Lately....

...the sights, and sounds, colors and happenings of life have been so sweet, so intense, so full...the smell of fresh air, the sound of a bright blue bird singing on a garden fence post. The trees, with their tender, yellow green leaves stretching and dancing with joy in the breeze after a long and cold winter. A little boy bringing in a laundry basket full of fresh cut collard greens from the garden, his jeans caked in good Georgia soil.Laughter. Hollering. Absolute quiet in the afternoon when every one is studying or occupied in quiet somethings, and the only thing you can hear is the sound of the sprinkler in the garden, maybe the dryer in the laundry room, if I'd remembered to start it, and the scratching of your own pen.
The smell of a spring onion, and garlic sizzling in golden olive oil on the stove. White, sweet smelling sheets snapping in the breeze out on the line. Sometimes they fly off, and finish drying in the grass when you're not looking, and when you pick them up late in the afternoon, they have the most wonderful, green grass and sunshine smell in the world. (Unless they find their rest on an ant pile or something else gross, then you have to wash it again and they get another sun bath. :)
A grand baby's laughing, her soft cheeks made bigger in a grin, her new teeth like little pearls, and her dress a soft cotton knit...she took five steps in a row yesterday, and everyone clapped... Little brother's in the yard, their words echoing down to the pine tress, and resounding for what sounds like miles. A sunset, all pink and blue and golden, filling up the whole sky with beauty. The knowledge that your Daddy and Mama are completely in love, completely one, so faithfully representing Christ and His Bride to you and the world, makes your heart sing...When your 'Auntie' and 'sisters' drive an hour to bring a triple birthday tea (Katie, Dorothy and Martha's) with homemade cheese straws, and scones, fruit and hot tea, with bags of thoughtful and delicious gift-Ah! You sit around together for an hour or two and fellowship, and you think about how blessed you are to have such precious church family to be comrades with...Uncles with their nephews, who smile and make us all laugh...And compel everyone to join in...The sound of little fluff balls chirping in a cardboard box, over at M&K's. There's one mean rooster, as you can see. He may end up in Mike and Kressy's freezer.The joys of a precious sister-in-love who lives next two doors down and tells us funny stories, and gives you fudge and homemade ice cream, and writes you encouraging little notes....A new family journal of sorts that has now come to a rest on our entry hall table. As a new day comes, the date is written, and as everyone walks past, they write what they did that day. When guests come, they write their names, too. I love reading it.An incredible older sister who has a nephew adores her...when ever he sees her, he runs to her, squealing with pure delight...Two cow paths that slowly taper off from each other....When you go to the woods, and stop to get down and smell the moist, soft moss...last year's leaves will crunch as you bend down, and you will add it to your list of the most wonderful smells in the world. If you stay down long enough, you'll see little buggies and rollie pollies in the soft mud. A tiny spider making a web from one fallen leaf to another. You think how small we are in God's eyes, and how good He is to love us, and know how many hairs are on our head. The intricacy of a spider's web covered in the morning dew amazes you...And you're big brother's bike makes you smile...

And just one look at an adorable brother's son will make you laugh outright...he knows what a camera is, I think.
Mommies holding their babies, and the warmness of love between them...The retarded cat who sweetly guards the doorstep, and really is a good mouser, even though she is slightly off and can be a pain at times... :)The pure joy sunshine and a garden hat and a camera you love gives you. Even if the hat is torn up. :)When Granddaddies play tiger and hunter and tickle monster all at once with two grandsons, and they scream and laugh and sit stiff and still when you tell them to look and smile. Feeding an adorable granddaughter her baby food. And even though you know holding your own mouth open really doesn't help her eat, you do it anyway because you think it does. And then when you see the picture later it makes you laugh because you look so silly, and the baby probably thought so too, but didn't mention it because she is very elegant and gracious.That feeling of joy when you're baby son brings you an old vase filled with field flowers and a pansy from your flower bed, and you hug him tightly for a little while.
When your sister shares her last three fun size snickers bars with her sisters and you stop and rest for a while and read and laugh and think about 1800's etiquette. And you share a glass of cold milk, and take a self timer picture so we can remember it, and laugh at how young we were when we're 120, 119, and 118... (Lord willing:)A nephew's and another dear sister-in-love on a front porch on a weekday afternoon. You laugh with the baby and take pictures of him, and admire his fine nose, and sit and talk with his precious mommy about what you've been thinking and learning and praying about, and she listens and laugh and encourages you, and gives you an oreo. And on another day, she dresses him in a soft light blue knit hoodie, and his big eyes look so blue. A picture never captured it, so I'll remember it in my heart, and just remember how he put his chubby paw in his mouth with a picture. The oldest grandson and his uncle sit on a fence one afternoon, and have an adorable visit for a little bit, and I take a picture. Our lovely time is ended abruptly when Mr. Oldest Specimen gets in trouble for not going back to his house when called in for supper. We feel bad for unwittingly detaining him, but love the picture, and just ate up the visit. :)The sun is perfect, and my darling sister has a flower in her hair the exact same shade as her shirt-the wind is blowing, and I love her smile!!A daughter that is a polished corner stone.And when other siblings and grandchildren are spotted, they are drafted for a picture as well, and I love this one. Then we see a whole V of geese flying back north, and we run after them and try to get a picture of them, too, with the pale blue moon in the background, but they are two fast, and my running across the yard did nothing to catch up with those home-bound birds...And it's time for supper, so we go in.

Praise the Lord for his mercy to His children. Sometimes you find it hard to find the time to stop and record this, these many blessing, for future generations and others, but when you do, you enjoy it so much, and it gives you such a good feeling that, "it's written down!"

Have a simply wonderful day, dear readers!
Love,
Adeline Grace