Fain Friday - weekWORD

Fain – happy, inclined, pleased

  

Today I am happy to be participating in weekWORD again. I even have a nifty little sidebar badge from Carmen. See? Click on it and you will be whisked away to a portal that will track the current weekWORD and host. Go ahead, click over there and take a look. I'll wait.

Good. Wish you would play along with us. This week's hostess is Carmen at Tails of a Biomouse, a blog well worth reading. She has chosen Quixotic [kwik-sot-ik] for this week's word. It means: 

• resembling or befitting Don Quixote
• extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical,or impracticable.
• impulsive and often rashly unpredictable.

What I like best about weekWORD is the places it can take you creatively.  Of course quixotic made me think of windmills (ala Don Quixote)... which made me think of wind... which made me think of "winds of change".... which made me think of all the changes this period of my life holds: friends moving away, a son recently married, a daughter leaving for college, my youngest actually taller than me at 12(!).... but other things, as well.... still mourning the death of a good friend... all the physical changes that start happening around 40 (yes, it's true!)... And even yesterday I got word of a really, really good change that is about to happen (more on that at an appropriate later time), but still it's change all the same.

So, here's my representation of this week's word below. I drew first in pencil on regular drawing paper, then outlined with a Micron pen. 

Next I scanned her in, added color with Photo Shop, and then recolored and pasted in the quote I handlettered from earlier this week.

I'm planning to color the original now that I have it safely scanned in, but I'm not sure what media I'll use yet. I also think I'll print this out, frame it, and put it somewhere to remind myself in the midst of all the change of this season of life to remember what I know to be true - mainly that God is still on  His throne (as a good friend used to tell me) and that He is good.

Oh! I found this great, great, GREAT quote from Catherine the Great (ha!) on winds of change:

"A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or a headache."

Is that not wonderful?!

Click over to Carmen's to see all the other links to posts on this week's word AND to find out who next week's host will be. 

Blessings -

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weekWORD: Graduate

Ok, so I cheated a little. I agreed to host, but already had something in mind to go with this week’s word: “GRADUATE”

We have been blessed this past week to celebrate our middle child’s graduation from high school. For some this isn’t that big of an achievement, just an ordinary marker of the process of a child maturing – like learning to crawl, riding a bike, and getting a driver’s license. E has had a bit of adversity in her short life and has overcome much to be where she is today. She not only graduated, but graduated with honors, and has been accepted into some pretty prestigious schools. She’s heading off to one of them in August to study Political Science and I couldn’t be more proud of her.

She is a true testament to prayer, patience, courage, and perseverance.

Now, for the “creative” interpretation part…

I had in mind for a while to make her graduation announcements something special… or at least "different” … so I did a little caricature (Lordy, I had NO idea how to spell that one!! Thank goodness for spellcheck! Ha!) of her E's senior photo and designed a card for her. I think she was pleased.  Getting it to print right was the most difficult thing about it!!

 
Yesterday I put together a design for thank-you notes. I haven’t shown these to her yet since she’s at the beach with friends. (Oh, happy days!) I hope she’ll like it!

So, how about you? Any interpretations out there? Here’s who’s playing so far this week. If I’ve missed anyone, let me know. Take a hop over to their blogs and see what they’ve done with our word for this week. (If you’re playing and just haven’t left a comment yet, just let me know and I’ll add to this list!)

John – the Healing Seed
Sow and Sew

Oh! And if anyone wants to host next week’s word, PLEASSSEEEE  let me know by leaving a comment to this post!

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weekWORD Host!

I've been shamelessly ignoring this blog. I guess after so many years of being *mostly* faithful I just needed a break. But today Elena included me in an email asking for a host for weekWORD and I thought it was a good thing to make myself get off my duff and back to posting and creating. 

Sooo.... since it's that time of the year, the word for this week is:

Graduate! 

Or any derivation you would like to choose... graduating, gradual, graduated.... 

