Week 30

12.19.10 to 12.20.10

Five months and then some…

Evening

I am looking forward, for the first time in months and months and months, to an all day Sabbath. I am remembering Christmas baking with my grandma—fruitcake like Truman Capote writes about, macadamia banana bread, Madelines, and strawberry teacakes. I am remembering baking when the babies were, well, babies… but the time between then and now is a blur.

Five months have pa

ssed, chasing Sabbath has dulled to a crawl, came to a halt the weekend of July 17^th when I entered Summer’s Spin Out. Three conferences, a speaking engagement, a side business or two, moving my school two weeks before classes were scheduled to begin, and entering the last leg of my MFA journey, well, this mid-week Sabbath is the first time I’ve caught my breath. I am not exactly ready for a chase, but I am not ready to give up either. I am learning. Must be Mercy.

Now, time to mix up a batch of hot fudge with my boys.

Morning

I am so excited for Christian to arrive with her darling babies, Hannah and the boys have been looking forward to the visit as much as me.

There are eight children (well, okay my Hannah is 21, but she is my adult child) and two adults in the house and the calm is loveliness. The kitchen smells of Christmas—Madelines, Christmas sprinkle cookies, almond shortbread, chocolate peppermint drops, and the boys’ favorite, chocolate and vanilla mice cookies!

The time was gloriously slow paced, the conversation distracted by darling chirping children, was rich. The day for me was salve.

Evening

At the end of a merciful day, I take time to listen to the rain, remember something I once read, Shakespeare, I think, “The quality of mercy is not strained… it is a gentle rain,” and am thankful.