"Encounter"

 "Encounter"
by Ellen Bryson Remington

A learned friend from time gone by
When my pursuits were intellecutal
Crossed my path today; and glancing
Quickly at my rounded middle,
Noting the smudges there from little hands,
The wrinkles, too, from childish tears,
He asked, "What are you into now?"

I wish I could have made him understand.
"I'm into graphic arts - a type
Advanced beyond the popular conception.
I deal in shapes so intricate, so exsquisite
That in this life I'll never know their limits."

I thought how every day I shape so many things:
I shape the edges of a pie,
I shape a diaper to the tiny legs,
I shape some flowers from our small backyard,
The covers on a bed till they are
Soft and welcoming.
I shape small eager hands around a ball
And show them how to throw.

But also with my mind and with my love
I shape the tense and troubled hours;
I take them formless, dark, and shape them
Into light and warmth for spirits' growing.
I guide a pliant, loving mind
Now fresh and good from God,
I try to  show him things our Savior would.

I shape the design of his temperament,
The pattern of his moods,
I shape desires in his heart
Of this world and another.

And now in me another life is shaped -
The way he'll look and stand,
The contours of his hands -
And God is partner to that shaping.

Let those who do not understand
Think I'm lost in Merely Mothering.
I smile - and shape my daily chores
Into eternal joy.



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He Knows

This is what my soul would sound like right now if it could sing. And mostly, the line, "He'll carry you," is a prayer, a grasping hope - faith in desperation.

 "He'll Carry You" - Hillary Weeks




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These Are The Days

Another eye-opening experience today, given to me by a wise, older lady:

Lana and I (meaning just I) decided to take advantage of any clearance deals at the local Payless and see if any of the out-of-season-therefore-on-super-clearance shoes in two sizes up were worth buying. I busied myself looking for good deals while Lana busied herself pulling tons of shoes in sizes way too small for her off the shelves, which meant I was hopping between sizes too big for her and sizes too small for her trying to keep things relatively tidy and somewhere in between all that helping her try on shoes in her actual size for her enjoyment. It was hard work. 

Then, after finding the one deal worth the investment (her next pair of church shoes), we waited at the counter for the single employee in the store to notice we were ready to leave, which meant I did a lot of picking up after Lana who'd taken great interest in all the sparkly jewelry and stuffed animal purses. 

That's when wise old lady friend approached me and said, "I wished I could have gotten a video of you two back there." (The toddler shoes are at the back of the store for a reason, I think.) She smiled really big, "Just the way you two were talking to each other and interacting. I remember that." 

I smiled back at her, taking a moment to see the chaos through her eyes. "Yeah," I finally said, "These are the days." And felt warm and fuzzy inside for a moment. 

But, because I was stressed and still grabbing things out of my child's kleptomaniac hands, I couldn't help adding, "The days that go by too quickly but also last forever."


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