Two Perspectives

The wind is singing through the tree tops as they sway gently back and forth. The sky is gray, but unlike the usual weather which accompanies a winter’s gray sky, the air is warm and damp; warm and damp like a blanket enveloping the morning scene. A leaf dances down as if it is following a winding brook. Strings of ivy flutter along the tree trunks. A small flock of chickens wander the leafy ground searching for food while a bundle of children runs and plays in the warm air. The scene is quiet and calm, peaceful and serene.

A mother sits in the open door watching the curtains wisp back and forth in the breeze. Her babe is snuggled close and sweetly sleeping as she breaths in deep and lets the beauty of the moment wash over her. She delights to breathe in fresh winter air tinged with a hint of pine and let the realities of the morning wash away in the peaceful calm.

This is the moment I am in! Oh how I love it!

Not an hour ago I was wondering if I would be able to gracefully get through today. A load of laundry is filling everything that can act as a drying rack on the porch. Why? A little water wheel toy broke this morning and somehow the rags which were used to clean the turpentine smelling mess managed to make their way in the cloth diaper load so they could share their scent. Hopefully they will loose the odor in the fresh outdoor air!

About four loads of laundry are lined up and ready to be washed including a peed bed whose mattress is covered in baking soda and needs to be made up before nap time.

School is not done quite yet... history to be read, pages to be corrected...

The mother sitting in the chair is tired after a restless night with the babe and hoping she can ward off the impending nap she needs long enough to get things taken care of yet still have a chance of it before the babe needs to eat again. 

Isn’t it interesting to see the two perspectives! There is always so much to be done yet sometimes there is a total calmness around the corner! I am so thankful for the beauty that God has created and the many, many ways he displays it. I would never have thought this gray day was so lovely if I hadn’t gone to the porch to hang out the smelly load of laundry. If I had not gone out, we would still be working on school and rushing to get lunch ready thinking that there was no extra time. Thankfully we were able to seize the moment and enjoy the beauty of the warm gray day with outdoor play and a porch-picnic lunch. I just know school will get done and somehow the laundry sounds fun and industrious as it spins around in the washing machine rather than like a burden I can’t bear. My breaths were deep this morning in an effort to calm my overwhelmed mind and now they are deep enjoying calm and peace. Ahhhh.... Thank you Lord!!!