Portraits Are More Than Paper.

We've oft heard it said that a picture is worth a thousand words.

A photo can reveal a lot about someone...about a family. One can see the daughter who has her father's eyes, the son with his mother's smile, or the granddaughter with her grandfather's smile.  Through a photograph one can observe the love between a couple, or the playfulness within a family. Photos provide not only a sense of place, but also a visual, historical record that can answer a child's questions such as "Do I look like anyone in my family tree?" or an adult's query of what the house their parent grew up in looked like.

Through moments captured digitally (or on film) our departed loved ones live on in a tangible way. We can still touch them, and they us, if only through a photograph. Photographs tell stories, they spark our memories reminding us of the shape of one's mouth, the curve of their smile, or the textures of a person's hands after a life of toil.

I have precious photos of my mother-in-law with my children in various situations, the usual birthdays and such, but also in quiet moments as she was snuggling a sleeping baby, or helping a child with a task, or rather letting a child 'help' her.  I have never been so grateful of my penchant for photography as when the memories call me back in time and the photos vividly bring back those fleeting, precious moments.

I wish we'd had the opportunity for professional portraits with my mother-in-law. Some were attempted, but fell far short in execution. I'm still sad about that, but remain forever grateful that I  had used my own camera liberally over the years.

The blog title is not mine. It is taken, in part, from the blog post linked below. Please, read it.

A letter on my doorstep. Portraits are more than paper.

As I've been typing this I await news on the results of emergency surgery of one dear friend with an unknown tumor, and later today another sweet friend must hand her infant over for necessary open heart surgery. Life can turn in an instant. Make and record memories.

**Always make certain that any photographer you choose for your precious memories has more than just a fancy camera- make sure they know how to use it and even how to focus it properly with a group. If photographs are to be taken inside- make sure the photographer is knowledgeable in how to properly light the area in order to ensure the best possible results and proper exposure. View their portfolio!**

Yes, she's one...and yes...it's a new generation of...

Facebook users. They start young these days. JUST KIDDING!! ;)

This is what happens when mom steps away from the computer even though she had turned off the screen. Teigen turned it on, and managed to get a video playing from Mom's news feed. She was very pleased.

Inner Workings

It has been a whirlwind week here. I've not gone anywhere, really. I've pretty much only gone shopping for necessities- like food. The children kept saying there was nothing to eat around these parts, so I decided to humor them. :)

I have spent the week organizing my abode. It has been kind of odd- in a nice way. :) The odd part comes in the fact that I'm not going through things as I'm packing boxes and preparing for a move. Packing boxes has been my stand-by way of organizing/thinning out items. You see - our family's move into this house was our 15th move in 15 years- all averaged out. I could like not moving. :) In a few months we'll have lived here longer than we've lived anywhere since we've been married. We've been married for nearly 18 years.

My foray into all crevices of the house began with an innocuous event. Free bunk beds. I like free. I really like free. What a blessing and an answer to prayer! They were immediately designated for the boys room as it is the smaller of the 2 children's rooms. But- work had to be done. To set up the bunks I had to remove the mattress our 7yo was sleeping on and the captains bed our 17yo has had for eons. The captain's bed moved to the girl's room for our 14 yo as we needed more drawer space for the girls...and as an extra blessing to me- dd cannot shove all manner of things (or anything!) under her bed. :) This thrills me to no end!

So the captain's bed moved to the girls room. Mine and my husband's dressers moved to the boys room, and we were able to ditch the inefficient dresser our 7yo had. (I loved the old dresser/desk combo- but I loved it much more before ds took a scalpel from older ds's dissection kit to it. ~sigh~ ) My dh had the brilliant idea to give the boys our dressers and buy ourselves dressers we liked and that better reflected our taste. Since I was dealing with beds and clothing in the boys room and mine- I decided why stop there? I moved onto the cabinet where the boys store all manner of personal items. After measuring the boys cabinet I took a trip to Wal-Mart and found plastic storage bins (that all matched in lid color and shape!) to allow for more efficient storage compared to the few bins they already had. I made sure to buy bins that all have hinged lids so the lids could always be found. :) I love the results!

