Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Thankfulness challenge


I am not a naturally thankful person.  I have to often remind myself to be thankful and think positively.  But I really want to teach myself to focus on the enjoyments of life and how to make the most of it.  God has blessed me incredibly, so I need to live like it!
I decided something needed to change.  I needed something to train my thoughts in the right direction.  Then I realized that there are these consistent things called months, and within each month things happen...and within those things that happen are opportunities to be thankful.  So here's for September:

1. Memories of summer to keep me smiling as school and a lonely fall life begins.
2. An auntie's words of wisdom at dinner time, such as "Moriah, you are not a dog."
3. Catching up on letters
4. Phone calls with friends far away
5. Last sunny days for making clothes "crunchy" on the clothesline
6. Cold fall morning sunshine that makes the dewy grass shiny
7. Starting school
8. A niece to shout "Sharon?  Where are you?  What are you doing?" every time I leave the room
9. A sweet, tired, sick nephew to cuddle with after dinner
10. Adding Chara to our family
11. Refreshing rain that allows for cozy days
12. Getting to wear sweaters again
13. Songs like "Sunflower Seeds" (composed by Ema Burt), "Lava," and the Bing-Bong theme song to keep my mind company during work
14. Car wax that smells amazing
15. Inside family jokes that have everyone instantly laughing at the reminder
16. A fixed bathroom!
17. No bats in the house for a whole week
18. House cleaning jobs overlooking the canal for an extra calming effect
19. A girl who can't stop talking and therefore teaches me that some people really are like that
20. Contentedly working alongside my sister without having to say a word

Friday, September 25, 2015

Flip-flop obsessed

This means a daily vacation for me!!
A friend once told me, "Flip-flops and a sweater....that's how I always picture you."  Well, she was completely right.  People who know me most likely also know that flip-flops and sweaters are 2 of my favorite things.  I know, they seem like contradictions, but I love the combination.  
Flip-flops get to be my all-occasion shoe of choice.  And when someone gets that far into loving a certain type of shoes, the only spoken summer goal is to get a darker "flip-flop strap tan line." 
So here is an "ode" to my favorite shoes who faithfully take me everywhere:

Flip-flops, flip-flops, from where have you come? 
From the beach, or the zoo, maybe even from Guam? 
Tell me your stories; I’d like to hear these, 
Have you walked to a shop for a ham sandwich with cheese? 

Flip-flops, flip-flops, now where will you go? 
To London or France, maybe even Cairo? 
You and me, will explore in the rain, 
While walking through sand on the coast of Spain.


Flip-flops, flip-flops, you’re now old and worn, 
Your color has faded; your foam has been torn, 
I’ve seen all your stories, its time to go.
Remember dear flip-flops, I love you so.
Leslie Briggs




And, when you're a flip-flop lover like me, you might even buy these ridiculous
socks just so your favorite shoes can still easily be worn...
The progress I made on my summer goal.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Dewy mornings

"Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew..." Deuteronomy 32:2














Aren't you glad English isn't your second language?!

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,

But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!
Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
Neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England.
We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,
We find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing,
Grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?
If you have a bunch of odds and ends and
get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English
should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.
In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
We ship by truck but send cargo by ship.
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
While a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language
In which your house can burn up as it burns down,
In which you fill in a form by filling it out, and
In which an alarm goes off by going on.
Unsure of source.


Monday, September 14, 2015

Back to school

Last week we finally got back to school! Having been prevented from starting for about 3 weeks, it was a relief to finally get started.  So, although I was anxious to get back to school, it's definitely a challenge for me.  I am thankful to start each morning (early and often before the sun...ok, so maybe I'm not as thankful for that part.) in God's presence, reading the Word and praying.  How I struggle to live in the Spirit each day as I push through school, frequently discouraged and frustrated!  One of my goals in this next school year is to really put to death the "routine" of living from the flesh.  It really doesn't get much clearer than Romans 8:8: "Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."  I want my life to be pleasing and worth while for the Lord.  So here's to a new start in school and Spirit living!

