Heather Holleman's Blog, page 195

A Childhood of Catching Frogs

On most days after school in fifth grade, I skipped down the lawn in my backyard to the bank of Little Hunting Creek to a certain spot where a certain frog always sunned himself on a rock. I’d freeze when I saw him. I’d approach on tiptoe in hopes that this time I might, I don’t know, catch him or at least touch him.

I never considered what I would do after I achieved this goal. The goal wasn’t nearly as exciting as the hoping anyway.

I’d creep up on him and see him fling wide his entire body in a dramatic kerplop into the creek water, often with a corresponding, high-pitched croak. He shimmered green and gold and what seemed like purple. Something about him enchanted me so deeply that I imagined my entire happiness depended upon catching this frog.

He’d swim deep into the creek bed into some secret frog cavern, cool and dark and hidden.

I’d have to wait an entire day to find him in his spot again.

Today at the nursery where my husband and I traveled to find a few trees for our fall garden planting, a green pond sat still downhill from the collection of plants for sale. Lily pads filled the surface, but even from where I stood, I could see cracks where bright orange and white koi darted in the water.

I walked down the lawn, almost skipping.

Then I heard the croaking and the splashing. I saw the flung bodies of a dozen frogs shimmer briefly and then disappear into the pond. But one didn’t. He stood serenely on a rock. I tiptoed nearer, and a flood of childhood feelings washed over me.

While my husband busied himself with plant paperwork, I watched frogs. I called him over to see the ones still sunning themselves on lily pads. He remarked that he didn’t realize that frogs actually sat on lily pads. It seemed the stuff of cartoons. But there they sat.

I took a picture to remember an afternoon when childhood flung itself back into my heart, shimmering all the way down into the secret cavern of memory.

Lima Beans: A Recipe

With one daughter who loves lima beans, I couldn’t wait to try this recipe from Weight Watchers: Gemelli with Tomatoes, Limas, and Arugula. 

We used brown rice penne instead of the gemelli. It’s delicious!

Today I also learned some new Overnight Refrigerator Oats recipes to try:

Pumpkin Pie (combine oats, flax, chia, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, almond milk, walnuts, vanilla, ripe banana, and big scoop of pumpkin puree).

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oats (combine oats, flax, chia, almond milk, cinnamon, almonds, vanilla, ripe banana, cocoa powder, and PB2).

It’s always fun to try new, healthy food adventures.

 

Daily Life: Filling the Glass Bowl

A Need Only God Can Meet

Today I read a prayer from Prayers Over Our Children that contains a powerful line. I read this: You purposely created my children with a need that only You can meet. It reminds me that when I’m restless, unsatisfied, or wondering where my joy has gone, I return to the One who can meet that need. I also love thinking that God designed a longing in us and an unquenchable sense of needing something more to drive us to Him.

We’re made with a need only God can meet.

Little Joys

Today, I began collecting little joys. Years ago, I joined a community that challenged one another to record five moments like this each day. For years, I did this, and I return to the practice today.

I found a list a student made of new verbs to use. She’s been writing emails to me where she practices her semicolons and colons.
Two students have emailed me personal writing for me to read and comment upon, simply for the love of sharing writing with someone willing to read. So far, I’ve read poems and short essays, and it’s only the second week of class.
I collect a small bowl of blackberries and raspberries each afternoon.
I learned that if the humidity rises above 80%, the likelihood that a migraine will form increases. I’m thankful for information like this that drives me indoors into the cool air conditioning when weather changes.
I’m serving chili with butternut squash tonight. I made cornbread that’s already cooling on the stove.

Small, beautiful things.

There’s This Moment

There’s this moment when you stand in front of the blackberries, gathering them into your hand, and you smell the sticky sweetness of them, and you burst with a thankful heart. You enjoy the taste even though you’ve heard more bad news than a soul can take: accidents and illnesses and even the death of a friend’s husband.

There’s this moment when you pick the second-harvest raspberries–the ones you weren’t expecting–and see your small glass bowl filling up that you realize the goodness of God’s creation and abundant, sweet provision.

There’s this moment when you realize that it’s going to be like this: you will have little moments of joy that ripen against a landscape of pain and loss and confusion. You will stand and gather the harvest each new day. And it will be enough to fill your bowl.

God Answers

I love the statement in Psalm 138 from David: “When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.”

God answers when we call. The astonishing fact that God responds to us when we cry out to Him makes my heart sing this morning. It’s a great comfort. It’s a miracle of faith.

As we talk to the Lord today, consider how He will answer us:

I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. Psalm 3:4

I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. Psalm 17:6

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me. Psalm 86:7

Take My Life and Let It Be: The Story

In church this morning, we sang Frances Havergal’s 1874 hymn, “Take My Life and Let It Be.”

The lyrics invite surrender of every part of us: our life, our moments, our hands, our feet, our voice, our money, our mind, and our love. She writes:

Take my life and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing,

Always, only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold,

Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my intellect and use

Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,

It shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart, it is Thine own,

It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour

At Thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself and I will be

Ever, only, all for Thee.

After church, I discover the story of why Frances wrote this beautiful hymm. According to the story told on Christianity.com, Frances wrote:

“I went for a little visit of five days. There were ten persons in the house; some were unconverted and long prayed for, some converted but not rejoicing Christians. [God] gave me the prayer, ‘Lord, give me all in this house.’ And He just did. Before I left the house, everyone had got a blessing. The last night of my visit I was too happy to sleep and passed most of the night in renewal of my consecration, and those little couplets formed themselves and chimed in my heart one after another till they finished with ‘ever only, ALL FOR THEE’!”

I love that she sees the difference between converted, but not rejoicing, Christians. I love that she asked the Lord to give her the people in the house–meaning that they would come to know Him and be blessed by her. This blessing given out to all in the house brought Frances so much happiness that she couldn’t sleep! And so she renewed her consecration to the Lord and wrote this hymn.

I loved that we sang it this morning. Read more about Frances Havergal here. 

 

Goldfinches

“Every day is a good day.”

I ask the cashier if she’s having a good day. She says, “Every day is a good day.”

I ask, “How is every day a good day?”

She says, “I can maybe be sad about life for an hour. That’s it. Then I decide I have a good life. It’s a good day every day!”

Then I decide I have a good life. 

I love it!