multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1296. the sounds, sights and smells of spring
1297. another wonderful book
1298. dinner with friends . . . a FULL house!
1299. sunshine and a nearly snow-free yard {all the snow melts, then it snows again. all the snow melts, then it snows again . . . the life of a Minnesotan in the "spring"!}
1300. my kids and the joy they bring to my life
1301. starting the week with an empty dishwasher and sink and all the clean dishes put away {thanks to my fabulous husband}
1302. live video feed of an eagles nest . . . riveting, I tell you!
1303. sitting outside with my mom and Sara, enjoying the sunshine and warmth
1304. hearing my grandma play one of my very, very favorite songs on the piano at church yesterday, accompanying our choir {great job, Grandma!}
1305. crossing things off my to-do list
1306. discussing an important book with my 10-year-old {wasn't she just a baby? how'd this happen?}
1307. a warm home and cup of tea on a blustery April day
1308. good friends
1309. bike riding, rollerblading, scooter-ing, trampoline jumping, basketball . . . kids playing OUTside for long periods of time!


Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

Lessons from the Labyrinth

I was SO blessed by the retreat that I attended this weekend. It was completely wonderful and just what I needed (except it ended about 3 weeks too soon . . . what's with the "weekend retreat" anyway? I want, like, a whole month!!)

Great women, wonderful teaching, some down time, wonderful friends {one of whom was even willing to share her Dr. Pepper}, a beautiful setting, meaningful small group time, a craft project, new friends, rooming with my momma . . . the list goes on. Every single aspect of the weekend was great! We did a retreat-series by Beth Moore entitled Loving Well, which was wonderful and gave insight into how best to love the many different people that are a part of our lives with a focus on how to love those that are difficult to love. It was wonderful!

I read a book, probably last summer, that sparked my curiousity about labyrinths. Kristen Heitzmann is an author that I really enjoy, so when I saw that my library had a new book of hers, I checked it out. The main character in the book is a landscape architect who specializes in designing labyrinths. I had heard the word labyrinth before and had a very vague idea of what a labyrinth was, {but, as it turns out, I had it kind of wrong} but after reading this book I was very intrigued by them. Well, wouldn't you know it . . . the retreat center we were at has a labyrinth! I was so excited!

Here is a picture (from the retreat center's website) of the labyrinth.
Although I brought my camera along on the retreat and carried it in my pocket nearly the whole weekend, I was having such a great time that I forgot to take pictures . . . I didn't even take 1! {I'm a little mad at myself for that . . . so I guess there was one less-than-perfect part to the weekend. No pictures to help me remember}.

The labyrinth didn't look this great over the weekend, since stuff is still kinda dead-ish. It was more brown than green, but I would love to spend a little time in it when it looks like this . . . I had such a wonderful experience with the labyrinth when it wasn't quite so pretty, I can only imagine how much better it would be if it was this beautiful! So, what is a labyrinth exactly?, you might wonder. Here is a really short, basic description for ya that specifically describes the labyrinth at the retreat center:

Based on the tiled floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France just south of Paris, the Koinonia Labyrinth is a tool for meditation, prayer, and spiritual awareness that has become highly favored by persons wishing to transcend the distractions of their lives…seekers of awareness, wisdom, forgiveness, peace, and grace.

It is not a maze with dead-ends and false trails, but is a single path to, and then from, a center. At the center is a bench for resting before walking out of the Labyrinth to resume whatever it was you were doing or thinking before you began your meditation walk.

That particular description sounds a little weird and new-agey to me, but so be it. If you want a more detailed description with lots of pictures and tons to read, check out labyrinth on Wikipedia here. The main point being that it's not a maze or a puzzle. There are no dead ends and you can't do it wrong. It's just a winding path that leads you to the center and then back out again.

While walking the labyrinth I felt like a I really learned a lot. As soon as I was done, I found a pen and some paper and tried to capture all that I had learned about life by walking through the labyrinth. So, without further ado, here are my "Lessons from the Labyrinth":

Lesson #1: This is it? . . . Yup, this is it!: Upon first approaching the labyrinth I was really pretty disappointed to be honest. It was mostly brown and pretty much dead; it was not as big as I expected (I had heard it was the largest labyrinth in the state) and really wasn't much to look at. Could I really spend 45 mintues walking around on this relatively small piece of earth? (the caretaker had told of that a reflective, prayerful walk of the entire labyrinth took about 45 minutes). Turns out this was it and it was what it was! It was my job to make the most out of it . . . as is often the case with life

Lesson #2: Keep going, you'll get there: I kept thinking that I was just about to the center of the labyrinth, but then the path would curve around again and I would be heading away from what I thought my destination was . . . I was convinced, on more than one occassion, that I must have taken a wrong turn somehow and was going to find myself exiting the labyrinth having never made it to the middle. But I kept going and, sure enough, I made it to the middle.

