Together in an Immense Solitude

CS Lewis, in his book The Four Loves, talks about the love that binds friends. One phrase that stands out to me is that when two people find each other, and discover they have that bond--whether it takes a long time to develop or is almost instant--they find they are "standing together in an immense solitude". That is such a beautiful description of something I have found to be very, very true.

I have been blessed with a few truly incredible friendships in my life. There are usually one or two that stand out at each stage as something deeper, truer, and much more real.

These are the people you can call in the middle of the night and know, not only will the come to help you, or listen to you ramble about your troubles, they are the people you know are glad you called, that will drop everything if that is what is needed.

These are the people that do not judge you if (when) you have a complete emotional breakdown in front of them.

These are the people you enjoy just being around because you feel at ease, you feel yourself. You feel, at the same time, as if you are totally outclassed by these amazing people and completely at home with equals.

These are also the people that can tell you to get over yourself and you know that they are saying it because they love you.

These are the friendships I pray for in my girls' lives. Especially as Morgan goes through the daily routine of school. Chances are, we will live here for a while. Many of the friends she makes will carry her from childhood through the turbulent teen years. I pray she has good friends, friends that will encourage her and love her, friends she doesn't have to prove herself to. I pray that the friends she makes will not be overly prone to drama or hatefulness, but steadfastness and kindness--as well as a good dose of silliness and laughter.

And I pray that my girls would each be that kind of friend to others.

Thank you to my friends. Some of you I have known for years, some of you I have only recently met. But you have each contributed something invaluable to my life and I am forever altered because of the love and wisdom you have given.

Major Milestones

There are moments in our lives that just need to be recorded.

No, Bitty Bit is not fully potty trained yet.

No, Lil Bit has not graduated high school at the age of six.

But our truck did something exciting . . .


Yup, we passed 100,000 miles.
And that is our NEW vehicle. Don't ask how many miles the others have.

Day Two: Dreams and Inspirations

So, we are on day two of potty training.

To those of you without kids, I deeply apologize for these posts. For those of you who do (or did) have young kids, you understand how all-consuming this can be.

Right now, I am trying to think of all the things we can do with the money I WON'T be spending on diapers. Well, for the next couple months anyway. Then we will have another Bit and the diapers will start again.

Remember, I am dreaming, so I am not going with the practical things like buying new pipes for the entire underside of the house (yes, we have to replace them. all of them.) or groceries. or any one of the myriad projects that WILL occur.

1. I could go on a date with Chris. And get an appetizer AND dessert. Even if we are too full to eat it.

2. I might get a pedicure. Or a manicure. I don't remember the last one I had.

3. I could get a massage. And Chris could get a massage. And maybe the horses could get massages, too.

Did someone say massage?

4. We could take a trip to Europe. Ok, not really. We won't save that much money in just the next few months.

5. We could get a lot of ice cream at the new shop in town, though.




What we will really do with the money is probably put it toward some special things as a family (a date for Chris and I, only maybe less extravagent or an ice cream family outing) and toward Chris or Morgan's trip to Nicaragua next time. Or towards bowls or crayons for the kids there that have none. Because, a pedicure will be gone in a week, massages only last an hour. I want to focus on loving people and living life so that there is an impact long after I am gone. And that is what I want my kids to see, too.

Potty Training Tales

My previously planned post has been suspended in order to bring you this breaking news (well, for that reason and because I can't find a book that I want to quote) . . .


Not quite, but almost, a spur of the moment decision has resulted in the beginning of potty training for Bitty Bit. She is very excited about her panties "just like sisssy!" and having no diapers.

So far, M&M's and Dora panties seem to be a combination that leads to success. We will see how that continues.

Sabbatical

Sorry about the week off, it was not planned. Nothing drastically wrong, just wasn't feeling well and couldn't keep up with everything. Thank you to those who left notes or sent emails checking in!

I have a special post planned for tomorrow that is about some of you, but in the meantime, enjoy life.


Grab something to eat (not grass, unless you are into that kind of thing)


and try out a new look.


Oh, and PLEASE check out my husband's blog. He, and his team members, have been sharing their stories about their time in Nicaragua. You will be moved and challenged!

Absolutely Nothing

Chris here, Meghann must be taking a vacation because she has not posted since August 13th...so here I go.

Lil Bit and I are going to a church camp out in the sanctuary tonight, I am really excited about this because I fully expect to get tons of sleep tonight...and Lil Bit also. Am I just dreaming or could it come true?

We are going to have a bonfire (outside I presume) and games. Report to follow, have a great weekend.

Consistency

If you need a picture of what consistency looks like, just watch our chocolate lab, Kallie.


Walking down to the bus stop on the first day of school, Kallie found a stick.

Kallie always has a stick.

"I Hug A Moo!"

Small County Fairs are a different world than I am used to.

Not knowing what it would be like, I drilled Lil Bit in safety protocols on the way.



What do you do if you get lost? What happens if you lose sight of Mommy? Who can you ask for help? What happens of someone tries to take you somewhere?


I was expecting large crowds of people and vendors. Memories of the only county fair I ever went to growing up were surfacing.


I forgot where I live. I forgot that I would know half the people there. I didn't think about this being largely a 4H fair with a few local vendors and a couple shows. I didn't know that I could have let my kids run amok and most likely never have lost sight of them.


And I really had no idea my kids would get to walk a nine day old "baby moo" named Spongebob.

I am pretty sure that Bitty Bit was trying to figure out how to sneak Spongebob into the backseat without me noticing.

First Grade

It was not wrought with emotion the way the first day of Kindergarten was. I didn't have to go run four miles after putting her on the bus in order to keep from breaking down in tears.


Good thing, as my growing belly and the baby inside would probably protest.


But there is still a bittersweet element to watching your firstborn grow up.


She isn't a baby. She isn't a toddler. And even the "little girl" is disappearing and a young lady is emerging.


This is my job. To work myself right out of a job. To, over the years, teach her to make her own decisions, think through things, choose the right course of action all on her own.


She will still need me for a while yet, of course, and hopefully--if I have done my job well--she will still want my advice or just my company, but we are definitely on the road to independence.


The first day of school, she picked out her own outfit and got on the bus without even looking back.

She did run and give me a big hug when she came home that afternoon, though. So, I think I must be doing something right if she can walk away with confidence, and yet always be glad to come back home.

Nicaragua

Tomorrow I will be sharing about Lil Bit's first day of first grade (*sniff sniff*), but today I just want to provide you with a link to my Handsome Engineer's blog. He wrote about his recent missions trip to Nicaragua (and will be continuing to write about it this week).

His experiences down there have changed him, and have already impacted me and our family. I hope you are touched by his stories.

www.hikingwithcroc.com

Guess Where We've Been

It involves wind . . .


and sand . . .

and water . . .

and lots and LOTS of giggles

did I mention wind?