1 : a holder of an academic degree or diploma

2 : a graduated cup, cylinder, or flask

So - here are the rules

1. Let me know you are planning to participate by leaving a comment on this post.  

2. Share your interpretation of the weekWORD on your blog by Friday in a medium of your choice: painting, writing, poetry, lyrics, music, photography, collage, mixed media, drawing, videos.... You get the idea. 

3. On Friday, I'll post links to everyone's interpretations and (hopefully) announce the following week's host.
4. Then spend some time visiting each other's blogs and admiring the work! :-)  

Here's my graduate as of this Saturday morning! Oh, happy day!!

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Next Week's Host!!

Sally at Sow & Sew will host next week's word! Click over and see what she picks!

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weekWORD: Lagniappe

(Watercolor of Philadelphia statue from Jelart via Etsy shop.)

**UPDATE: SALLY AT SOW & SEW WILL HOST NEXT WEEK'S WORD!!**

Click over to her site to see our next word!

Ok, Wordies! Here's the list of participants for this week's word - Lagniappe:


Me - see below!
John
Christine
Elena
Joye
Junebug
Carmen
Mary

For my entry, I'm going with definition #2: an extra or unexpected gift or benefit.

In just a couple of weeks, hubby and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe.... on so many levels!! We pretty much had all the cards stacked against us, but with love, perseverance, and the unmistakable Hand of God on our lives --- Here we are!! And here, I pray, we shall still be 25 years from now! 

Me & Matt in Philadelphia for Half/Full Marathon November 2009!

So, this marriage is an unexpected gift... one I had no idea I was being given at 17. (Yikes!) This man is a gift -- smelly socks, bad jokes and all. He's a man after God's own heart and I love him. These children, this house, these friends, this life... all such an unexpected gift.

Benefits to being married 25 years to a man who grew up just a mile down the road from you? Too many to list... I can't imagine it any other way.

And one other gift - we're going away A*L*O*N*E this weekend to Charleston. It's been waaay too long since we've done this and I'm so very much looking forward to it. Matt's made reservations at a little B&B and we plan to just relax and do whatever WE want all weekend long! Hooray for us!

So, enjoy everyone else's interpretations of this week's word. I'm off to pack!

OH - almost forgot!! Please leave a note in the comment section or email me if you want to host next week's word!!

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I'm the weekWORD Host!!

Hi, Wordies!

Yup, I'm the host this week. I can't remember the last time I've hosted so I'm guessing that's a good indication that it's well past my turn.

So...

Drum roll, please.....

This week's word is in honor of my home state.....

*L*O*U*I*S*I*A*N*A

The word is:

"Lagniappe"

(lan~yap)

(lan‘yəp, lăn-yăp‘)

Chiefly Southern Louisiana & Mississippi (origin circa 1844)

1. A small gift presented by a storeowner to a customer with the customer’s purchase.

2. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. Also called regionally boot.

Etymology: Creole < Fr la, the + Sp ñapa, lagniappe < Quechuan yapa

Interesting fact- Napa comes from yapa, which means “additional gift” in the South American Indian language, Quechua, from the verb yapay “to give more”

(The above information from Stan Phelps at Marketing Lagniappe.)

I hope that give you something to get your creative juices flowing, bloggy friends! If you want to play, here are the oh-so-simple rules snagged from Elena who snagged from Junebug who.... you get the idea!

1. Leave me a note in the comment section below (buzzes!) that you want to participate!
2. Create.... for some participants, the "WEEKWORD"conjures an immediate image, memory, or response. You can draw, write, paint, glue, photograph.... oh, the possibilities are endless!!
3. Post your "WEEKWORD" interpretation on your blog by the end of the day, Friday February 25th.
4. Stop by my blog on Friday, February 25th, to see the lis of all the wordies who are playing. Visit their blogs and leave a comment or note that you visited.
5.  Invite your blog visitors to participate.

