The Streetpoet

Yesterday as I realize that not only are we not going to be here for Ian’s first birthday, when we get home it will be Zachary and Anna’s birthdays. So Noel made an Angel’s Food cake and Mom hosted a little family party for Ian’s first birthday!  He got to splash in the pool a bit, eat Auntie Well’s stuffed shells for dinner, and play with his cousins. Thank you everyone for such a lovely evening in honor of Ian’s birthday!

We’re all packed up, now I just need to clear the bed of suitcases and hop in it! But first I thought I’d share a few thing I heard the boys say today:

“Did the man who’s gonna fly the airplane say it’s ok if it’s heavy?” asked Jerome who wants to pack huge rocks in his backpack to show Mema. He’s finally content with taking his gems book. 🙂

A conversation I overheard at lunch: Seth says “Jerome, tell me to eat.” Jerome says “Eat, Seth.” and Seth says “OK.” as he takes a bite of his sandwich.

“I’m cheersing them!” as Seth walks into his bedroom banging his sippy cups together.

This afternoon Ian pulled out from under my dresser a little box in which I had kept of some scraps of paper and notebooks from years ago; journals, sermon notes, Bible studies, and unfinished poems. Before I stuffed it back into what I thought was it’s safe and hidden prison, I read over some of the words I’d copied to remember and they blessed me anew as the truths resounded in my soul. I thought I’d share some with you:

“Joy. A person who has not had the death grip of sin broken in his or her life cannot experience true joy…People who are genuinely broken by God know great joy. Brokenness changes our desires.

“God has no other plan for us. Brokenness is His way to blessing. Only as we are broken can we truly begin to understand the nature of God.”

“God is with us always, but brokenness makes us more sensitive to His presence.”

“God places only one condition on the blessings that He has for us through brokenness; we must be willing to submit to Him. After brokenness our lives can be the most fruitful and have the most purpose. The dawn after a very dark and storm wrecked night is glorious. Feeling joy again after a period of intense mourning can be ecstatic. A blessing can come in the wake of being broken.”

“He teaches us so that we might teach others. He imparts His insights so that we might share them with others. He gives us spiritual gifts so that we might use them to help others. He comforts and encourages us so that we might provide comfort and encouragement to others. He gives us financial prosperity so that we might benefit others and provide the means for the gospel to reach them.”

” Loss is virtually always a part of being broken.”

“God breaking us is aimed at bringing us to the point where we awaken with God’s purposes in mind. Our prayers must become, “What is it that you would want me to do, say, and be today in order to bring you glory?”

~Charles Stanley from “The Blessings of Brokenness”

“First, you do not have to be controlled by your feelings. Second, you are not the helpless prisoner of your past.

Forgiveness sees the needs of the offender.” ~Ed Wheat

“Therefore, let those who also suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” 1Peter 4:19

“If we would read the secret history of our enemies, we would find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.” ~Longfellow

Despite the gloomy days before and after their wedding day, Saturday May 10th became a beautiful day with delicious sunshine that matched the joy radiating from Becky and Danny. They fell in love slowly at her dad’s church and he married them in that church. Becky and Danny, may the Lord bless your marriage all your days and may you find Him to be your center and source. Congratulations and thank you for the honor of photographing your wedding!

A big thank you to Noel for helping me out during the wedding and praying for me! Peter was able to come to the reception and put on the slideshow so everyone could see wedding pictures, and then we got to drive home together just the two of us, what a treat! Also a big thank you to Mom and Abby for keeping our boys all day.

Here are my favorites from the day:

With three boys.

Peter has finals next week and I haven’t seen him in two days, the boys haven’t seen him in three. This week hasn’t been very much different from earlier weeks, though, as it’s been a seemingly gradual increase in his school load. I’m not going to say much more about it right now as it’s the end of the week, my perspective is obviously tired and I don’t want to complain. We miss Peter, but are also thankful that summer is just around the corner!

Erika came for lunch yesterday with her little girl and little boy whom my boys thoroughly enjoyed playing with. Thank you for your afternoon, Erika!

And today Jenny brought her kids over with lunch and treats for everyone and spent her whole afternoon sharing with me. These precious women have made my week seem not as long and so much richer! When Jenny left with her daughter, son, and baby this afternoon she had let us keep the treats and chips she had brought, and as we walked back into the house from waving them off Seth asked me “Is the baby for us, too?” 🙂
In other news: Gigi and I are flying to Georgia next week with the boys to see Mema and Memama! Peter might meet us the end of that week, and there’s also a possibility of seeing Pete and Sarah while on that side of the country, so I’m stoked about that! And it’s all because of the generosity of the “Delta Man” who has sold us four buddy passes that we all get to fly for the price of one ticket. Yay!

I’m shooting a wedding tomorrow. It will be the first wedding I’ve done without Peter’s help since the film age. I could list all the other ways that he helps me at a wedding, but really what I value right up there above his digital and techy skills is his moral support. I’ve always said I couldn’t do a wedding without him, yet here I am. I’m hoping he can still come and put the slideshow up on his laptop at the reception, though. Pretty please? 😉

One of my greatest dreams is to someday play the cello. I don’t mean perform or even be any good, but I would love to feel the instrument reverberate beneath my hands and make it sing. I love the sound of the cello and I can see myself playing one, but I suddenly realized with a sinking feeling last night that I don’t read a note of music. How disappointing that realization felt! Yet I wake up this morning and somehow feel that I cannot lose this dream. Maybe someday I will learn, maybe I can learn along with my boys. maybe someday I will play a cello.