Adventures in Parenting
I wish I knew how to grow
with the single-minded purpose of flowers.
Up, up and ever increasing in beauty,
focused on the source of light and
undistracted by the tangle and clutter
of weeds and other plants nearby.
Neither thorns nor thistles
causing them to pause in self-doubt,
or think their mission would be better
if they were holding up
the heavy golden head of some other stem–
richness enough to be oneself.
The bulbs we planted last year for Josephine’s birthday are bravely peeking up their tiny heads to kiss the spring sunshine!
I continue to be enchanted by the beauty of fall..which this year has had a slow mellow warmth, like the flickering of a cosy fire, flames all crimson and gold.
My kids, who had been peacefully playing inside, were very happy to discover where Mummy had snuck off to for a few quiet moments of photography! Pretty fun that even though I’m with them all the time, after 3 minutes away, I get greeted like a rock star! 😉
On this chilly October morning, bright flowers burst with beauty and affirm that despite all the cold and decay, fall is glorious!
after a morning of spelling
nursery rhymes
and writing practice
I take a moment’s break by myself
to sit on our garden bench in the sun
a tiny homeschool hiatus
to sit quietly enough to hear
the birds chirping and twittering
over the background hum
of city busses and summery lawnmowers
on this warm October morning
sun is supposed to be good
for this third trimester liver thing
that has crept up on me again
so I expose my round belly
to glow like strange moon
blue veins faintly showing
in the bright sun
a small alien planet
with the occasional surface ripple
as the life within stretches and grows
just x-filish enough
to make me grin
I go outside for a walk in the dark garden,
only two bare feet to hold up my heavy heart,
and after the warmth of the concrete driveway
surrender to the melancholic cool of the evening grass.
In the stillness of dusk
amid the silent flowers,
the sadness for my lost little love
wraps me about like a cloak of starlight
poignant and piercing.
I hurry inside
to capture this poem,
preserve this tear like a crystal jewel
and offer it to you, Jo,
the one whom I can give nothing
but the pangs of love.
Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable in front of those you love;
when we allow others to see our brokenness,
God’s light shines through the cracks in our heart.
The garden rejoices…
Warm sunlight sets this calla lily aglow amid the surrounding shadows…
…and in it’s simple beauty it reflects the strength of the sun, reaching into dark corners and gently illuminating them.
Last week, after a vivacious spring day of intense showers interspersed with golden sunshine pouring through steely grey clouds, I snuck out while my kids were having their bedtime snack to drink in the early evening glory of the garden. 
I love the peppery purple scent of lupins…they always make me think of high school graduation because they were blooming abundantly in our back yard when I was finishing grade 12. We took pictures of me in my velvet green ( :> !) grad dress in front of a pink, purple and blue sea of lupins in our garden.
Everything is glorious after the rain…the delicate ferns curling their fingers artistically…the billowy cotton candy clouds that look so bouncy and fluffy you could surely dance on them, if you could only get up there….the little pansy playing peekaboo underneath the blooming thyme bush.
Is it any wonder, with a garden like this (I take no credit; it’s my green-thumbed and maybe even fingered landlord) that taking out the compost is my favourite chore?
Wishing you all a beautiful Mother’s Day Weekend, with many flowers and gorgeous sunsets!