Happy week-wording! See you Friday~

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weekWORD: Oh...

Just a silly little illustration of the wonderful word chosen by Elena this week - "oh".

Hop over to her place to see other (more insightful, I'm sure!) interpretations! 

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weekWORD: Cynosure

Cynosure: 

something that provides guidance (as Polaris guides mariners); 
"let faith be your cynosure to walk by"

This is a great word chosen by Junebug this week! Lots of food for thought. Click over to her place to find more interpretations.

It was pretty easy to decide what direction this word would take me this week - my faith in God and Jesus Christ is my cynosure. But I didn't know what exactly to write or draw, but today I decided on this girl. She looks rather pensive, don't you think? And cynosure is a very "pensive" word.

Then I thought I'd also include this prose-poem that reflects a bit of my faith. It's a poem I started a year ago and came across again just a few days ago. I finished it today. The poem is about a specific day - a day when I was beginning to come to terms with the fact that one of my closest friends, a woman who had been a mother to me, was going to die soon. I didn't talk a lot about her or her illness on this blog. It was a hard yet beautiful thing to walk with her while she was dying. I'm grateful to her for letting me share it - and for allowing me to learn from her and to see just a bit more of God. And grateful to God for giving the grace to get through it. She's been gone almost 8 months now and I miss her.

The story referred to in the poem is from Mark 5:35-43.  Jesus takes the dead little girl by the hand and says, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” I remember reading those words and them hitting me hard. I thought about how I needed the strength to "arise" for the day.

A Day

I. 6 am
Coffee brewed dark like the sky outside, a soft chair to sink into and a thick Bible on my lap. First Psalm 148 and 149, then to Mark’s story.“Talitha cumi,” Jesus said to Jairus’ daughter. Yes - Rise, little girl. Time to wake the house.

II. 11:30 am
A friend prays for me at lunch – a soft rumbly voice and strong hands that reach for mine pinning me down – fixing me to time and place. She knows I’d like to run, to skip ahead, to be done. I don’t want to walk this road, this valley full of shadows. Her freckled hands pass courage to mine like a runner’s baton. “Talitha cumi,” I hear Jesus say.

III.  2 pm

Then to another’s house, too tired to join us, exhausted from battles playing out inside her. I heat up lunch, and watch her eat. “Just heal her, Lord,” I pray between each bite. 

Just. 

“Will I be able to see what’s happening here from Heaven?” she wonders.

"I hope so," I say. Talitha cumi, my friend.

IV.  4 pm
A birthday party tomorrow, twelve little girls to sleep over. Did I agree to this? Cake, party favors, chocolate,coke and chips, gifts. I am tired. Overwhelmed.  Talitha cumi, I tell myself, this day has hours left.

V. 11 pm

Dinner cooked and dishes cleaned, homework finished, lights out. Flat on my back I close my eyes and pray one last time for the day –

“Forgive me, Lord, where I have not risen today, where talitha cumi has seemed too much for me.  In the morning help me to make my first thought climb to You, to pull Your Spirit into my lungs and mix with my blood. Fill my soul that I might truly rise, that I might be a little girl filled with Your new life.”



Sorry for the long post. Blessings ~

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weekWORD: Therapeutic

Therapeutic - curative: tending to cure or restore to health

What is "curative" for me? Lot's of things:

• Talking with hubby
• A glass of wine after a long day with a friend
• Reading
• Walking
• Being at home
• Our Life Group
• Work... at times
• Drawing

Yesterday morning I began drawing the letter 'z' to submit to Alpha Battle at Letter Cult. I was delighted when a bird (peacock-ish) landed on the top of my 'z' and decided to stay! :-)

By the time I left to take Mary to school and go to work, this is how it looked:

Then last night before leaving for dinner with some sweet friends, this is where I was.

I had scanned it in and began coloring in Photoshop.... the really fun part!

