Everyday Beauty

This is one of my happy places.

It's probably a bad idea to admit washing dishes is not too bad as far as chores go. I rather like the challenge of getting them all stacked just right - clearing the counter into a mountain of productivity in one fell swoop. It's important to have the right tools: a double sink, a sturdy dish drainer, placed next to a supporting wall, on a towel for overflow and looking out a window. I love seeing the fields change thru the seasons, and spying on the handsome farmer with his big tractor and bigger dreams. (The "handsome" only applies to MY farmer, but the big dreams are every farmer I see.)

See the tiny decor in the right corner? It was a present from a piano student years ago - "May the road always lead you to where you need to be." Not always where you WANT to be. And certainly not always to where you want to be at the moment it leads you there. But to lead you to the GOOD place, the right place, whatever that looks like for the person you were created to be.

Fortunately for me, I've always wanted to be here, looking out a window like this, with the squeak of clean in my ears and fingers wrinkled from the work of refreshing. This work of art is a place of peace and predictability. Dirty, smelly, used becomes clean, fresh, and usable again in the suds. It's creating more opportunities to fellowship around a table, more chances to give sustenance away in the form of fresh baked bread, more times of love and laughter.

Art is communication and expression. What's your life-art?

Third time's a charm?

So I'm not going to bore you with the details,  but after a long side journey,  I'm back home and getting the writing itch again. We've moved (yes, again) and now have the best location of all - a peaceful acreage just a quick 8 minutes from town. Love it!

I've been contemplating joy a lot lately,  and this is one place I found it:

Ok, so that wasn't actually the photo I planned to post,  but it works too. You know what brings me joy? Family. I saw this product at Starbucks and immediately texted my brothers. The moon cheese had finally been harvested! We were big fans of Wallace and Grommit claymation movies, and the episode of rocker ship-ing to the moon instead of the grocery store was instantly added to sibling dialogue.

Family is by birth or choice - the word that started as describing a blood connection has expanded to include lifelong friends.  It implies commitment and acceptance and forgiveness, even tho forgetting isn't always possible or wise. I have been blessed with a biological family where I feel safe; others may find that security in a tight-knit community that looks very different. But whoever your "family" is, I hope they bring you joy. ~~