Lesson #3: Sometimes there are lots and lots and lots of turns . . . one right after another: If you look at the picture of the labyrinth you can kind of imagine how it goes: you walk along the path, not quite in circles {although the basic shape of the labyrinth is a circle}, but taking turns and curves to arrive at the middle before following the same path in reverse to make your way out again. Just like in life, the labyrinth often took a turn when you least expected one . . . or right after you'd just finished taking a 180 degree turn moments before . . . it felt like you were covering the same ground over and over. The interesting thing, though, was that you weren't. No matter how repetitive it seemed, you were always on a new part of the path . . . even when it seemed like you had returned to a place where you had just been. Anyone else who can relate to that in their life?

Lesson #4: You think you're almost there, but then you're not: Like I said in #2, you often think you have "arrived" only to realize just a little farther down the path that you have not. In fact, you are heading, again, away from your intended destination.

Lesson #5: It takes longer than you expect: Isn't that just the way? You think to yourself, "this shouldn't take too long" or "this shouldn't be too hard" only to find that it does . . . and it is! Such was the case with the labyrinth too!

Lesson #6: A winding path mowed into the grass can make you cry: Ok, I know many of you won't be surprised by my saying this . . . I mean really, we're talking about me here. I cry at everything! But I was amazed by how emotional it was, just walking through this winding path mowed into a field. What's the big deal about that? I'm not sure what it was exactly, but man was it an emotional experience. It really moved me and got to me deep inside! I wasn't even crying about situations in my life or in the life of others (although it was a very prayerful walk and I was thinking about lots of things that could easily make me cry). I don't have any words to adequately explain it, but I wasn't crying about any particular situations or struggles or people or hurts . . . simply being in the labyrinth and walking its path brought me to tears!

Lesson #7: You will get there: Sometimes you feel like giving up. You think you've taken too many wrong turns (or even just one!) and you'll never make it. It just doesn't seem to be coming together the way you imagined it would. Stick with it. You will get there!

Lesson #8: It's worth it!: When you reach the middle you are thrilled . . . you made it . . . you did it . . . you can rest and reflect now. How great is that?

Lesson #9: Keep your eyes on what is right in front of you, put one foot in front of the other and for Pete's sake just stay on the path: Yup, you can do it! It is worth it! It's not a trick! Trust the path and you'll make it . . . trust the designer of the labyrinth; He knows what He's doing. You won't be let down.

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3.13-14)
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path." (Proverbs 3.5-6)
"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16.11)
"And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him . . . to shine on those living in darkness . . . to guide our feet into the path of peace." (Luke 1.76 and following)

Lesson #10: Beware of dry hay: Because I really felt like having a #10 would round out the list nicely and because the stalk of dry grass or hay of some sort that I picked along the way gave me a nasty sliver that still hurts and has not completely worked itself out of my thumb, I thought I would include this life lesson as well: beware of innocent-seeming stuff.

I hope you have gained a little insight of your own from my time in the labyrinth. I have decided that I want one in my backyard! How great would that be? A great place to unwind, clear my mind, pray . . . maybe someday! For now maybe I'll just need to find myself in South Haven, MN every once in a while and see if I can pop in for a little time in the labyrinth.

P.S. In case you are curious, Kirb and the kiddos did just fine without me. Since Kirb is really the better parent in this family, that shouldn't be too surprising. I was thrilled to get home and see my family on Sunday afternoon. They are wonderful!!

Weekend Do-in's:

We had a busy, but wonderful, weekend!

Friday night we spent the evening with our wonderful friends Al, Justin & Sam. We had dinner, hung out, laughed, watched a movie {well, sort of! I feel asleep. What can I say, it was late!} We talked about Ava and how excited we all are for her to get home. Her room is so adorable. I helped Al set up a blog for their journey to bring Ava home. She was a little skeptical, but I think she'll find it a great tool to share info with all the wonderful people in their life! Anna wore a t-shirt that she and Ava both have {one of their half dozen or so "twinzy" outfits}. It's green and says "Best Friends" on it . . . 'cause, you know, they are gonna be best friends just like their mommas! Al kept asking Anna questions like: "Is Ava your best friend?", "Are you excited for Ava to come home." and other stuff along those lines. Since Anna has recently become an expert at nodding and shaking her head {and distinguishing appropriately between the two!} she just kept nodding like crazy. Here are some fun pictures from our evening:

Anna at her best friends house, matching shirt and all but no best friend can be found . . . don't worry babe, she'll be here soon. Next time, I promise!