Using the first color combo (Blue Peacock found at COLOURlovers) I didn't really like it turned out.

But this one, Golden Peacock, I liked much better!

Then I thought it would look good in black and white, too.

All of this is very therapeutic to me, especially when I'm adding the ink. It's slow and meticulous and my brain gets lost in what I'm doing. I sit and think and pray... the worries of the day get ground up, mixed in with the ink, and bleed through my pen where they seem to soak into the paper. I get up feeling like a burden has been lifted.

Therapeutic.

For more interpretations of the word this week, click over to Domestic Scribbles.

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How I Ended Up in London This Morning...

I love this! Let me take you on my inspirational adventure this morning.

First, I had an email from LetterCult telling me they had gotten my submission but (alas!) I had misunderstood their submission requirements and they weren't looking for single letters for their "Best of" list. However, they might add my 'M' and 'E' in their Alpha Battle posts which would be cool. They did add me to their list of "Letter Makers", though. And that is super cool.  So, I was browsing there and then went to their "Custom-Other" tab and found a piece I really admired by Sarah King. There was no link and she wasn't listed as a "Letter Maker" so I (of course) Googled her.

This led me to finding her customized fruit (shown above) at daily design discoveries (a good spot to visit I believe) but still no link to more of Sarah's work. ddd had found her fruit via Notcot.org (a most excellent spot I think I'll have to camp at for a while) which said she was part of the Evening Tweed design collective. And there I found her site at sarahaking.com (and she lives in - yes- London!)

Browsing a bit at her site, I found this piece below that I love of the streets of San Francisco... which inspires me to try something like it for our little town. (Of course much smaller!)

And for a little more inspiration this week, the weekWORD is "therapeutic" from our clever host Domestic Scribbles. Want to play?

Have an "inspirational" day, bloggy friends!

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weekWORD: Transition

I'm really enjoying reading A Geography of Time. I'm only about 35% through (Yep, reading it on the Kindle sans page numbers) but I've learned a lot already. And I've thought a lot about the idea of time this week. No, time isn't this week's word, it's transition, but isn't that what time is all about? Transitioning us from one thing to the next, one place to the next, one activity to the next? I've never really considered how our lives are ruled by the clock, how each of our days are chopped up into 1,440 bits called minutes. I've also never thought about how keeping track of time the way we do, down to the minutes and seconds, is a relatively new invention.... Late 1800's to early 1900's. And even after that every one's time wasn't the same. Did you know that before standardization was instituted our country had as many at seventy different timezones?

Even revolutionaries in France knew that people are ruled by time and if they wanted in on governing the people they needed to set a new rhythm to life, a "revolutionary" rhythm. So the leaders of the French Revolution in 1793 officially changed time. They instituted a calendar in which each new year began on September 22, each month was thirty days with five extra days added at the end of the year, each month was divided into three ten-day cycles, and each day broken down into units of ten, rather than 24 hours. 

The French people didn't go for it though. After a while they reverted back to the good old Christian or Gregorian calendar. But it took a while... THIRTEEN YEARS! Can you imagine? Stalin instituted something similar in Russia as late as 1929 which lasted until 1940! Wow.

So, this week I've thought about time and clocks and watches.... hours and minutes and seconds. I've thought about how my life is pushed from one thing to the next by when to get to work, when to leave, when to pick up Mary from school, what time to have dinner ready, when the next meeting is, what time to start my Bible study group. Time pretty much permeates everything I do. I wonder what it would be like to live just one truly timeless day?

For more views on transitions click over to John's spot.

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weekWORD: mercurial

  

Yep. Mercurial.

That's our word for the week chosen by the very entertaining and interesting Carmen over at Tails of a Biomouse. For a chemical engineer, this word has all sorts of meanings.... especially one working in the Chlorine-producing business where old mercury cells are being dismantled and newer, better, environmentally safe options are now being used. Any-whooo... enough of that!

