.oh come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel.

Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but

still nothing is as shining as it should be

for you. Under the sink, for example, is an

uproar of mice- it is the season of their

many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves

and through the walls the squirrels

have gnawed their ragged entrances- but it is the season

when they need shelter, so what shall I do? And

the raccoon limps into the kitchen and opens the cupboard

while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;

what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling

in the yard and the fox who is staring boldly

up the path, to the door. And still I believe you will

come, Lord: you will, when I speak to the fox,

the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering sea-goose, know

that really I am speaking to you whenever I say,
as I do all morning and afternoon: Come in, Come in.

-Mary Oliver

local hot buttered rum recipe: my new favorite drink.

brown paper packages; love written and sent.

seven-years-running inside jokes.

new and life-giving friendship with sweet neighbors across the street.

Know that in all these things,

really I am speaking to You.

My Community Garden. (I)

I am having such a blast this spring

filling my little house and every spare corner of rocky yard with pots full of life and green.

 My four different kinds of basil. I can't get enough dude. There's more inside, too.

It's such a cliche, especially a Pacific Northwest cliche, and especially a Christian-20-something-social-justice-ish-girl-in-Birkenstocks cliche...

but growing things myself, even just my tiny little bits,

has been so exciting, inspiring, and life-giving.

And picturing the people I love,

some close and some (too!!!) far,

doing that too,

working with their hands in the soil and coaxing life out of seeds and eating flavors they watered and getting joy from flowers they've nurtured into bloom...

makes me feel extra connected to them and extra life-is-good happy.

So.

I present. Emily's Community Garden. Part ONE, because I KNOW I'm getting MORE PICTURES FROM PEOPLE. :-D

Kelly sent me pictures of their beautiful garden in Maryland...

especially impressive considering she is 9 months pregnant! Go Alec and Kelly!!

This year they're growing tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, green beans, spaghetti squash, cucumbers, rosemary, basil, and mint. Baby Pax is going to be eating so well!!!

Amy and James just bought their first home in San Diego... so excited for them!! They already made this beautiful plot. (I get to go visit soon!)

Claire is brightening her Washington D.C. house with this potted loveliness.

In North Carolina, Tim and Ash and her parents are rocking OUT a garden, which is its whole own story. I will put more pics of it up later, but here is one to start. This entire structure is new this season, and it's been so fun to talk to her about it and hear how excited they are to be enjoying the earth this new way.

I love this picture from Marty... He and his dad planted this tree together in Texas!

In his email he wrote, "Gonna grow up to 80ft in the next couple decades! Hopefully will provide ample shade for (hopefully) my future brood of kiddos." I love that.

Sarah has two gardens in D.C.- a big community one and this front-yard kitchen herb garden...

...in which she is currently growing parsley, cilantro, sorrel, tarragon, rosemary, oregano, thyme, peppermint, lemon balm, mint, lavender, basil and nasturtiums.

Underachiever.

She sent this picture of the "results" of her community garden:

It grows mustard greens, Red Russian kale, turnip greens, and apparently diamond rings.

0:-)

Miss Rach and her crazy happy self on her Arkansas farm. For real. Girlfriend is so happy every time I talk to her- I love seeing her English major mind thriving in the dirt and the green.

She, her brother Peter, and three friends are loving living on two acres and growing (in this picture): potatoes, herbs, lettuces, kale, cabbage, arugula, a few early tomato and pepper plants, onions, and garlic.

Beautiful girl and Rockefeller the rockstar dog!

My sweet mom in Maryland is doing her usual plot of gorgeous flowers full of color... I'm leaving this photo uncropped to show that she is also enjoying the weather by kayaking. Of course. Crazy lady.

Nate is growing spinach, a few beets, lettuce, and tomatoes in Durham. He told me he had a salad from his garden the day he sent the pic. Nice!

Here is some Caleb cuteness in Michigan!! Hans and Lindsay just moved into their new house last week!! She wrote that they were excited to find some things already growing for them when they got there.

Locally... I love getting to see these Oregon gardens in person often.

Bryan, Leah, Wellington and baby Pearl are growing a gorgeous one just down the street from me. Welly as you can see is quite the gardener. Here he is helping start their tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, peas, carrots, cucumbers, and beans.

What a helper!

Brandon and Korie's BEAUTIFUL backyard was a huge factor in my deciding to plant flowers this year. So lovely.

I'm hoping their gardeners (and firefighters, slas, Mr. and Mrs. Claus) will come over and help me with mine, too.

Check out these garden models.

Friends, thank you for sharing the Life you are cultivating with me.

I love your flowers, your food, your babies, your dogs,

and trying to know what I can about pieces of joy in your days,

no matter how near or far we are.

How this girl spent her weekend.

