There is a wonderful woman I have known since I was a teen. Elegant, appropriate, classy, composed, confident, neat, purposeful, artistic. She is authentically lovely, inside and out. She's built a beautiful family, has a coaching business, overcome breast cancer, takes great photographs and speaks at women's events. Today she posted some of her stunning family moments capturing what makes her heart happy.
Her youngest son irons. Seriously.
Her home-grown butternuts are beautiful and her children eat her delicious roasted butternut dishes. I have to hide butternut creatively in my house (ask me about my stealth curry, syrup-drenched flapjacks and potjie-mashed butternut stew).
Her table settings are stunning. My table currently has my huge cat Ninja napping on it with all four paws in the air.
Photos of her house show an immaculate kitchen and so much space. We're overflowing with stored G'ma stuff.
I'm learning to own myself. Last night we chased yowling cats out of our garden (Adam running around in his PJs with a bucket of water while Jess and I laughed till we cried). We had a non-frozen banana crisis with Luke's morning smoothie. The cats have had their morning chase leaving my sort of perfectly-made white duvet'd bed with a virulent case of black cat hair clumps. The southeaster has blown a zillion leaves onto our cobbledy-hobbledy verandah. I'm in charge of dusting and cleaning so there's dust and the house is mostly clean. We didn't have enough stuff to fill Luke's lunchbox 'cos he won't eat sarmies so I filled it with jungle bars, apples, mango, some chicken strips and a packet of chips which will, no doubt, only get him to 10am and he's at school until at least 5pm playing matches. Oh, and I'm waiting for THAT call from my parents who refuse to accept the help they need.
My life is messy, silly, and so NOT in a straight line. And I love it. There's grace, and laughter, tears, arguments and imperfection. Teen huhs and teen hugs. And this is my story of God in the small things. In growing little people to adulthood. In learning how to parent and be a spouse. So not perfect. Mine.
Note: I know that this really lovely woman has overcome a lot. That beautiful pictures always cover the hard roads people travel. That we capture the moments of beauty to buoy our hearts in the in-between times. That hope lives in the heart beats.
#lookcloserfindmore #iwillnevertakethisforgranted #lookforthelight
#teenliferocks #ithankyougodforthismostamazing
