening to the story of Mary washing Jesus's feet with perfume. As David Suchet described how perfume from an alabaster jar could be poured out only by breaking the expensive jar itself, I was reminded of a song I had written more than ten years ago. It is a song that I don't perform anymore, but it is still very much the theme of my life. Hearing the story was a wonderful reminder of that song and how I need to live. I am like the jar, that the beautiful fragrant things in me can be shared only if I am broken. And once the jar is broken, the perfume just pours out- Mary was not stingy. It was all or nothing. And likewise, I cannot be stingy with God's love, gracy, mercy, and hope. What a beautiful picture.

Alabaster Jar

Beautifully white

Of finest craftsmanship

No doubt you're the creator

Put on display

What valued treasure's inside

That no one should see it

O Lord, I am useless on this shelf

Hiding your glory from sight

Break me open, pour me out

Your sweet fragrance spread around

As Mary worshipped

Kissing your feet

I want to be the jar in her hands

Fragile when whole

But whole when in pieces

You are the maker

Please do as you will

Break me open, pour me out

Your sweet fragrance, joyful sound

Fills the air and the skies

Pure incense to God most high

What cost is it to me

To let go and fall at your feet

Break me open, pour me out

Your sweet fragrance spread around

Break me open, pour me out

Your sweet fragrance, joyful sound

Fills the air and the skies

Pure incense to you most high