Hypothetical (Big Words)

Dear fellow mommies,

Did you ever have one of Those Shopping Trips?

Your kids bicker in the van and then decide to continue their Simmering Spat on into the produce aisle with subtle pinches and scowling looks when your back is turned.

You haven't been in the store for five minutes, and they are quietly yet subversively plotting the Overthrow of Your Sanity.

So you do the only Peaceable Yet Powerful thing you know to do. You leave the bag of peaches in the cart, and walk out with one child by the hand, trusting the others to follow closely behind. They do. They know you mean business.

You drive them home and leave them in the care of Another Adult, an older sister, say. It's for their own good. You know that. They don't. You are suddenly the Worst Mommy Ever.  

Then you drive back to Walmart, pick up the bag of peaches, and shop the aisles in peace, trying not to feel Guilty for Enjoying Yourself. You even buy yourself an impromptu present, a fuzzy soft blanket with a big bear on it. You are Mama Bear, after all, wanting the best for your cubs, ready to protect them, yet sometimes feeling a little growly yourself and trying not to roar.

You drive home, cranking up the music. You are tired, and not looking forward to Dealing with Cranky Children when you get home. You pray for grace.

When you pull into your driveway, the Most Offending Child comes bounding out to the van, apologizes for being an idiot at the store, and grabs two bags of groceries to bring inside. The Other Offending Child is already fast asleep in bed. You now believe in miracles.

So has this ever happened to you?

No?

Me neither!

This was hypothetical, of course! Hypothetical. Really.

Sweet peace and sweet peaches,
Virginia Knowles


P.S. #1: The sliced peach photo was edited with Picasa using the Ortonish feature.

P.S. #2: If you like the idea of gentle parenting, please check out my post, Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us, which has a lot of links on the topic. 

P.S. #3: This post is the third in my rather random Big Words series, the most recent of which, the sentimental Sacramental, was only posted a few hours ago. 

Sacramental (Big Words)

These tangible memories of my mother

are not just sentimental.

To me, they are almost sacramental:

symbolic of her essence and  

powerfully binding, in a good way.

It started simply as a place to display the bird figurines I brought home after my mother passed away in July.  I cleared the top shelf of one of my bedroom book cases and arranged to my heart's content.

Then the sympathy cards...

Then blanket made by church members 

while she was in the 

hospital those long weeks.

And her sewing box, 

which may also have been

my Grandma Hess's sewing box.

 Next, the vintage books.

I only brought several home this time,

but I had more from previous trips,

as well as a shelf full of my father's.

Many of the vintage books are inscribed

with the beautifully handwritten names

of my grandparents and great-grandparents.

I added their photos to the shelves today...

Charles and Mary Graves Hess

with two of their children

Coray and Olive Ransom

My great-grandmother Olive Wrislar Ransom 
and my grandmother Dorothy Ransom Hess

This pocket watch,

found in the sewing basket,

is etched with the initials OEW.

That would be Olive's.

From Mom's kitchen to mine,

the star shaped baking molds

which I've been using,

this time for blueberry muffins.

 And the mini-heart tins I gave her years ago...

And finally, in other places around the house,

the stained glass pieces,

all gifts from my mother...

The mirror, a college graduation present,

which I rehung today.

The rainbow dove, a first anniversary present

to match a window in the fellowship hall 

of the church where we were married

Nativity scene

The camellia and magnolia stained glass

There is more,

like her clothes and necklaces I've been wearing,

but that is enough to show for now.

As the months go by, I will rearrange again,

put things away from this makeshift shrine.

But I will never forget.

Her real legacy 

was her love.

My mother, Mary Graves Hess Quarrier
and my grandmother, Dorothy Ransom Hess,
in July 2013

Tributes to my Mom:

• In Memoriam: A Tribute to My Mother, Mary Quarrier
• A Eulogy is Also a Beginning
• Radiant Nurturer: Recent Photos of My Mother
• Vintage Photos of My Mother

Strength in Hymn

(all related to Mom)

• No More Night 

• His Eye is on the Sparrow
• Let There Be Peace on Earth
• Be Thou My Vision 
• For All the Faithful Women
• Sweet Hour of Prayer
• In the Garden (When the Caregiver Needs Care)

This post is the second in my new Big Words series.  The first: Sanctuary.

Grace and peace,

Virginia Knowles

www.ComeWearyMoms.blogspot.com