There was a crooked man
Who had a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together
In a little crooked house.
Sometimes I feel like that man, only my house isn't so much crooked as it is qwerky...if that's how you spell it.
I really like our house, but it is a bit strange. When you enter the front door the living room/dining room is to your right. Ahead of you in a beautiful entryway is a huge built in mirror. To you left is a beautiful open staircase which one would assume leads to a large upstairs...except it doesn't. They did a really good job on this entryway!
The upstairs has lovingly been dubbed our Oompa Loompa rooms. So named after the movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which had very small people working at it. Our upsatirs bath has about a 2 square foot area where the ceiling reaches a magnificent height of 77 inches. The bedroom , which is fairly long has a 1 foot stretch down the middle that is also 77 inches. The rest of the area has sloping ceilings. Plus, the bedroom has track lighting with 3 lights right down the middle. Thus they are named the Oompa Loopma Bathroom and Bedroom.
One of my favorite memories of the summer is Diedrick and Annika just belly laughing as they told me the story of Papa being up there with them, standing up to leave, promptly hitting his head on the first light, ducking for the second and standing up again too soon and hitting the third. Sooo funny.
What is just as qwerky, is me. I find myself taking guests and friends up there all the time to see what we have done with the Oompa Loompa rooms. Often I come downstairs thinking, they must think I am really weird. Why would I be excited about this qwerky little house? Why would I think it is anything to show to others? It's not big, or decorated well, or great in any way, shape or form.
Then I got a birthday card from Caleb and Sonja with a picture of a dog with his/her head out the window of a car, enjoying the ride. Inside it read, "It's the simple things in life that make it good! And Caleb wrote, "Mom, you're good at that--celebrating the simple things in life. I'm thankful for your optimism and joy." That rather made my day!
Some days I do that much better than others. But it is a goal...to see the blessings all around...to celebrate the goodness and grace of God. To pay attention!! That is a very hard thing for us to do. Richard Rohr says, "We don't know how to take joy in the simple things anymore because, frankly, we are sated." We are full, stuffed with too much...too much food, too much stuff...too much to experience and do. Rohr goes on to say, "I think of all the pwerful experiences that I've had. But only when I taste my experiences enough so they become realizations, do I change. That takes time and space."
That is part of the reason I blog...to stop and think about the little things and how God speaks through them; how I can be changed by what seems like an insignificant story or experience...and how I can grow. So thank you for listening to me and sharing my learnings, through whatever ways God chooses.
Who had a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together
In a little crooked house.
Sometimes I feel like that man, only my house isn't so much crooked as it is qwerky...if that's how you spell it.
I really like our house, but it is a bit strange. When you enter the front door the living room/dining room is to your right. Ahead of you in a beautiful entryway is a huge built in mirror. To you left is a beautiful open staircase which one would assume leads to a large upstairs...except it doesn't. They did a really good job on this entryway!
The upstairs has lovingly been dubbed our Oompa Loompa rooms. So named after the movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which had very small people working at it. Our upsatirs bath has about a 2 square foot area where the ceiling reaches a magnificent height of 77 inches. The bedroom , which is fairly long has a 1 foot stretch down the middle that is also 77 inches. The rest of the area has sloping ceilings. Plus, the bedroom has track lighting with 3 lights right down the middle. Thus they are named the Oompa Loopma Bathroom and Bedroom.
One of my favorite memories of the summer is Diedrick and Annika just belly laughing as they told me the story of Papa being up there with them, standing up to leave, promptly hitting his head on the first light, ducking for the second and standing up again too soon and hitting the third. Sooo funny.
What is just as qwerky, is me. I find myself taking guests and friends up there all the time to see what we have done with the Oompa Loompa rooms. Often I come downstairs thinking, they must think I am really weird. Why would I be excited about this qwerky little house? Why would I think it is anything to show to others? It's not big, or decorated well, or great in any way, shape or form.
Then I got a birthday card from Caleb and Sonja with a picture of a dog with his/her head out the window of a car, enjoying the ride. Inside it read, "It's the simple things in life that make it good! And Caleb wrote, "Mom, you're good at that--celebrating the simple things in life. I'm thankful for your optimism and joy." That rather made my day!
Some days I do that much better than others. But it is a goal...to see the blessings all around...to celebrate the goodness and grace of God. To pay attention!! That is a very hard thing for us to do. Richard Rohr says, "We don't know how to take joy in the simple things anymore because, frankly, we are sated." We are full, stuffed with too much...too much food, too much stuff...too much to experience and do. Rohr goes on to say, "I think of all the pwerful experiences that I've had. But only when I taste my experiences enough so they become realizations, do I change. That takes time and space."
That is part of the reason I blog...to stop and think about the little things and how God speaks through them; how I can be changed by what seems like an insignificant story or experience...and how I can grow. So thank you for listening to me and sharing my learnings, through whatever ways God chooses.
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