Getting things organized and cleaned out in the boys room was such a treat I decided- why stop there? On I went to the 3 hall closets, the 2 entry closets, and all of the kitchen drawers. Somewhere in the midst of this I also organized every.single book we have. Replacing the dressers in my room necessitated the removal of a bookcase (Yay! More clutter banished!) in order for the new dressers to fit. I had to order new curriculum for next year for the younger children which required space ...and all the books were a disaster anyways.

And then... then there was the matter my desk. ~sigh~ It took 2 days- but it is now cleaner and more organized than it's been since the baby (who is now 1.5 yo) arrived. I feel invigorated! A cluttered house and desk make for a cluttered mind. I'm beginning to think I was more 'snowed under' with the arrival of our 5th child than I realized. The fog is beginning to lift! I see sunshine peeking through! And it's lovely. :)

The amazing ways God works...

A little over a week ago I was at home continuing about my daily routine much as I am doing now. Just taking one day at a time- trying to keep up on laundry, feeding the family, and all the other daily chores that can become monotonous. I then received an e-mail one morning sent very late the previous night by my parents. My uncle, who was well advanced in age and had been ailing, had passed away.

It was very important to me to be at the funeral for my aunt's sake as she has cared for and loved me and my family so faithfully over the years. My aunt has been a continual presence in my life ever since I can remember and she has been ever present in the life of my children and husband- never failing even once to send a birthday card to any one of us.

I put in a call to my father-in-law inquiring if he might by chance have a spare frequent flier ticket that he would be willing to pass on to me thus allowing me (and my under 2yo daughter) to fly to the funeral. I was in luck as he said he did have one and graciously gave it to me. The first of several blessings.

No more than 2 days later I was to fly with my daughter T. My husband drove us with our other 2 young children in tow 3 hours to the airport and dropped us off about 7AM. Just after my daughter and I had cleared security I saw one of the car seats that becomes a stroller and thought how cool they are...then... I panicked. I had forgotten the car seat in the van and my husband had taken off already for the return home! I called him and after a nerve-wrecking half hour or so I retrieved the car seat from him and sprinted towards security...again. I was very fortunate to make it through quickly enough to allow just enough time to grab some food to take aboard the flight. The 1st flight was not crowded and I was thrilled to have a row to ourselves as T had never flown before...and I was tired. :)

From Houston our flight to LAX was to be full. They announced that it was to be a totally full flight- and I inwardly groaned. Since it is impossible to exit a tin can hurtling 100's of miles an hour at 35,000 feet or more- I was praying for seat-mates who would tolerate T. well. Just as I finished sending up the bullet prayer a gentleman asked if I minded if he sat in the aisle seat. Then a woman came and sat in the middle seat...for about 2 seconds and then she moved. Then the crew announced that we were departing. But what had happened to the full flight with several on 'standby'? I did not know nor did I care- T had her own seat! I was ecstatic! Later upon passing us by- a flight attendant remarked that I had lucked out because 2 people had decided to take a later flight. Our seat-mate turned out to be quite pleasant and helped to entertain T. when needed. It was fantastic. The Lord heard my plea and answered above and beyond what I had hoped for.

Upon landing I was picked up by a good friend I had not seen since we left NYC. She now lived in L.A. with her husband and was expecting her 1st child. We stayed the night with her and it was a joy to visit and meet her husband and see where she lived. They then graciously drove me to where my uncle's funeral was- which was a couple hours drive.

I had not seen my family for about 3 years and they had not met T. While the funeral was a sober and sad event, it had the silver lining of not only seeing my aunt and immediate family- but of rooming with and visiting a lot with my cousin whom I had not seen in years. It was such a blessing and a joy getting to know her on a much deeper level and to talk into the wee hours!

The day after the funeral another friend of mine, Angi, who just happened to be in L.A. picked me up from the funeral location and drove me back (another couple of hours) to where she was staying with a friend of hers. She had 'put out there' that it might work out for me to be a second driver for her on her return trip home to Mississippi. I decided to take her up on the offer which as she tells really wound up being a big help to her. I spent one day running around L.A. with her and her 2 son's as her eldest son had some appointments on their final day in CA. The next morning we loaded up in her car and began driving home.

