Spring has been seeping in, putting a new layer of color all over all our doings. I have been trying not to be too Busy and Important and Grown-Up to notice it!
Saturday, March 14 brought us a classic Blacksburg treat: A free production of The Velveteen Rabbit at the local antique theater! Since it was at 2pm (right in the middle of Adele's nap), Miles and I made it a date by ourselves.
At the meet-the-actors session before the show, we learned that one of the actors is a talented ballet and tap dancer. Miles was impressed, and after the show, during the Q&A with the cast, he raised his hand and asked his question with boldness and clarity. "How much do I have to practice to become a really good dancer?" I was so proud.
The answer, if you're interested, from this young man was: As much as you're enjoying practicing. If you are enjoying it, you can never practice too much!
The actor approached Miles after the show and had an encouraging chat with him about doing what he loves, no matter what. I snapped a picture of Miles with his new hero.
Sometimes the sky seems to be raining gifts.
Like this crocus, that I noticed in a friend's yard, when we were on our way to Pub Theology at the London Underground Pub. Like the stories that Rev. Emily told us about the struggles she'd been having in her advocacy for needy community members, and the way we were all able to encourage each other in our varied Lenten journeys. The gifts are coming thick and fast; I have to remember to keep up with my gratitude journal so they leave some kind of wholesome residue.
Here, Miles has a serious moment on Saint Patrick's Day, during an emergency readiness drill for which Jon was volunteering. The bow tie doesn't quite fit.
I rage and storm against Daylight Savings Time (and I really do think it's unhealthy!) but I had to admit it had one positive side effect: I got to leave my evening MA class, which meets from 5-8, and still see some light in the sky last week:
Evenings are starting to resemble their summer descendants.
I have been busy, and a little under the weather, and sometimes I'm not ready for the burst of enthusiasm from the kids at the end of the day. But sometimes, it's the tonic I need.
Here is my card from Miles, which he gave me for no occasion at all. And, this is how he looked when he gave it to me, wearing a pair of glasses fashioned from pipe cleaner.
Here is how Adele looked when I found my old cassette of the Godspell soundtrack and loaded it into her cassette player in the playroom. She's been going on my recent Godspell kick with me. God Save the People and We Beseech Thee are her favorites.
She sings along really earnestly when she thinks I'm not in the room. <3 nbsp="" p="">
This past weekend seems to have been the tipping point for the flowers. They are here, friends! And so is Spring.
Sunday's gifts included a resurrection garden craft, made at church.
Watering the garden with Baden's support
There's grass seed, which has fallen to the ground and died, in the dirt (as per last week's gospel lesson).
The seeds will sprout by Easter. We are leaning into it! Lent grows old.
At home, the kids enjoyed some more independent play in the yard. The parents enjoyed getting the house somewhat clean at the same time.
Miles has to re-build his outside house, from time to time.
Sunday night took us for a ride! to Starbucks to drop Papa off to let him get some work done.
Miles doesn't mind not being in the stroller if he has his trusty steed, Gorse-Gorse.
He looked so delightful I had to get a picture.
More and more I am using my lunch break to take care of my body and soul. On sunny days, this sends me walking to the duck pond.
That there is a gift.
On rainy or cold days, I stick to yoga in the office. On Friday, my office mate joined me. We pulled down the shade, put on some gentle music and just turned on, tuned in and dropped out for a while.
I could never have anticipated that I'd have company in my office yoga. Many thanks to the one Giver for all these. And for the sky this morning! Well done.
Winter is melting away. Either that, or we're climbing up out of it. Either way, the air is full of changes.
We had one last snowstorm (and two last snow days) last week. It was that wicked, spring kind, with lots of ice, poor planning (university was open until 2, with buses spinning out at noon and no bus service between 1 and 3), and grumpiness. But, it still made for a pretty gorgeous view while it lasted. Pizza movie night continues to define Friday night in our house. Here, the kids watch Peter Banning fail to save his kids from Hook.
They experienced a range of appropriate emotions while watching; the adults mostly felt nostalgia for childhood and for the life of Robin Williams. God rest him.
While at church, I snapped this picture of the Godly Play (Sunday School) room. It's such a lovely space for kids to learn about God, and one of the reasons I'm so grateful for our church.
Below: special bonus for Miles fans. Every morning, Miles wakes up to his favorite song, and in a kind of trance, he comes out to the living room to do his Morning Spirit dance. This always delights us, and leaves him in a great mood.
I've been enjoying a campus almost free of students. My lunchtime walks are peaceful and quiet this week in the developing spring conditions.
Below: ducks apparently eat mud in March? I just love the sound they make.
This week brought us reason to celebrate: Jon defended his preliminary exams on Tuesday! And (I'm not surprised, but he's relieved): he passed!!
We ate dinner in the new taco place to celebrate.
I love the locally inspired art on the walls.
The smell of mud in the early spring always smells like change. What will this summer bring?
