Apparently Baylor's baseball team has a new sub-mascot and new team slogan....
If You Feed the Beaver The Hits Will Come
Click the link (from Waco news channel KWTX). Watch the video. It's really pretty cute!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Life and Death
It's been over a week since I've played in the kitchen. Over a week since I've sliced, diced, minced or slivered. My finger are itching for the smooth steel of a skillet handle. My ears are twitching for the soft shush of a saute. My nose is tingling in anticipation of the smells, my mouth is watering, my stomach is rumbling. I guess I'd better start a grocery list.
It's also been over a week since I've written one single sentence that doesn't have to do with either work or my grandfather's passing. I've been writing obituaries, tributes, funeral programs, and thank you notes. I've written lots and lots of to-do lists. I've written press releases, product descriptions and direct mail messages. But it's been too long since I've picked up a pen and just poured my thoughts, my heart, onto a page.
Life sort of stops for me for a while in the aftermath of death.
It has to. Because it's hard for me to absorb such a blow on the move. And it is a blow. And I must absorb it if I want a healthy grief. So I've had to sit with it a while. I've had to let it in.
Life sort of stopped for me over the last week.
But then, eventually, it has to keep moving.
This week is a beautiful one, if still tinged with sadness around the edges. It's sunny and cool. The world outside is completely different every single day. Being from Texas I'd never experienced a true Spring before, so I'd never truly realized just how much Spring is about transformation. Everything around me looks different with each new morning. It happens overnight, and it just keeps happening.
It's an achingly beautiful image of the way all of creation will one day be transformed, renewed, restored. Every reminder of winter's death has been swallowed up in an overflowing, riotous explosion of life. Redemption has spread itself over the landscape, and life is all that's left behind.
It's also been over a week since I've written one single sentence that doesn't have to do with either work or my grandfather's passing. I've been writing obituaries, tributes, funeral programs, and thank you notes. I've written lots and lots of to-do lists. I've written press releases, product descriptions and direct mail messages. But it's been too long since I've picked up a pen and just poured my thoughts, my heart, onto a page.
Life sort of stops for me for a while in the aftermath of death.
It has to. Because it's hard for me to absorb such a blow on the move. And it is a blow. And I must absorb it if I want a healthy grief. So I've had to sit with it a while. I've had to let it in.
Life sort of stopped for me over the last week.
But then, eventually, it has to keep moving.
This week is a beautiful one, if still tinged with sadness around the edges. It's sunny and cool. The world outside is completely different every single day. Being from Texas I'd never experienced a true Spring before, so I'd never truly realized just how much Spring is about transformation. Everything around me looks different with each new morning. It happens overnight, and it just keeps happening.
It's an achingly beautiful image of the way all of creation will one day be transformed, renewed, restored. Every reminder of winter's death has been swallowed up in an overflowing, riotous explosion of life. Redemption has spread itself over the landscape, and life is all that's left behind.
"What's lost is nothing to what's found...And all the death that ever was, set next to life, would scarcely fill a cup." -Frederick Buechner
Monday, April 2, 2012
Celebrating the Life of Marvin Albert Schwarz
On March 23, 2012 Pop greeted his favorite kind of day. With an unstoppable smile on his face, a mischievous twinkle in his eye, a purposeful stride and shoulders squared, he couldn’t wait for the day to begin. He planned a full day of working on the ranch in his caterpillar. He grabbed a tacquito, danced a little jig around Grandmom, smacked her good on the lips, and with a big smile said, “See you later.” He skipped and danced out the door because he was so enthusiastic and excited about his day. But that won’t surprise anyone. He started every day that way.
He insisted on doing the work himself, even at 84 years old. There was no stopping him and no reasoning with him. And to tell you the truth, we wouldn’t have had him any other way. One minute he was sitting on the caterpillar in his cowboy hat and jeans and the next he was in glory. He left this earth just as he would have chosen: doing something he loved with his family nearby.
When a man is larger than life itself, it’s hard to imagine this world without him. His life and presence overflowed even the largest rooms. His laugh shook the rafters and lifted our hearts. His hands were big and strong and kind. He spent his life working the land, living with joy, and loving every single person he met. He was a hero, a true Texas cowboy. He was a singer, a story teller, a track and football star, an amazing husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was a friend to everyone he met.
Thanks to all for your thoughts, prayers, and support through this last week. We have been surrounded, uplifted, and strengthened through your love and the through the Grace of our Good Lord. Death is not the end of this story. It's never the end of any story. Our Savior defeated death and now He reigns, full of Grace and Truth, offering abundant life forever.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Happy Monday
Monday mornings aren't usually my favorite. As I stood in the shower this morning the usual refrain began in my head. Ugh, Monday again...I'm so tired....how can the weekend already be over...how can I be so tired... That's just my brain on autopilot on a typical Monday morning. And then something clicked, shifted, pivoted, changed. For some reason I stopped the usual refrain mid-whine and actually checked in with myself. How does my body feel right now, in this moment? What's actually going on in my thoughts. And it turns out my usual refrain was dead wrong. I actually felt pretty darn refreshed. Energized. Clear-headed and focused. Well-rested. Content. Ready to start my week. It kind of caught me off guard.
This last week was a wonderful week, and it was capped off by a wonderful weekend. I wish I'd taken more pictures, but I didn't. So here's a quick summary in list form instead.
