Go Fly a Kite

It was the kind of Sunday afternoon when all I wanted to do was lie down and “rest” my eyes. We had just gotten home, and after singing in the church choir and teaching Sunday school to rambunctious sixth graders, the couch was calling my name. But alas, when you are the mother of little girls, lying down is not an option. Let me take that back; lying down is an option if you know that two certain little girls are going to start jumping on the same couch you are lying on. Ed was no help; he was outside spraying the heck out of the dandelions in the yard. I put on my jacket and got out the kites.

kite flying among the dandelions

It was the kind of Sunday afternoon where the wind felt just right. Gusts of wind were already tugging at the kite in the parking lot. Getting our sea turtle into the air took little effort, and both the girls were able to hold the kite string as the kite soared above them. It wasn’t too long, however, before the wind died down. The kite was not catching a breath of air. We walked over to another field, where there was more open space and less trees to block the wind. But then the rain set in. As we jogged back to the parking lot, the taller little girl lagged behind, crying bitterly. Her afternoon of kite flying was at an end.

It was the kind of Sunday afternoon where frozen pizzas were thrown into the oven and a DVD was thrown into the player. We snuggled under blankets, tears dried, little heads slightly rain-damp. The DVD made us laugh, the pizza filled our tummies, but it was the snuggling that helped ease the disappointment of a rainy afternoon.

Wishing for a kite-flying kind of Sunday afternoon to come around soon,

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Vintage

Vintage is definitely in. There are ways of making items for your home appear older than they really are. After painting a piece of furniture, all you need to do is use a little sandpaper to give it a nice, worn look. Sand lightly to take a little paint off the corners; scratch the surface a little to make it look less new. Instant vintage!

Some days, I certainly feel vintage. Life’s sandpaper has roughened and scratched me up. Some sandpaper has been heavy duty; coarse and rough. My breast cancer diagnosis…scritch, scratch. That horrible phone call when I was expecting my brother, telling me he had been in a serious accident…scritch, scratch. My mother’s death…scratch, gouge. This sandpaper has worn me down and aged me. It has left me tired, sad, and feeling old.

Some of life’s sandpaper has been less coarse. The sand on this paper is fine, almost soft. I had my first child when I was 35 years old, and had already entered the category of “high-risk pregnancy.” Many of my friends from college already have children in high school or even college. Next to young moms, I really feel my age. I feel vintage. Considering my taste in music and my old flip phone that doesn’t use apps (no Instagram here), “retro” would be a more definitive word. But perhaps this sanding makes my rough edges smooth, like a rock that’s been turned over and over again by the waves on a beach. I am able to smile when I hear an old woman say for the millionth time at the grocery store, “Enjoy them while they’re little” because I know they are remembering their own children. I’ve already had my time to go out to the bars, to stay up late dancing and partying. I’ve already started my career and been successful; I already know what I want out of life.

Throughout it all, through the light sandings, the rough patches and the gouges I’ve received, there is a piece of wood that sandpaper cannot touch. And on that piece of wood; on that old rugged cross, is a Savior who endured even more than the mere scratches and gouging of sandpaper. He suffered much more than that for this scratched up and scarred “vintage” woman. Not only that, He conquered death.

There will certainly be more sandpaper in my life. I’m sure to become more vintage; more retro. Some days, I’m going to fight that whole aging process; other days, I’ll try to age gracefully. As I age, I’m coming to rely more and more upon that old rugged cross and my Savior. He will smooth away the scratches and the gouges, and when I am old enough, He will come for me.

Simple BPM

I’m linking up today at Tasting Grace and Momalom today!

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