Kirb and me in the front yard. It was a gorgeous day!

Sam & LJ . . . they are great buds!

Saturday was a busy day for me. I volunteered to help at our schools annual Tag Sale. Working a 3 hour shift gave me the right to pre-shop the sale. So, I arrived at school at 7 am to shop and walked away with at least a few hundred dollars worth of stuff, in great condition, that our family needed for about $50! Whoo Hoo. I brought home my purchases and headed to Caribou to relax with my book for a little bit before my shift started. I worked the sale from 9-noon. It was busy and as far as I could tell LOTS of my stuff sold. That is great news! Hopefully I'll make some decent money . . . we should get our checks any day!

Then I went to a little craft afternoon at my friends house. It was tons of fun, but I was REALLY tired, so I'm afraid I wasn't tons of fun to be around. I then headed home to prepare for our big day on Sunday.

Sunday was a BIG day for our family. Rebekah and Lydia were both baptized. They both made decisions to accept Jesus into their hearts at pretty young ages . . . Praise God! . . . and had recently gone through a 6-week class about baptism at church and had decided that they wanted to be baptized. Plus, it was also Joe's 4th birthday. SO much to celebrate!

Here are the girls in front of the church before the service started

Here is our whole crew:

Brothers {matching ones, no less!}:

Lydia, Pastor Shawna & Rebekah after the service:

Shawna is a good friend of mine and also our Children's Pastor. It was so great to have her baptize my girls!

After church we headed over to my parents for a big celebration with our family.

The Birthday Boy and some of his gifts:

His new flip-flops . . . which he LOVES and has yet to take off even the past couple days when it was quite chilly!

What a wonderful day full of things to celebrate and be thankful. We are also thankful for all the wonderful people in our lives who celebrated with us on this important day . . . both with their presence as well as those who kept us all in their thoughts and prayers on this day!

On Sunday evening Kirb got to spend some good time with his brother who is in town for work. He had some free time, so they caught dinner, a movie and a late-night catch-up chat at Perkins! {gotta love those all-night places for such an occasion!} It was so good for them to have some time together. We're still not quite caught up from our busy, emotional weekend but that's ok. It was all worth it!

The week in review

Well, Easter has been here and is history already for 2009. Time flies so fast! Yikes, I can hardly keep up. This week seems extra busy for our family. We really enjoyed the 2 days that the kids were off school last week {well, except for the fact that Kirbs was pretty sick for a decent portion of it}. Lots of fun {and not-quite-as-fun-as-we'd-hoped} family time. Here goes a quick re-cap on the past week {mostly in picture form}:

THURSDAY:

Thursday we ventured downtown Minneapolis to take in the Macy's flower show. We thought the kids would be really excited. We've been before and they loved it. Maybe they were expecting something more exciting, but there were lots of grumbles and complaints when we got there . . . except Rebekah, she loved it! We didn't get any nice shots at the flower show, this is the best I could do:

I don't know what to say to try and explain how my 3rd & 4th children think those are appropriate ways to "pose" for a picture:

And, again . . . Joe, over here please!

After checking out all the flowers we took a little walk through the skyways and saw the new Twins stadium construction site. We also had some yummy treats. Unfortunately we met with some absurd amount of traffic on the way home {the Twins game had just gotten done} and it took us 1 hour and 20 {very unpleasant!} minutes to get home! Kind of a bummer of a way to end an outing we had intended to be fun!

Kirb had a {pretty big} role in the Maunday Thursday service at church Thursday night, so we dropped him off at church a little after 5 {the service was at 7} and grabbed a bite to eat with my parents and then headed over to wish "Grandma" Alice a VERY happy birthday. She claims to have liked our singing . . . although at 93 her hearing might not be quite 100%! We loved seeing her!

Happy Birthday Alice, we love you!