It took two days to travel from L.A. to my house with 2 moms, a 15yo, a 2yo and a 1.5yo in tow. It got a bit wild at times. :) It got a bit crazy- but it was all good. It was exhausting, but well worth it for the experience... and the company.

I am still in total awe at how the Lord took mourning and turned it into joy by reuniting old friends, allowing new bonds with family, and even throwing in some crazy adventure all out of the simple desire to be present and minister to my aunt at a time of great sorrow.

The Lord is good...all the time.

Another post taken from my old blog for some history.

Aug. 14, 2007 - Death is not only an end, but it can also bring new beginnings- Part 2

This second part has been on my mind since I posted the last entry, but I just have not had time to ...well... think. :)

So where was I.... ? Oh yes. We had arrived in CA just in time to say good-bye to MIL as she was dying. She died with her children and many of her grand children standing around her hospital bed singing in the front room of her house. My MIL loved music and had a wonderful voice. I had never before heard one harmonize in soprano, but she was able to do so. As she was drawing her last breaths we stood singing any and all hymns we could come up with that most present knew, and especially ones we knew she loved. She quieted down from the noises she had been making, and peacefully left this earth. That was on July 2nd.

What followed was a whirlwind~
A few neighbors and long time family friends had stopped over in MIL's last hour. The 2 good friends of dh's who had picked our family up from the airport and who had each spent many hours at his house and with my MIL during high school were there, just as we were, with tears streaming down their faces.

The next day was July 3rd. Which of course precedes July 4th.... July 4th has always been a family holiday (with friends invited as well) for those living close enough and was one of MIL's favorite. We were so blessed to have a long-time friend unexpectedly bring a huge dinner for us. My DH and FIL spent the latter part of the day gathering supplies last minute for the 4th of July celebration, complete with fireworks, that I was suddenly preparing the food for 25 people. :) Traditions are traditions after all, and MIL would have wanted us to carry on. :) Some neighbors, who had been such a blessing in visiting MIL and bringing food while she was bedridden, also attended.

The rest of the week was a blur. There were preparations for MIL's funeral to attend to as no plans had been made prior to her death. So everything had to be done from picking the casket to the plot. We tried to call everyone we knew who would want to know about MIL's death and funeral arrangements. Throughout the last few months I had also been keeping MIL's sister and FIL's siblings up to date on what was transpiring in regards to MIL's health. FIL was just too busy with the amount of care and time MIL required.

Death (and even ill-ness) bringing new beginnings is a new concept to me. But what I have experienced through MIL's death would fill her heart with joy. MIL was always there to lend a hand to anyone in need. And all those who knew and loved her, or benefited in one way or another from her gracious and giving personality, gave back in amazing ways, and even some who did not know her at all.

Neighbors and long-time friends kept my family and FIL fed (and fed well!) for the 2 weeks we were there. They went to Costco for us and bought basics and brought meals. I had been a bit stressed about the food issue as I have somewhat of a crew to feed and with all the emotions, the thought of cooking and meal planning was not one filled with joy.

The church was filled to overflowing for the funeral and our very small country church was a major blessing in providing most of the food for the reception following the funeral, and serving all the guests and family. The number of flower arrangements was astounding to me. It was such a blessing to see the love and respect people had for one who was so selfless and giving.

One new beginning belongs to my FIL. The morning immediately after MIL's funeral a dog showed up. A very sweet, yet hungry dog. FIL had talked about getting a dog or even two for a while and we had just discussed how the place didn't feel right w/o one. Well, the dog found the accomodations suitable and is still there with FIL. MIL was a lover of animals, so the timing of the dog's appearance gave pause. I told FIL mom sent him a dog. :) (In reality I know it was the Lord, if anyone.)