There's so many definitions for "mercurial" but the one that caught my attention earlier this week was:

"fickle or changeable in temperament"

Now, most people who know me would say (or at least I'm relatively sure they would say...er...or I hope they would say) I'm pretty even tempered.  Not a lot of super frantic highs and deep dark lows. Fairly middle of the road. But, I do have some inconsistencies.... especially in my interests. This blog is a prime example: art, poetry, devotional writings, family news, recipes, book reviews... It's seems a little all over the place. A little fickle.

Another example is my bag:

I carry it back and forth to work.

It's full of books.

A lot of books.

I don't know. Maybe I'm afraid a read-a-thon is going to break out and I'll need lots of choices.

Maybe I'm just weird.

But, what's mercurial about it? The mix-match of books I tend to carry around.  Today I have:

1. My Kindle on which I'm reading the ESV Study Bible and A Geography of Time 
2. Tinkers - the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner (awesome, by the way)
3. How to Read the Bible Book by Book (for a study I'm thinking of doing)
4. The Daily Book of Art (for mind expansion)
5. My Moleskine journal
6. A sketch book plus two Sharpie pens
7. In the Neighborhood (a sociology book)
8. Drawn to the Light (book of poetry on Rembrandt's religious paintings)
9. Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies (non-fiction by the author of #8)
10. Blogging for Bliss (half-way through...pretty good so far)
11. Bridges on the Journey (another book I'm looking at to go along with #3)

Fiction, sociology, religion, art, poetry, blogging.... definitely "changeable in temperament."

So, that's it for a weird (and mercurial) peak into my little world. There's probably an indication of some kind of personality disorder with me carrying around all these books, huh? Sigh. I'll worry about that tomorrow! (Yes, Scarlett O'Hara is my favorite literary character!)

For more interpretations of the word, or to find out who's hosting next week and join in on all the fun, click on over to Carmen's place.

Oh. And the girl? Well, I just thought she looked "mercurial" with all those bubbles coming out of her head! Smile.

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weekWORD: Recycle

This was a perfect word for me this week! The Strathmore online journaling class with Pam Carriker that I'm working through is about making new journaling pages with your old artwork - ie, recycling. Here's my page after week two's lesson. (My scan lopped off the bottom edge, but you get the idea.) I can't wait to see where week three takes us. It's not too late to join in!

And then, since we had snow days this week, I was able to spend some time working on a blog redesign and used Photoshop to create a new banner using artwork I had created in 2010 - ie, recycling!

To see other interpretations, hop over to Elisabeth's blog.

Well, I'll be signing off for a few days. Mary and I are off to New York for a long weekend with my sister and her boy. Back on Monday with news of a wonderful trip!!

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weekWORD: Simplicity

The first word for 2011 - SIMPLICITY. Great word chosen by Christine. For other interpretations of the word, go here. Have a simply wonderful evening!

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weekWORD: Lacuna

I've found weekWORD again and decided to play along. The word was given by Carmen at Tails of a Biomouse and is lacuna. Albeit a little late, here's my entry.

Huh?

Well, one meaning of lacuna is "a blank space or missing part", ie a HOLE. This led me to thinking about "holes" and looking for quotes containing the word "hole." And, tada! I found one from a favorite poet - George Herbert. (To read some of his works go here.) And it seemed quite fitting that I use this quote since our hostess for weekWORD is a mouse herself!

I stumbled upon this artist's site and was admiring her typography this morning which made me want to play with letters myself. So, the word "mouse" in the quote above is mine while the other words come from the font Ma Sexy you can get yourself here. I drew the mouse in ink and scanned him in along with my typography... put them all together and voila! A quick and dirty weekWORD!

However, as I was drawing and doodling, I did think about the "holes" in my life... the escape routes I have when things are getting tough... when the devil, the world, or my own sinful heart tempt me to do or say the things I should not... or when I am simply tempted to be the person I know I am not meant to be. What are those holes and do I have more than one?

