Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Resolutions

I never shared my New Year's resolutions...perhaps because I didn't want to be held accountable...but they are: More salads, more nature and more service.

So far, I'm doing decent on the salad front. I should have been more specific, though, and made it my goal to eat healthy salads... :-)

I'm batting zero on the nature front. I need to put something on my calendar and follow through. Winter is undoubtedly the BEST time to hike: No snakes, no mosquitos, no ticks...do I need to continue? Plus, what's better than reaching your destination and letting a hot cup of tea warm you from the inside??? There's no other way to hike! I especially like hikes with a pay-off at the end—i.e. waterfalls! If you know of a scenic hike in my area, please let me know.

Service, on the other hand, is hard to measure. We do what we can, but there is always a nagging feeling we could and should be doing more. I just want to feel stretched—in a good way—this year.

I guess these are more goals for my life than resolutions for a new year. I'd also really like to travel somewhere fun with my husband—even if it's a quick trip—but we'll have to wait and see if that's feasible with all we have planned this year.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm also trying to get back on the blog bandwagon. For those of you interested in our home projects, I hope to start a few of those up soon, once we've recovered from the holidays. Feel free to send me encouragement and inspiration. Better yet, come by and hold me accountable!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Terry

My husband has a pet terrarium. We named it Terry. I find him in our living room at odd hours of the day and night staring at it. I wish I could climb into his mind and see what he sees when he stares into that little world of wonder.


Monday, January 16, 2012

Under One Roof

A lot of things have been happening in the Melville household since the holidays. I don't know where to begin, in fact.

Jonathan and I have a new roommate. My best friend/former college roommate, Lezlee, is temporarily living with us while she makes a life transition. She (plus her dachshund, Stella!) joined our household just before the new year. We're all looking at this as an adventure—we expect this arrangement will have ups and downs—fortunately we love each other dearly and possess the unrivaled gift of communication.

The biggest down of all: On Jan. 5, Lezlee received the devastating news that her mother, Christine—the woman responsible for most of Lezlee's artistic passion, determined spirit, humor and so much more—had passed away of heart failure. What does a friend do or say in that moment to bring comfort? All you can do is hold each other and cry. And that's what we've done. Needless to say, Lezlee, her father and her two sisters, have been surrounded by love and prayer. But, it's been rough. I've watched them go through this with grace, and I admire them deeply. I'm in awe of how this family has rallied together as they've held each other close and been each other's primary source of comfort. Chris would be proud.

I've relearned a very important lesson over the past few weeks. Lezlee—and my other dear friends—are a part of my family. I thank God for them. And family sticks together through life's ups and downs. Please pray for this family—and don't forget to tell your family how much you love them. And do it often.