Our family has received many, many blessings immediately following MIL's death. I am still surprised and astounded. We have connected with old friends, we have re-connected and become better friends with some old acquaintances who we will be able to spend a day with when we travel back to CA this next weekend for a family reunion. We have reconnected with distant family. We have also found new family in our new location. Some friends we had only known for about a week and a half stepped up and offered to feed our cats and dogs while we raced to CA not knowing how long we would be there. Only they didn't stop there. They contacted other faculty- most of whom we had not met and some we still have not been able to meet. We were blessed tremendously when we walked into our home after 2 weeks away and it was sparkling clean and smelled fresh. There were flowers on the dining table, food enough to feed us for the better part of a week (only requiring heating), milk, eggs, bread...the very large yards had been mowed (a dirty job with the sparse grass and all the sand!) and weed-eated....and the dogs who had been relegated to outside for 2 weeks- had been scrubbed clean and smelled wonderful! Even our towels had been washed. There were sympathy cards on the counter, including a gift card for a local grocery store.
The day after we came back home a local church brought us wonderful leftovers from a church function as well as gave us a cash gift. Another church also sent us a cash gift a little later. All of these were such blessings and really ministered to us as the prior 2-3 months had been very exhausting emotionally, physically and financially.

I am reminded of the story in the Old Testament of Moses holding up the serpent in the wilderness and the help he received in holding up his arms when they became weary.

I am so humbled to be a beneficiary of God's wonderful love and grace and to feel the effects of that oft invisible thread woven in , around, and through my life.

Re-post from my old blog... I thought I'd move over a just a few posts.

Jul. 29, 2007 - Death is not only an end, but it can also bring new beginnings- Part 1

It has been busy for us since March. My dh has had a few art exhibitions and sold a number of pieces, and after pushing off our move a little bit due to a hospitlization of dh's mother, we continued on with our move to Louisiana for his new position. We had lived with my in-laws in their house, and then in their second house on the same property for just over a year as we were getting on our feet.

A month after moving from CA we (Dh, me, 4 dc) found ourselves flying back in a race against the clock to see DH's mother before she passed away. We made it with one hour to spare. Praise the LORD we made it , and praise the LORD we will see her in Glory! She knew we were there and though she could not say speak clearly at all nor turn to look at us, she did say dh's name very clearly. She was dh's mother, but she was also like a mother to me and I was so glad to be able tell her what a blessing she had been to me in my life and to tell her again that I loved her. (Makes me tear up just to write this...)

Can I just say that I have always had issues with death? I don't like it, and want no part of it- in any way. I am aware, however, that I also have no say in the matter. :) I've just trusted the Lord to help me with it. I know I will be with my Savior- and the rest will just have to work itself out.

Death is an end. There is a finality like nothing else I've encountered. It is sad when one must confront it. But death can also bring about some good things. Throughout MIL's short (4 months or so), yet severe health issues (the result of Stage4 br**st cancer) life changed. Unbelievably- in good ways. Neighbors and church folk pitched in to help me in taking meals for my in-laws as I had been cooking extra and walking some up to them. The neighbors whom I had only known in passing, really, were such a help in watching my dc while I was helping and staying with MIL for 'shifts' in the hospital, or taking the children so dh and I could go together to visit MIL. They brought us food as we were half-packed and a week away from our scheduled move date when MIL was severely ill in the hospital for 2 weeks. Neighbors, and one angel of a woman from our small church, pitched in with the packing in a huge way. I am no stranger to packing and moving, but I just could not pull it together- they did, really. They kept me going and helped me to have direction. They kept me sane.

We drove to LA in our min-van with 4 dc, 2 dogs, 4 cats (2 of them kittens) and of course dh and I. I began calling our van the 'Ark' in jest. When we arrived here the house we had rented was not ready so we had to stay an add'l week in the hotel. I have had more fun... We were finally able to move in as work was almost completed. There was a bit of work for me to do as well- like paint the INSIDE of the kitchen cabinets and putting peel and stick tiles down, as well as painting the interior room that was lit by a single light bulb so it would not look (and feel )so dreary. DH was getting things in order at his new job, so most of it fell to me. Boy was I tired, but it had to be that way. Just as I unpacked the last of the boxes and had dh shuttle the last few items to storage- we found that we had to leave immediately for CA in hopes of seeing MIL one last time. We had been in the house for perhaps 3 weeks by this time and in the state of LA for close to 5, I think...

The following 2 weeks were amazing.