FRIDAY:

Good Friday we have a tradition of attending the children's Good Friday service at Roseville Lutheran Church {just down the block from us}. It is a WONDERFUL service, geared for kids and always ends with a project/craft for you to take home to be reminded of Christ's sacrifice for us. This is what we made this year, they turned out great! {Rebekah and Lydia both made one. Joe & Anna stayed home with Kirbs, who was sick . . . Jacob wasn't too excited about making a craft and thought he could benefit from the meaning just as well by looking at his sister's project.}

After the service was done and we'd had a little lunch we ventured off to the zoo in hopes of seeing some super cute little animals at the farm . . . you know, they have "Farm Babies" each spring. Well, I guess the combination of relatively nice weather and lots of people having the day off gave everyone and their neighbor that same idea. It looked more like the state fair than the zoo. Honestly, I hardly saw an animal. You couldn't get close enough. I did, however, see lots of interesting people {and quite a few friends! . . . what did I tell ya? Just like the fair!} It was fun anyhow! We were extra thankful for our zoo membership since the line at the entrance, I heard, took an hour! Thank goodness for the "Members" line . . . only about 10 minutes, I think. That along with the fact that one trip to the zoo for our brood would cost $65 and the annual membership {13 months actually, since I always renew before our old membership expires and then they give you an extra month!} is only $85. That's pretty much a no-brainer. Even if you aren't really a math person!

SATURDAY:

Saturday morning found us in a time warp. I felt like it was 1985! We met some good friends {who we haven't seen in a very long time and don't get to see nearly often enough} at the roller rink. Honestly, it's like stepping foot back in the 80's . . . or as my "more mature" friends thought, the 70's . . . I guess that just goes to prove my point, that roller rinks really are a time warp. I said to Phil "this looks exactly like the roller rink I went to most every Saturday morning in 1986", to which he replied, "I was gonna say 1979, but whatever!". Our friends, the Behrens, had been there {I'm not sure why!} and BOTH of their boys had won the Limbo contest entitling them each to a all-expense paid roller skating party for 20! So Palm Sunday weekend they invited a bunch of friends from school to go skating with them and last weekend they invited some family friends. What fun! The kids all had a blast and even though none of them had ever been on roller skates before they did quite well . . . apart from some sore tailbones and bruised knees!

Rebekah the roller skating girl!

Lydia . . . who made it through the Limbo contest, round 1 {not surprising really if you've ever seen how "bendy" that kid is!} but alas, no party for 20 in our future!

Mom and Joe on the rink:

Nathan and Joe takin' a break . . . check out those skates: now that's what we call vintage!

The whole gang {minus Jill who is taking the picture}. Notice, again, how cooperative Joe is!

SUNDAY:
Easter morning. The 4 big kids all ready for church:

"Christ the Lord is ris'n today. A-a-a-a-a-le-lu-u-ia!"
They look a tad grumpy to be singing about something so wonderful! Oh well, what can you do?
I wish the mother of that kid in the front would have had the sense to not let him wear a Twins hat and suck, it would seem, on BOTH of his thumbs . . . honestly! Some people!

This just strikes me as classic first Easter. Whattaya think?

Ready to hunt for eggs in the yard:

Checking out their loot:

Lots of sibling love while hunting eggs at GG's house {GG is Great Grandma . . . my grandma . . . my mom's mom}. We had a great Easter dinner at GG and Lavonne's {GG's sister} who live nearby.

Our brood:

Haddon's super cute little choppers
What a beautiful handsome little guy:

We hope you had a wonderful Easter!
He is risen!
He is risen, indeed!

MONDAY:

Oh, and then on Monday morning I took Anna to the doctor because she'd been getting up 5 or 6 times a night just miserable for what seemed like forever {in actuality, I think it was 4 nights} and was not at all herself during the day either. Last week Wednesday was her last day on antibiotics for her ear infection. I noticed her acting like she felt crummy on Thursday. This didn't click with me for nearly 4 days . . . I blame the lack of sleep! But, you guessed it . . . her ears are still infected, so we are giving antibiotic #2 a try to see if that can take care of it. I think maybe this girl has some teeny little tubes in her future. We'll see!

thankfulness

today was our thanksgiving service at church (since thanksgiving is so late this year and next week is the beginning of advent already, we decided to have our thanksgiving service before thanksgiving rather than after). this service is, arguably, my favorite church service of the whole year . . . even though i had a nasty headache at the end from all the crying! (i cry most every sunday in church . . . um, you could probably take out the "most" in that phrase and it would be more true! but even more than usual today!). at the thanksgiving service we always have a few microphones at the front of the sanctuary and have time for people to come and share things they are thankful for. it is always such a moving service. i was touched by each person who shared this morning! also, kirbs did a bang-up job of singing "praise you in this storm" as part of the service and my good friend, shawna, brought a great children's sermon too (in which lydia made a long-winded, rather off-topic comment). i am so thankful for our wonderful church family. central is really a very unique place and, in my opinion, the best church around!! what a wonderful family of believers we are surrounded with there . . . people who pray for, support. love and encourage us through life. they struggle and rejoice with us and are behind us 100%. my kids have tons of extra "grandma's" and "grandpa's" there to love on them and the people of central truly are our family.