There is so much that I could write today for the blog. The last several months I have had the wonderful privilege to be a “kept woman”! It is a new chapter in my life. One that is simple, free of drama, calm, quiet with lots of time for me. I am an empty nester. Yes, after spending the last 27 years of children needing my care and attention 24/7/365 I now have the wonderful privilege to watch them fly on their own, build their own nests, and fill it with little chickies. I now can be their cheerleader on the sidelines occasionally popping my mom head out when they need my advice on something. It’s quite an indescribable thing to watch your children become self sufficient and grownups of their own. It’s amazing! It’s humbling! It makes me thankful that somehow I didn’t screw it up too badly. They were and still are the heart of my life.
My sweet David now goes out as we say to each other to “slay the dragon” for me every day while I do my best to reenact a Barbara Billingsley scene of tidy home, dinner waiting and a little makeup on my face just as he comes in the door.
Other than that I usually have the whole rest of the day to do whatever I want. Oh, yes, I do have the occasional errand to do and a couple of crazy dogs to take care of, but so far I have taken up crocheting, learning the lap harp, jewelry making, beading, political research and avid news junkie, book reading, walking, playing Xbox Knect, and scripture study.
I have found that the only one that really has held my interest the best is my scripture study because it is the only one that gives back to me. I have found myself looking forward anxiously each day to my quiet time in the morning as I read the stories, the lessons therein and almost always there miraculously is a passage that relates in a first person way to my life that day or something that is going on in the world. It’s crazy right?! I know, but it’s true! It was put there waiting for me to read right on that very day! It’s like a little “written hug” from my Heavenly Father telling me that he knows me and understands my struggles in life. I have always been active in my faith. I have always read my Bible, Book of Mormon, sometimes more consistently than others. I always knew they were the word of God. But something changed this year. Maybe it’s just that I don’t have interruptions in my reading, or I have more time to really keep reading one more chapter or one more source. Or maybe it’s just that my house is so quiet and peaceful. Sometimes I find that it has been two hours and it has just flown by.
So that is my little life here. Peaceful, content, watching my little birds from afar. Watching the other little birds in our feeder outside the window as I read my “written hugs” from my Heavenly Father for the day.
Yesterday we had a little sparrow visit who had just grown in his flying tail feathers, yet he still had his fluffy little head. You could tell by how unsteady he was that he had learned to fly not many days ago. He had managed to fly up to the top of the bird feeder and popped down to the ledge. He could see the seeds behind the glass right in front of him and tried over and over again to get at those nice looking seeds. What he wasn’t paying attention to was the seeds right at his feet plentiful and ready for eating. Instead he just kept at his task of pecking the glass here, there, maybe the corner will be better. Finally he found the loose seeds at his feet and began to feed himself. He sat there very content on the little ledge of the feeder for several minutes just resting himself and eating the seeds. Life is full of stuff that looks shiny behind the glass. What we really need to do is start looking instead for the real things that are at our feet ready for us to pick up. It really isn’t any more wonderful or tasty just because it is behind the shiny glass. Our scriptures, our family, our friends, our home, the world…..Look down at your feet. What is waiting there for you to pick up and appreciate?
