Faith...

Emily Dickens referred to faith in one of her poems as an invention. I don't think she meant this in a negative way at all. When one considers inventions as the mother of necessity then we can understand her statement; without faith where would we be, it is necessary.
Easter Sundays have always been special. When I was a child, it meant gathering with my grandparents and various cousins to celebrate Jesus' ultimate sacrifice with picnics and water. We always tried to camp out or eat outside if we could(which isn't always the case in west Texas). Sometimes we were forced to do our easter-egg hunting indoors, and this time-honored tradition has been passed on to my grandchildren this Easter, as the dirt and wind blew for a time on Easter Sunday. Regardless of how time alters the circumstances, I look back, sometimes in color, sometimes black and white, and note the changes; I am now the parent and the grand-parent. I am the source for this dynamic continuation of faith. This Easter weekend my home was the backdrop for children, grand-children and friends. We had lots of food, lots of fun, but most of all we had each other, and the understanding that it is all possible through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Yes invention is the mother of necessity and faith is as much of a necessity today as ever. Do you have a special way of continuing the traditions of your faith to your family?

Wishing for Spring (hunting for happiness)

Spring has always been a much anticipated season around our house, even more so than the holiday season. I imagine it has something to do with being in the country where each day that brings us closer to spring is witnessed in the absolute beauty of the eruption of a small bud, or the building of a new nest.Granted, living in west Texas, one learns to go with the ebb and flow of our states weather surprises, such as a blizzard in March, or hurricane strength winds that blows one's patio furniture over to the neighbor's house a mile away!

Learning to live with this bi-polar climate is not something I have accepted gracefully. Forty-seven years of watching the top-soil of Lamesa Texas blow over my house, has resulted in more than one hissy fit. "I am sick of this wind, why can't we just move somewhere where the wind doesn't blow"? My husband, whom I sometimes call the Marlboro Man, (not because he smokes)just smiles "If we moved you'd just find somethin' else you didn't like about that place, once the new wears off."
 I know too that I would greatly miss my "roots" and my home. After all, the wind is what gives us so much to talk about out here..."Did you hear that wind last night, I thought the whole house would blow away", which leads to a rather unusual form of entertainment...driving around and surveying the damage. It gives our local paper something to write about, and our local radio station something to talk about.  It is important to find happiness wherever one currently happens to be.  Happiness requires a focused active energy,but it is certainly worth the effort.

 Staying enthusiastic about where I live is a good lesson in optimism. I have concluded that "hunting for happiness" can literally be viewed in the categories of health, environment, and energy.  My environment obviously, has a huge affect because it relates to my energy level and ultimately my health. I need my space around me to be clutter free, which isn't easy with a family, but dirty socks on the kitchen table is just about as bad as a dust storm.
I need things to be simplified and not cluttered, empty and not full, less not more. I enjoy seeing the possibilities of an empty canvas. After all this was my plan all along...to get back to the country and a more simplified life. So if my adjustment in simplification is something I chose, then why should I complain....right?