English: Hmmm...should be pretty easy...
Mental Abuse To Humans Math: I. will. survive.  And whose idea was it to add letters??  I thought numbers was hard enough...I'm pretty sure the alphabet never should have gotten involved.
German: So I can ask you where my husband, wife, daughter, or son is, but not my mom, sister, or brother??  And could you teach me "water" before "beer" and "wine"?
Oboe: Hope I don't black out today.  Maybe I should drink more water before practicing tomorrow. Puff, puff.
Piano: How do some people get so good by my age?  At this rate, I should be advanced by the time I'm 90.
Biology: When can I do more??!  I think I'm having Biology withdrawals already.  If I go through this Biology book 5 more times, can you give me credits for all my other subjects?  10 more times??  Please!
Geography: And I'm supposed to be able to memorize all that information for the test?  Great.  If only I were a better test-taker.

***************************
Life can't be all school, so I like to sneak in some chances for photography, too, since there's no space in the schedule.  Moriah and Chara make some great camera targets, so get ready for an overload...
















Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Dear Dad...


"Therefore we do not lose heart.  Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.  For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.  For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 2 Corinthians 4: 16-5:1

These verses will always remind me of Dad, as in these last 2 years his outward man was perishing so quickly, but the inward was growing daily deeper.

Dad, remember these brownies
we made for your birthday last year?
I think it was the only way we celebrated!

Dear Daddy,
There aren't really words to say, only many tears to be had.  But today is your birthday, and I couldn't get away with no birthday letter...
I don't really know where to begin.  You've only been gone for 4 months, and it feels like forever. I remember the times I stood by my once-strong-Dad, holding your hand to support you as you walked, begging God to keep giving me more days with you.  And right now I'd be content to have those days of frightening unknown again, just to have you here with me.
 Tonight I could still, so faintly replaying in my mind, hear your voice over the phone on your last day of pain.  When I, having been away for a couple of days, heard you on the phone, I was once again shocked at the weakness of your voice as I heard you say, for the last time, how you missed me and loved me. And all I wanted was to be by you, hanging on to every last moment.
But today I cry alone, not leaning on you, pleading to make another memory together--not knowing that I was in that very moment.  
So here I come to a close (I know, it's short), but really I just need you to know that I love and miss you so very much.  There are many times I wonder why I can't still have you--why I have to learn so soon to live without you.  I tell God that I don't know if I can keep persevering, but "for when I am weak, then I am strong." I must be getting awfully strong lately!  :)  
Tears are all I have to tell you how much you are missed and loved, and if I could give more I would.  I am so proud to have you as my dad.
Loving you always,
your Mercy

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Finding Chara


"Oh, you should see these puppies on Craigslist!  This black one is really cute."  

This wasn't the first time I'd said this.  I had been exclaiming similar statements all summer in my search for a good family dog.  Having 37 acres and no neighbors in sight, we thought having a dog for protective purposes would be a good idea.  So, almost every day, all summer, I made the Craigslist search for "puppies."  I found many that would fit the requirements made between my sister, mom, and myself, but all way out of our price-range or too far away.

"What kind?" Tirzah and Mom asked enthusiastically before even seeing the pictures.  They knew the routine.
"It's a mix of Australian Shepherd, Irish Setter, Alaskan Malamute, husky, and German shepherd.  Do you want me to email on them??"
After seeing the pictures, there were a couple cute ones that passed inspection, so I emailed on them.  Last Thursday, on our way to Yakima for a family reunion, we took a detour to look at the puppies that were left.  The one that had especially stuck out--the black one--was still available, so the decision was unanimous.  We handed over the money to have her "held" until we came back from our weekend away.  Then she would be ours to take home.

The actual Chara, I am told.
Now that we had a dog, the next step was to decide on a name.  We are terrible at picking names, and all have a different opinion of what would be fitting.  Last time we got a dog, we literally took weeks to name him.  This time I was determined to pick a name quickly.  A decision to name the dog after a star (or something similar to that idea) came surprisingly quickly because of the white on her chest.  So we began our search through star books and the internet.  Within 2 days, we all came to agree on Chara, a star--actually multiple star system--in the constellation Canes Venatici, 28 light years away.
So on Monday we welcomed Chara home, and she has been wonderful so far.  If only it stays this good through "the terrible twos" as they call it. :)






And, not to ignore the family reunion, it was a wonderful time in Yakima over the weekend!  I only took a few pictures over the whole weekend, which were of the enrapturing sky one evening (excuse me while I now post several of them because I can't choose the best):






Oh, yes.  Can't leave out the healthy lunch
Tirzah and I shared on our way home.
We know how it's done!