A Taste of Home

I am getting ready to send Heather another care package...and couldn't fit myself in it. (:D) I also couldn't fit in something she loves, something the two of us enjoy very much. It's the pears off the tree in our yard. So...Heather..here is a sampling from our crop this year. I know you can't really taste them, so let me assure you that they are a sweet, juicy, flavorful batch of goodness.

I really enjoy putting together little packages for the girls (I know she shares!) It's fun to think about what might bring a sense of home, help, or just plain silliness. I wish the box I could afford to send was bigger. It just isn't. The sense of surprise is what brings me such delight. I like surprises - the gift kind, anyway. And I really like to give them. There's something about someone putting some thought into what might bless you that brings the greatest sense of love to me. It truly is the thought that counts.

So, Heather my love, here's the thought that counts. A taste of home.

Beauty

I just saw the most beautiful picture, I have to share it.

I happen to think that it speaks volumes.

Look at the colors.

Look at the clarity in the eyes

Look at the smile

THIS is a face that is joyful, content, glowing.

I love it sooo much!

I can't wait to see this face in person!

Heart's Desires

I am sooo excited!

Heather is preparing for a (another, in fact) dream of a lifetime. A trip to Israel. I can't tell you how long she has longed for this. When she broached the subject openly the first time, years ago, her dad had an immediate answer: NO. Dad's do that. They consider the cost, the safety factor, the emotional cord and it's ability to stretch without breaking. Mom's consider the last part, too, only they seem to be more willing to push the baby bird out of the nest.

Now, I don't share this deep dream with Heather, not that I don't want to go experience it also. But, for her, it is something so much more than a country with stories to tell. It holds mysteries and beauties that her artistic eye and heart can only dream of. And so, with trepidation, she signed up. With trepidation, because there is so much here to consider. So much so, that she called home to talk about it. Now that part gives my heart it's great joy. She wanted to share her heart with us, and gain counsel, before she committed. What parent doesn't delight in that?! So, I quickly consulted the Spirit and gave the only counsel I could: pray...and pay. I want to see her fulfill her heart's desires as best she can. I want her to experience all the Lord has for her while she is wholly focused on exactly that. I want her to fly.

It's funny...I'm still cheering as she flies away.

Gifts

The package arrived! yeah!

It took 12 days from start to finish, and when I asked Lauren if she had heard that Heather got a package, all she could say was..."You mean the Brownie Mix? YUM!"

I love that no matter where they are, they stay true to their chocolate preferences!

I am still waiting to hear what Heather thought of all the stuff jammed inside it...I hope it was a blessing and a cause for laughter.

the Home Front

Another week has passed. I imagine this picture is what my girl's room at the college looks like, only with bunk beds. I imagine this for 2 reasons: 1) her room at home should look this neat when she is occupying it! 2) I have no pics of her "flat" and therefore have no other point of reference. This picture thing is rather important to me right now. I have been able to talk with Heather. I have laughed (a lot), cried (some), and listened and shared news. But I have not "seen" her in her new home. It is the one thing I find most frustrating. I am no longer sad, wishing she were here with me (I am most content in that area.) I have never been worried about her safety or calling. What I can not do is "imagine" where she is living, and therefore can't "imagine" the impact she is having on it, and it on her. I feel like she got her first apartment, and I haven't been invited over to view it. Silly, perhaps, but true.

On the home-front, we are settling into a routine. Chuck is back to work, Faith is getting on track doing homework. I am back to walking with my friend in the mornings. Cooking seems easier and harder at the same time. I keep reminding myself that it doesn't matter if Heather likes a dish or not, it's Faith's palate that has to be accounted for. Laundry is less. Night times are still a bit off...no girl to wait up for and fill in on the day. I find myself running to the computer a lot more to see if she's online. I guess old habits die hard. I like sharing my late-nights with my owl. But all-in-all, we are settling in.

I'm dying to see what happens when the package I sent arrives in England.