Lots of reading, snuggling, dandelion picking, school, imaginative play, and yarn taking up most of our days lately. Nursing + rock-a-bye babying too. Quiet days at home mostly, without any sort of hustle out of the house. Driving each other up the walls sometimes because of all that proximity, finding each other to be our best friends the rest of the time. With the weather warming up, we are finding ourselves outside more of the day, making garden plans, smelling the earthy scent of soil and honeysuckle on the breeze. Spring is a shoulder season, a tug-of-war between winter and summer, and lately we see both winter days and summer days, and we don’t mind either one bit.
My mind feels all over the place, too–feeling behind on garden plans and preparations while trying to stay focused on finishing our school year well. As I’m coming out of the initial recovery period after having Wren (she’s 6 weeks old tomorrow!) I feel my strength and energy returning, and we’ve been out almost daily for walks and fresh air. I find myself reminded to keep my camera in hand, snapping pictures of our ordinary moments. I find myself remembering and reorienting to who I am and what I love. Sometimes I feel like I should rename this blog “books, yarn, and babies,” because it seems I have little head space for much else. I promise more “soul” content will come soon, at least I believe it will. But even as I say that, I hear the dichotomy. I’m learning to remember that, as Gerald Manley Hopkins said,
“Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
To the Father through the features of men’s faces.”
(As Kingfishers Catch Fire)
He shines in all that’s fair. I find Him in the simple beauty of my current work, which is laboring over these children and this home, aiming to see Kingdom come, here and now, even if I lose sight of the connection sometimes.
I started this baby blanket for Wren at the end of January, and it feels just right for spring with all the lace and dusty pink. I gave it a bath last night and blocked it and can’t wait for it to dry so I can snuggle her in it! I used Quince + Co Osprey yarn which is incredibly squishy, springy, warm and soft. With it being finished, I’m eager to begin a new project. Finishing things breathes fresh air into me, feels like a clean slate.
I hope wherever you are, you are finding bits and pieces of new life, freshness, spring, and the hope it seems to bring.
everything He gives 