Beautiful Moments of the Week

I was running early on Friday morning. It was still dark outside and the wind was blowing in the crisp air from the nearby canyon. I was listening to my "Josh Groban" Pandora radio station and a beautiful rendition of the song "Amazing Grace" was playing. The song got me thinking about the incredible gift of "starting anew" and being clean even with all my wretched weaknesses. Just then, I looked up and saw an American flag that was blowing in the wind. I was filled with gratitude for the having the freedom to act on what I knew to be right and for those men who sacrificed everything for that freedom. When I passed the flag, I noticed the myriad of stars shining in the morning sky and I thought of the worlds without number that have been created and of the beauty of the one in which I lived.

At that moment, while my heart was filled with gratitude, the Spirit filled me with the assueance that even amongst these countless worlds - the Creator of them all was aware of me - at that very moment - and cared about my cares. He wanted me to know He loved me and was there to help me. He made that world and beauty for me to learn to seek Him while I was away.

As I then rounded a corner on my run, I had view to the left of some city lights below me. I could see many lighted windows looking so still in the moonlight, and some headlights moving to and fro on the roads. It struck me that the glimmering starts above were ever present, gazing down at these lights below. Some of the earthly lights were busy - moving from place to place, but some seemed still as if gazing to Heaven and reaching towards from where they came. I could almost see them reaching their hands, like in Michelangelo's painting, toward God as He reached back to touch them.

(until I uploaded this picture, I hadn't realized how fervently God is reaching for Adam and how Adam seems to be considering if he should reach for God)

Even though I was running at that time, I felt like my soul was still... and reaching. So I felt God's love in return. Many times in my day, I get busy with the cares of life, like the busy headlights I saw below. But it struck me that, like the stars, God's light is constantly reaching anyway, waiting for me to be still again and look up so He can let me know He cares.

I have been trying to be more aware of the moments of beauty around me and am filled with love and awe more often in my day. Beauty takes me outside of myself and puts me in touch with God's reaching arm.

Here are some of the beautiful moments of my week:

We love this duck pond. It is in the city, but we have seen a baby deer, a moose and plenty of other wildlife here!

Throwing leaves down the stream

Studious girls!

Showing baby sister the ducks

Someone was walking their dog and stopped by to look at our family playing. At that moment, Bud asked if I wanted him to push James (who wanted to swing) and Bazinks offered to take Lady Bug down a slide. Suddenly, seeing this every-day moment from the watcher's perspective, I realized how much my kids help one another and how grateful I am for the chance they have to be home and practice doing it.

Reading Alcott's "An Old Fashioned Girl" while sitting by the tree. The scene screamed "wholesomeness" to me

Always a little daredevil

These were at a different duck pond while we waited during a piano lesson (Bud and Little Miss started piano lessons again this week)



Lady bug liked to chase the ducks.

Spice was busy studying again, but her brothers soon found a fish that was struggling to free itself from some plastic netting. Being the animal lover that she is, she tied to help them free it by attempting to cut the net with some sticks, my keys, and then by searching the car and miraculously finding some scissors to let it free.

Another studious girl!

Little Miss did a preschool lesson with the little boys about the platypus, she read them a book about the platypus, had them color one in, and for their snack she made "crab apples" (since the platypus eats shell fish.)

Celebrating the Pie Day of the century on 3-14-15 9:26:53 am!

Some of the youth from my Great Books Class "contemplating beauty" at an art museum on Friday. The girl in the blue dress came straight from a play practice, she doesn't always dress like a pioneer (just had to clear that up for those who already think strangely about us "homeschoolers" ;-) )

The joy of shopping at Harmon's!

She loves playing with baby dolls now and singing them "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star."

Cutie

 I didn't get any pictures, but I did take the four oldest to Rob Gardner's "Lamb of God" on Friday night. They all enjoyed it and we were all inspired. Definitely one of the beautiful experiences of the week! This is Little Miss's favorite song from the concert in a touching video:



I hope you all have beauty-full moments this week!