faith fridays: 7 quick takes friday (vol. 25)

Welcome back to “7 Quick Takes Friday,” an occasional feature that offers a glimpse of where my thoughts have been lately. It’s been a while since I’ve joined the quick takes “carnival” so glad to be contributing once again!

—1—

Kid quotes:

Nick, 5, standing by the door to the garage, talking in a loud, whiny voice:

“Are we gonna go now?”

(Pause…)

“I was just wondering. I don’t really wanna go.”

This reminds me of a time our family was traveling through the Badlands when I was about his age, and my father was upset because my sister and I were not paying attention to the surroundings, looking for wildlife. He’d suggested we do so, I think mainly as an antidote to our squabbling, but also because it wasn’t uncommon to spot buffalo, or even something exotic like a cougar, in that area.

“Why aren’t you two looking for animals?” he’d reprimanded.

To which I, now looking out the window, quickly replied: “I see an animal! (Pause…) …called a cow!”

This story was repeated many times so I never forgot it, but what impresses me now is that I remember my thought process at the time. It went something like this: “I want to prove to my Daddy that I am looking for animals, and there’s one to prove it, and I’ll tell him. Oops! He’s gonna think I saw something really interesting and he might be mad when he realizes it was just a plain old cow. I’d better tell him the name of the animal, just in case.”

That’s how it went, and I can imagine Nick’s similar thought process, clarifying that he wanted to know whether it was time to leave, but that his question did not indicate he actually was excited to go. Just that he wanted to know. You know. Just cuz.

–2–

Speaking of…look who turned FIVE a week ago today!

—3—

First letter: Nick’s first letter to me, written a week or so before he turned the corner:

A note to all those who thought we were stark-raving mad to welcome a fifth child into our lives: just two words…no regrets.

—4—

She shows seashells: Troy’s parents came back from their southern winter getaway recently, and had some treasures to share with us that they’d collected on the Atlantic seashore. Here, Troy’s mom has gathered the kids to tell them the Legend of the Sand Dollar. And yes, she had an extra one that we pounded open to see the legendary “doves.” As it turned out, there was too much sand to really get the full effect. Still the kids enjoyed sorting through the collection and claiming some for themselves. Who doesn’t like touching a piece of the ocean?

—5—

Inspiring quote: I heard this on Catholic radio earlier this week but can’t remember the exact source or wording. Still, it seemed profound to me:

“It is through suffering that we come to know ourselves. Those who do not suffer cannot know who they are.”

—6—

The tulips are back! I’m partial to the peach-colored one.

—7—

New writing blog: I’ve taken some concrete steps toward a long-range plan involving a new venture. I launched my new writing blog, Peace Garden Writer, last week as one of the steps toward this goal. It will replace my “Writing Wednesdays” that used to appear weekly here. If you have a chance to stop by, please leave a comment so I know you’ve visited.

Q 4 U: Share one thing about yourself that most people wouldn’t guess or know.

For more “quick takes,” see Conversion Diary.