Where Did You Come From?

Where did you come from, baby dear?
Out of the everywhere into here.

Where did you get those eyes so blue?
Out of the sky as I came through.

What makes the light in them sparkle and spin?
Some of the starry spikes left in.

Where did you get that little tear?
I found it waiting when I got here.

What makes your forehead so smooth and high?
A soft hand stroked it as I went by.

What makes your cheek like a warm white rose?
I saw something better than any one knows.

Whence that three-cornered smile of bliss?
Three angels gave me at once a kiss.

Where did you get this pearly ear?
God spoke, and it came out to hear.

Where did you get those arms and hands?
Love made itself into bonds and bands.

Feet, whence did you come, you darling things?
From the same box as the cherubs’ wings.

How did they all just come to be you?
God thought about me, and so I grew.

But how did you come to us, you dear?
God thought about you, and so I am here.
by George MacDonald, 1842

Baby Liam

Congratulations to Kellie & Jeremy on the birth of their son! He was born on May 20, 2008 and he weighed almost 8 pounds and was 21" long...

Lil' Flower

"... Men are not mere flesh,

for flesh without spirit cannot move, laugh, drink absinthe, forgive, or consider the end of time.

Flesh without spirit (see meat) simply goes bad, simply stinks."

(Quote by Poe Ballantine in 501 Minutes to Christ: Personal Essays)

"Absinthe"--a mysterious, mind altering, addictive drink made from the wormwood plant. It is often called "The Green Fairy". It was widely used by artists and writers in the 1800's and was the subject of many paintings...

Right: "L'Absinthe" by Edgar Degas

My Little Grandbaby Angel...

The honeysuckle is in full bloom--the fragrance is almost intoxicating...
K.--the roses from you are starting to bloom again--the gift that keeps on giving...
Who would ever think that chives would have such beautiful flowers...

Faith, Hope & Love

"Against insurmountable obstacles and without a clue as to the outcome, the trusting heart says, 'Abba, I surrender my will and my life to You without reservation and with boundless confidence, for You are my loving father.'"

--Brennan Manning

(Image from Melanie-Pearl, Faith, Hope and Love)

beautiful morning to go fishin'

Here is a fun picture...

(Swimming Pool by Mikaylah Bowman)

No, I must leave you with gorgeous...

Okay, now I must get to cleaning my house!

How about this one, K? Gift Ribbon!

Or this one...

Other dress is a lot better than this one...

From one of my favorite blogs...

"Do you think Cate Blanchett ever wakes up and thinks, "Damn. I am awesome"? She should:

If nothing else, I wish she'd teach a class at the Learning Annex called, "How To Wear A Dress Exactly The Same Color As The Rest Of You Without Looking Like A Whacked-Out Blood-Thirsty Zombie." I need to know her secrets."

(They usually bash what people wear on this blog, but once in a while they find a beautiful dress. Doesn't Cate B. look beautiful?)

Wichita Eagle Today:

East Principal Wins State Press Honor
Wichita East High School principal Ken Thiessen was selected Administrator of the Year by the Kansas Sholastic Press Association for his advocacy of school publications and journalism students. He was chosen on the basis of knowledge of student publication law and other factors.

Congratulations--I thought your sister would want to read the article, so I put this up for her!

And Yet 2 More...

Grandma was surprised by her LOUD musical Mother's Day card and we were happy to meet Allie for the 1st time on Sunday!

2 more pictures from Omaha...

Sorry but the waitress who took the picture did not hold the button down long enough to let the flash work, so I had to lighten up the picture to even be able to tell who was who. (I look like I'm hanging on to Korrene for dear life!) We all had marvelous meals at Rick's Boat House--right by the river downtown.

Sweet Little Girls...

Favorite Photos from the Omaha weekend...

Kaleb's Graduation

Our nephew graduated from high school yesterday. There were so many accolades hanging around that boy's neck, he could hardly walk under the weight of it all! The ceremony took place at the Civic Auditorium, downtown Omaha. We went to eat at Rick's Boathouse afterward and then when we got back to Keith & Deb's house, we were favored with a private concert by Kaleb--piano and barisax. Korrene & Michael flew in from Houston to enjoy all of the festivities, so that made it even more special! Congratulations, Kaleb, and we wish you all the best!

The Cup of Life
"When the mother of James and John asks Jesus to give her sons a special place in his Kingdom, Jesus responds, "Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" (Matthew 20:22). "Can we drink the cup?" is the most challenging and radical question we can ask ourselves. The cup is the cup of life, full of sorrows and joys. Can we hold our cups and claim them as our own? Can we lift our cups to offer blessings to others, and can we drink our cups to the bottom as cups that bring us salvation?
Keeping this question alive in us is one of the most demanding spiritual exercises we can practice."

--Henri Nouwen

"The real struggle is not with knowing the world beyond us,
but with knowing the world within us."
--Erwin Raphael McManus

Okay, it is hard for me to tell which baby is L. and which is S. Can you tell?

Little Boo brought me roses yesterday--they are so pretty! I like the way the flash reflected on my crystal cross. Yesterday was an amazing day for me--thanks Michele and baby girls!

Babysitting Pictures...

"Why do you insist on interrupting my painting with a photo-taking session--can't you see I'm busy creating a masterpiece, Zamma?"

Little Sack o' Sugar

The Garden of the Gods

The castle is nestled in the garden...just a beautiful place to spend 3 days listening to Brennan Manning.

"If you do not know what hurts me, how can you say that you love me?"

--Brennan Manning

Pike's Peak

"If you are afraid of God, you do not know Him."
--Brennan Manning

His definition of the "Fear of God": to be in silent wonder, radical amazement, and affectionate awe at the infinite goodness of God.

My Favorite Church Building

Saint Fidelis Church (The Cathedral of the Plains, Victoria, KS, 1908)

The towers rise 141' into the air--I love standing under them and looking up. When we go to Colorado, KT always lets me stop and spend some time there. I took a lot of pictures, so I'll probably put some of them up for you to enjoy. It is quite amazing to see such a presence in the middle of the plains. The church is 220' long and seats 1100 people. The structure stands in the form of a cross, so it is 110' wide at the transcepts and 75' at the nave. The stained glass windows are beautiful, so I took some photos of them, too. My stop in Victoria was the perfect thing to prepare me to listen to Brennan Manning when I got to Colorado.

(Enlarge the photo if you want to see the details of the altar which was cut and hand polished in Italy.)

I am My Beloved's and My Beloved is Mine

"Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the 'beloved.'" --Henri J.M. Nouwen
(Song of Solomon artwork by Debra Band)