Planted: Three nandinas, two camellias, one azalea, several new clumps of monkey grass, one maybe-gardenia (? we're still not sure).
Waiting to plant: Lots of seed packets for our herb garden (cilantro, mint, parsley, thyme, etc...), several clumps of daisies and black-eyed susans, and four gorgeous peonies (two pink, two white).
Friday night: Friends over for dinner, chicken and white bean enchiladas with green chile sauce, spanish rice, fresh guacamole, great conversation.
Saturday: Brunch at the Green Onion in Norfolk (French-pressed coffee, eggs benedict, biscuits and gravy), followed by Wicked (the tickets were my birthday present from Keith), followed by an amazing dinner at Byrd and Baldwin downtown (rib-eye steak, crispy salmon on creamy risotto, lobster mac and blue cheese, chocolate sin cake with vanilla gelato), followed by a trip to Trader Joe's, followed by a group of friend hanging out on an awesome porch enjoying a lovely evening.
Sunday: Some friends had a bunch of us over for brats and burgers in the backyard, followed by badminton (alliteration purely coincidental), spent the rest of the day resting and preparing for the week, ate cherry pie a la mode for dinner.
And today, I finally did something I was absolutely longing to do all last week. I carted my laptop outside and have set up shop to work from the patio table all day. My hair was already wrecked from walking Keith to school in the morning mist and there may not be many days that I can really do this, so I figure I should take advantage while the opportunity is at hand. It feels good.
Wishing you all a happy Monday and a gorgeous week. Do something you really want to do today.
This last week was a wonderful week, and it was capped off by a wonderful weekend. I wish I'd taken more pictures, but I didn't. So here's a quick summary in list form instead.
Planted: Three nandinas, two camellias, one azalea, several new clumps of monkey grass, one maybe-gardenia (? we're still not sure).
Waiting to plant: Lots of seed packets for our herb garden (cilantro, mint, parsley, thyme, etc...), several clumps of daisies and black-eyed susans, and four gorgeous peonies (two pink, two white).
Friday night: Friends over for dinner, chicken and white bean enchiladas with green chile sauce, spanish rice, fresh guacamole, great conversation.
Saturday: Brunch at the Green Onion in Norfolk (French-pressed coffee, eggs benedict, biscuits and gravy), followed by Wicked (the tickets were my birthday present from Keith), followed by an amazing dinner at Byrd and Baldwin downtown (rib-eye steak, crispy salmon on creamy risotto, lobster mac and blue cheese, chocolate sin cake with vanilla gelato), followed by a trip to Trader Joe's, followed by a group of friend hanging out on an awesome porch enjoying a lovely evening.
Sunday: Some friends had a bunch of us over for brats and burgers in the backyard, followed by badminton (alliteration purely coincidental), spent the rest of the day resting and preparing for the week, ate cherry pie a la mode for dinner.
And today, I finally did something I was absolutely longing to do all last week. I carted my laptop outside and have set up shop to work from the patio table all day. My hair was already wrecked from walking Keith to school in the morning mist and there may not be many days that I can really do this, so I figure I should take advantage while the opportunity is at hand. It feels good.
Wishing you all a happy Monday and a gorgeous week. Do something you really want to do today.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Spring has sprung. Everywhere I look. all around me, all around town, leaves are budding and stretching, flowers are blooming, grass is greening, things are changing. New life, fresh life is everywhere. Every day is a discovery, especially in our own yard.
It's been fascinating the last couple weeks to discover what's actually growing in our yard. That's one of the things about moving. This was someone else's house, someone else's garden, before it was ours, and we're not always sure what's been planted here. North Carolina is home to some familiar plants and trees and shrubs (nandinas, crepe myrtles, magnolias, gardenias), and a host of new things I've never experienced before (azaleas, camellias, dogwoods).
A few weeks ago we discovered the bare stems of a few daffodils just beginning to emerge from the ground. They're now in full bloom. We learned that some of the bushes along our property line are azaleas. We discovered even more azaleas under a tangle of vine. We have what appears to be a gardenia by the back door. What appears to be hydrangea around the side. Several more things that we can't identify yet. We're just waiting for them to introduce themselves properly.
It it Keith's spring break this week and he's spent most of it weeding and trimming and digging and planting. He's such an amazing man! As we get more acquainted with our little piece of earth, we're also beginning to make it just a little more our own. It is really beautiful and I'm amazed once again at all the good things that can grow from the earth.
It's been fascinating the last couple weeks to discover what's actually growing in our yard. That's one of the things about moving. This was someone else's house, someone else's garden, before it was ours, and we're not always sure what's been planted here. North Carolina is home to some familiar plants and trees and shrubs (nandinas, crepe myrtles, magnolias, gardenias), and a host of new things I've never experienced before (azaleas, camellias, dogwoods).
A few weeks ago we discovered the bare stems of a few daffodils just beginning to emerge from the ground. They're now in full bloom. We learned that some of the bushes along our property line are azaleas. We discovered even more azaleas under a tangle of vine. We have what appears to be a gardenia by the back door. What appears to be hydrangea around the side. Several more things that we can't identify yet. We're just waiting for them to introduce themselves properly.
It it Keith's spring break this week and he's spent most of it weeding and trimming and digging and planting. He's such an amazing man! As we get more acquainted with our little piece of earth, we're also beginning to make it just a little more our own. It is really beautiful and I'm amazed once again at all the good things that can grow from the earth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)