My holes are prayer, the Word, husband, friends.... or in other words places I can find the Truth. But there's also writing, drawing, walking... things that get me up and going... things that get me outside of myself which is usually a good place to be. :-)

What are your holes?

For more interpretations of Carmen's great word, click over here. Oh, and there's always great stuff to see at A.E.D.M.

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weekWORD: Curiosities

My "curiosity" of the week:

Mary broke her toe because Mollie really, really likes bones.

Logic to arrive at the above conclusion:

Q1. Why did Mary break her toe?

A1. Because she slipped in a puddle of dog potty and fell down hitting her foot against the wall.

Q2. Why was there dog potty on your floor? Ew!

A2. Because Dingo (The Boy's 30+ lb dog) was sick and "leaking" a bit.

Q3. Why was Dingo sick?

A3. Because his kidneys were failing.

Q4. Oh my! Why were Dingo's kidney's failing?

A4. Probably because he ate something toxic in the garage.

Q5. Why did Dingo eat something toxic in the garage?

A5. Because Dingo was having to stay in the garage a good bit lately.

Q6. Why was poor Dingo having to stay in the garage?

A6. Because Dingo and Mollie (B's 10-lb dog) had to be separated.

Q7. Why did they have to be separated? Couldn't they just play together?

A7. Because Dingo jumped on Mollie two weeks ago and popped her eye out.

Q8. Gross! Why did Dingo jump on poor Mollie and pop her poor eye out? That's nasty!

A8. Because Mollie stole his bone and he wanted it back. Duh.

Q9. Why did Mollie steal Dingo's bone?

A9. Because Mollie really, really likes bones!

THEREFORE..... Mary broke her toe because Mollie really, really likes bones. Ta-dah!

Dingo is coming home from the vet hospital this evening after a couple days worth of fluids flushing out his system. He's not 100% but better. The Boy and The Girl are buying him a pen and dog house so he doesn't have to be in the garage.

Mollie is having her eye REMOVED tomorrow. Sigh. BUT - Mary wants to make her an eye-patch and take her as a pirate trick-or-treating this year.

Mary goes to the orthopedic doc tomorrow. It's just in her toe, not in the growth plate, so what can they really do? I'm sure just tape it. She should be fine! (I hope!) :-)

On a happier note, the radiologist told her he could tell she's not finished growing. Good news! Tall is good!!

For more "curiosities" this week, visit Emma's super nifty blog "The Gift Shed" for links to other players.

(My little "I Wonder" guy up at the top appeared this morning as I was thinking about curiosity. I guess his nose is so long because people who are curious sometimes get labeled as "nosey!" Watercolor paper, fine Sharpie pen, and my *new* gift-to-me Prismacolor markers!)

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weekWORD: Key

I love it when someone chooses a weekWORD that has many different meanings! This week's word "KEY" had me going in a lot of different directions... consider these definitions:

1. metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
2. something crucial for explaining;
3. pitch of the voice;
4. any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music
5. a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida
6. (basketball) a space in front of the basket at each end of a basketball court;
7. a list of answers to a test;
8. a list of words or phrases that explain symbols or abbreviations

My first thought was an actual physical key you put into a lock... and that led to something being lost (as is usual with keys belonging to me!).... and that led to the girl above who appears to be looking down searching for something. (Or at least she is supposed to look like that!) My thought was she's looking for the lost key to her heart... She decided to keep it locked up tight from others and now that she's ready to open up, she's misplaced that dang key! She's forgotten how to let other people in... oh, don't we all do that at one time or another?

Then I thought of #4, a musical key, and a favorite quote from a favorite book, The Quantity of a Hazelnut by Fae Malania. In this passage, Fae is comparing listening to a Brahms Violin Concerto to paying attention to people:

"This is surely the clue to the kind of attention I owe to people. I must empty my mind of other claims and, in interior silence, let them tell me who they are. I must remain in watchful, active quiet as the basic architecture of a personality presents itself to my mind. I must learn to hear a slight variation on a theme, a modulation to another key, an inner melody, a discord, an individual beauty of tone.