I'm keeping my Lenten gratitude journal, which is far more of a gift than a discipline. In it, I try to articulate some of the gifts of the season, day by day. This past week, the gifts have been hard-fought, but precious!
On Wednesday, Jon turned in his preliminary exams. All praises!! But hardly did he have time to turn them in before we were hit with another challenge: the struts and shocks in the car gave out. The Nissan hobbled in with what we thought was a minor problem, and it was revealed to us that, on the one hand, it was extremely broken. But on the other hand, had we hit one more bump, the front of the car might have collapsed entirely, totaling the car and possibly putting us in danger in the road. Thank God that Blacksburg is so small and we were able to get to the repair shop in time!
The first combined challenge/blessing of this event, of course, was alternate transportation. We don't drive the car far, but I do drive it every day to get Adele to daycare. I have known, of course, that there was a bus that could take me to her daycare should we need it, and that knowledge has always given me great peace of mind: if the car should break, life could go on. Well, I got to put that to the test this week. Since Wednesday afternoon, morning and evening, BT has been our transport:
And Adele LOVES it. Neither of us loves the journey to the Hethwood bus stop, about half a mile away. Only today, with all the ice and snow on the road, did I feel like the stroller was a viable option to get there. I've just been lugging her. But once ON the bus? She's in heaven.
And you know what? It's been hard, and I've been using a bit of leave to come to work a bit late. But I feel great. I get exercise, and outdoor time, and I feel connected to my community in a way I don't feel when I'm just a human automobile amongst others of the kind. Multiple entries in my gratitude journals include the phrase, "attitude shift." Because I'm grateful for this reality, described by G. K. Chesterton:
"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered."
So it is.
Just ask her!
Saturday, now that was a trial. I couldn't bear the kids missing out on anything just because we are car-less. But getting them out the door on time to walk 1.5 miles in the snow with two kids, to arrive on time to a 9:30 dance class? Bless my own heart. It didn't happen.
Fortunately, I realized that in time to change my attitude. When it was 9:30 and I wasn't yet halfway there, and I had one single stroller and two kids refusing to walk and an impassable sidewalk, I released the 9:30 class. I gave them a call, got permission for Adele to join Miles' older-kid class, and then basically told the kids all motion was acceptable as long as it was forward.
I didn't become beatific; I totally lost my temper with them later on, in another snowbank. But because we didn't give up, these moments got to happen (it was parent weekend! of course):
They had a blast! As always.
Now, you know one adventure isn't enough for me. Not on a Saturday. I have a horror of being stuck at home; someday I may have to address that. But this wasn't that day. Onward! There was a Winterfest party at Virginia Tech!
There was a Wendy's on the way, thank God, because all I'm going to say about the North Main Street portion of the journey is, I'm glad there's grace, and that spring is coming.
The kids got plastic grills (I'm not kidding; the package said it was a grill) which they got to decorate with rhinestone stickers. It was killer.
There was a bus to Squires and it was Winterfest 2015!
Free kid party? Are you kidding me? I'm there, car or no car.
There was LOUD party music and a carnival atmosphere and we all grinned our way through the afternoon.
We got free photo dog tags, you guys. All our grinning faces on this tiny dog tag. What a hoot.
These guys, man. The dj was playing all their favorites and you would've thought Squires was their personal disco.
Finally, teary from their tired tantrums, I got them on a bus.
It was all worth it.
Sunday, well, we weren't about to skip church. Miles saddled up his hobby horse ("It's ok the car is broken; I have a horse!") and we just left really early! This time, we had Papa power with us.
We're calling Lent 2015 "Abundant Lent" at church. That's the focus: abundance in a time of scarcity. I'm feeling it! Many are the gifts.
So, the second burden of the broken car, of course, was financial. This was the second major break in the few months it's been out of warrantee. It was a blow! But we've had help, and the gift we're receiving now is a renewed awareness and attention to our budget. We've long felt like we needed to be more careful with all those little purchases we make, often without thinking, and now we have an impetus. We have a goal. And somehow, in this time when we don't know where we're going or what we're going to be doing next year, in this time when the future we imagine seems farther away than ever, this awareness has made us feel less powerless. We will try to be faithful with the small things, because that is our business, right now.
Monday morning, I was so done with the bus! We were doing well, Adele and me. I was sweating; it's thawing this time, as I'm carrying all the things to the daycare. But when I left the daycare and realized I'd left me keys on that last bus, my keys that have my passport which allow me to take the bus, it was a low point.
While waiting longer for that same bus to come back, so I could find out if she had my keys and would let me on (she had, and she did!!), I snapped this shot of my view.
Right in front of me. It was like a spoken invitation to rest, and be quiet, while it was the only thing I could do.
We got the car back today, after we did our final bus to day-care. But you know? When the weather gets to be spring-like and the snowbanks are off the sidewalk, the Hethwood bus might see more of us. I got that attached to the walking.
Here, Miles has a serious moment on Saint Patrick's Day, during an emergency readiness drill for which Jon was volunteering. The bow tie doesn't quite fit. 