 

Camped out getting to know my new sewing machine, and couldn't be happier about it.

I love to sew. (I am so my mother's child!)

There are several precious and very prayed-for babies being born this month...

I am so happy every time I think about them I almost don't know what to do.

My ADD self always prays easiest with my hands busy.

(It's why I love walking the labyrinth in the valley,

and knitting, and chopping vegetables.)

 
I had sweet time this weekend,

as I tried to weave fabric and thread into something useful and beautiful for these new babies and their parents,

sitting with God and holding them before Him.

With Him.

I am also trying really hard this year

to turn time alone into

not time which is lacking: people or plans,

but into solitude:

its own space,

its own goals,

time with a different and intimate way of hearing Him.

Sewing, making and creating, is one way I am loving that.

(...Although I also love it when friends stop by and sit in my big soft chair drinking tea and talking to me while I sew. Which happened several times this week as well.)

I experimented today with this fun project for one of my favorite buddies, who is turning FOUR tomorrow!

The pictures aren't great because I snapped them as I was running out the door to his party,

but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Colored thread on the hems and glitter glue for the letters!

(It was frankly inspired by the beautiful prayer flag Sarah sewed me when I left for HNGR,

which has hung above my bed now in five different houses on two continents.)

Reflection Questions.

Been journaling/praying through some of these this week: for posterity, and in hope of growth.

Questions gleaned over the last couple of years, from HNGR, Sarah's birthday project, other friends, Celtic Daily Prayer, Mary Oliver, and things I know I need to work through. (And I would welcome any others you think of!)

As I enter 2012... 
How is prayer changing in my life? Am I comfortable with the direction it's going?
What is the most important thing I have learned about myself in the past year?
What helps me feel God's presence?
What are my biggest fears?
What are my greatest temptations?
What do I desire (honest) and desire (godly)?
What have been the times I've felt most alive this year?
What has become more important to me over the last year? What has become less important?
What do I most want to be able to look back on this year and say?
What are the struggles, fears, temptations, burdens of the people I love? Am I going the 2nd mile in understanding them and caring for them? How can I do this better? 
How am I using my gifts to bless, strengthen, and encourage others? How can I do this better?

.solo Dios basta.

nada te turbe,

nada te espante,

todo se pasa,

Dios no se muda.

la paciencia todo lo alcanza

quien a Dios tiene nada le falta-

solo Dios basta.

let nothing disturb thee,

nothing affright thee;

all things are passing,

God never changeth!

patient endurance attaineth in all things;

who God possesseth in nothing is wanting;

alone God sufficeth.

-st. teresa de avila

the english version is in the mid-day prayer of CDP.

the spanish version is written on the prayer flag Sarah made me before i left for Bolivia.

i love them both.

.with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair.

Life this week.

A mom is exasperated that her three- and two-year-old are being disobedient: "They KNOW they're not supposed to run! I tell them no running in the house, but they keep disobeying me! I tell them that you're going to come up to the door in just a minute, but they insist on running to the car as soon as they see you pull up!". I try to look exasperated at their disobedience, too...

I send my mother a picture text of my legs, bare from my knees to my flip-flops: "I'm wearing the short-er corduroy skirt we got at Old Navy. Are you proud of me?". Her response: "Always." That is my mother. Sappily, unconditionally glad she is my mom. And consistently pleading with me to show more skin. (Sorry to disappoint, Mama.)

Long, deep, so encouraging g-chat with Sarah while listening to my Ingrid Michaelson station on Pandora.

6:30 breakfast with Chet at Egglectic; staying in the sun-filled booth with my coffee mug and Bible after he leaves before I have to head to work.

Bursting into laughter so hard I almost choke at this text from my sister: "Just realized I wrote my application essay about winning a chicken nugget eating contest... when the organization's focus is hunger."

Spying this crazy balcony covered in flower pots.

 

Copying the words in my journal, tracing them over and over with my pen until they are dark and bold and soaking into my soul:  "...to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God". Tender mercy, thanks be to God.

What happens when the tornado warning goes off during dinner with Ryan and Kendra:

 

Everyone else decided it was fine to go out by quarter to nine, but to be safe, we stayed and watched our movie on a laptop in the bathtub until almost 10. You think I'm kidding.

Lisa's children. Who so make up for the sleep I lose (at least one of them is in my bed by 6 every morning I sleep there) by the joy they give.

Laughter-filled meals out with my small group.

I text Tamara, "Do you guys want to do dinner or dessert on Saturday night?". I get back two replies: "Wish we could, we have plans! Different night?", and, "I told Tamara to tell you no, but YES! Let's just make it a surprise!". So we met for dessert... just as suggested :-). SURPRISE!

Kris Delmhorst's "Moscow Song".

Pausing in a parking lot to stare at the summer sky.