If love isn't this, it can't be much.

But the minute the note of another human being begins to sound, my self leaps up in claimant alarm and yells: "What about me? I'm here too!" In the ensuing din, I can't hear a thing."

This whole passage rings true to my soul... that I need to be still and really listen to others and hear beyond what their words are saying... that this is what love is - learning to hear another's music, and then appreciate, their inner melody and individual beauty of tone. But, oh how I do clamor and clang! How my Self always want to assert itself and be heard instead of listening.

For more interpretations on the word "KEY", click over to Sally's place! Oh, aren't you glad it's Friday?!

(Girl above sketched in pencil in my moleskine watercolor sketchbook, clear gesso'd, then watercolored. I like her hair and her loooong nose!)

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weekWORD: Wrinkle Part 2

After a long, but successful, day of shopping... something that is not always my favorite thing to do.... I actually had a good time today.... It was nice to come home to sit out on my porch and sketch/paint out an idea I had floating around in my mind...

A young me:

And an old me:

Then all put together. This is who I am.... I'll never lose the young me I once was and I'll always be growing into the old me I am to become. And I actually find the old me much more interesting!

For more takes on the weekWORD "Wrinkles" go to June Bug's. What a great word for the week!

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weekWORD: Wrinkle (Part 1)

It's been a couple of weeks since I've participated in weekWORD. This week's word is "Wrinkle" which is a great, great word. It was chosen by June Bug and you can go over to her place for links to others who have played along.

Last night me and Mary and a couple of friends had an art-journaling session, so I used the theme of "wrinkles" to make a quick page. :-) We had a good time cutting and pasting and gluing and painting!

So much more running around in my mind with the word, though. Maybe I'll have time to do something else this weekend with it!

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weekWORD: Collection

This week's word is Collection and it was very easy for me to find something about which to post.

As I thought about the word "collections," I thought of all the things I've gathered over the years. (As I'm sure everyone playing along did, too.)

And I was shocked at how many different things I've collected. There's been antique cameras, snack plates, political pins, crosses (the kind that stand up on a shelf), orange seashell shards, canvas bags, good words, old photographs, and (most recently) bees. Of course, there's no doubt my biggest collection - and most enduring - is books. (That particular collection is getting a little scary, actually.)

I thought about taking clever photographs of clever arrangements of my collections.... but I'm not a very clever photographer, so that was out.

I thought of writing about one particular obsession, how it started, what season of life I was in, and why it stopped. But, that was, uhm... boring.

I thought of drawing one of my collections, but that would be waaay past my drawing skills, so no thank-you to that either.

But, finally, I thought of one of the most important, valuable, enduring collections I've ever had: all the bits and pieces of life with my best friend, Matt. Tomorrow will be his 45th birthday.... another one of those things that is hard to imagine. Next March will be our silver wedding anniversary. Yikes!

The past twenty-five years have been full of laughter... with a dash or two of tears to add some flavor...

full of joy... with a splash here and there of frustration for visual interest....

I told a friend not too long ago that I've been married to at least three different men over the years.... God has changed him a lot. Yet he's still the same 17 year-old-boy I met in our high school cafeteria. That skinny, curly-headed boy in tight jeans, cowboy boots, and a baseball cap who stole my 13 year-old heart with his joking and sweetness.

So, my collection is all the bits and pieces of this particular man... his quirks and oddities, his good habits and bad... I love ALL the pieces. And I see God still pursuing him, still adding to him, still fleshing him out a little more each day, still finishing His creation. I love this man.

Happy Birthday to my most prized collection of all!

(For more takes on weekWORD "collection", hop over to Elisabeth's.)

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