Project52: Opposites

It is fair to say that my Mom-of-the-Year nomination will be revoked with the coming confession....

...

I have had no desire to immerse myself in all things Korean.  

...

We have made Bee-Bim-Bop and sampled kimche at Seoul Garden, but beyond that, it has entirely overwhelmed me to think about Korea and it's culture and history.

It is all I can manage to get up every morning and carry on with my day knowing that Finley is continuing to grow up without us, halfway around the world.

...Until recently.

As the boys and I were moseying around the local library, the boys came bounding out of the non-fiction section proclaiming that they found Korea books.

Their excitement was contagious and their curiosity, inspiring.

The first thing we read about was the Korean flag.

"What does the South Korean flag mean?  The blue and red circle in the middle is called taegeuk, {yin and yang}. It means that everything has an Opposite -like day and night, male and female, north and south- and it stands for the balance in life.  The black symbols near each corner stand for the things that make up our universe: heaven, earth, water and fire."

~Ann Martin Bowler

As we continue to learn more about Korea and our world seems so out of balance, we will remember that everything has an opposite.

For every tear, there will be indescribable joy.

For every fear, there will be Love.

Check out The Terpblog to discover Opposite through Katie's lens.

When Your Too Busy Living Life

Tonight, my living room was filled with genuine laughter and deep conversation, as Katie and I crossed off #2 & #33 off our Year 33 lists, respectively.

It was the first time that most of us had met outside of the social media world, yet we all seemed to have been connected for years.

We questioned.

We shared.

We joined each other in much more than a discussion about a book.

We joined each other in authentic living.

As I turn in tonight, I have yet another eucharisto to add to my list.

182. Six authentic women choosing gratitude.

On the Night You Were Born

for Finley Grace

On the night you were born,

the moon smiled with such wonder

that the stars peeked in to see you

and the night wind whispered,

"Life will never be the same."

Because there had never been anyone like you...

ever in the world.

So enchanted with you were the wind and the rain

that they whispered the sound of your wonderful name.

The sound of your name is a magical one.

Let's say it out loud before we go on,

Finley Grace

It sailed through the farmland

high on the breeze...

Over the ocean...

And through the trees...

Until everyone heard it

and everyone knew

of the one and only ever you.

Not once had there been such eyes,

such a nose,

such silly, wiggly wonderful toes.

In fact, I think I'll count to three

so you can wigge your toes for me.

When the poar bears heard,

they danced until dawn.

From faraway places,

the geese flew home.

The moon stayed up until morning next day.

And none of the ladybugs flew away.

So whenever you doubt just how special you are

and you wonder who loves you, how much and how far,

listen for geese honking high in the sky.

(They're singing a song to remember you by.)

Or notice the bears asleep at the zoo.

(It's because they've been dancing all night for you!)

Or drift off to sleep to the sound of the wind.

(Listen closely...it's whispering your name again!)

If the moon stays up until morning one day,

or a ladybug lands and decides to stay,

or a little bird sits at your window awhile,

it's because they're all hoping to see you smile...

For never before in story or rhyme

(not even once upon a time)

has teh world ever known a you, my friend,

and it never will, not ever again...

Heaven blew every trumpet

and played every horn

on the wonderful, marvelous

night you were born.

                                                                                         

                                                                                    Nancy Tilman



slight addiction

i have a very addictive personality. i currently have a love affair with sweet italian creme, kid rock and the bachelor. my addictions usually go in spurts. i will be obsessed with something for a couple of months and then move on. however, my addiction to books has been long lasting and is showing no signs of letting up.

i crave books. i love the going into a bookstore and just browsing through all of the many, many books. i know i could never read them all, but just the possiblity of reading them lures me in. needless to say i look for any reason to buy a good book. so, when gibson came home from church with idea of having an obeying chart, my wheels started to turn. steve and i decided that after the boys filled up their chart, we would reward them with a trip to schuler books to pick out a book of my their own.

since we have started our new obeying charts we have made several trips to schuler. each time we go, we end up spending hours there. gibson looks at nearly every book, being sure to pick just the right one. elliott usually just plays with the trains and reorganizes the stuffed animals. however, on our last trip, they both made themselves comfy and browsed through books together. ahh, it melted my heart to see them loving each selection they made.






after much diliberation here are the choices they made...

gibson's pick...not exactly a nominee for the caldecott, but you know what they say about kids having a choice in what they read...and we have painfully read every word read it numerous times since our purchase.



elliott's pick...ok, so it was really my pick, and elliott had no choice in the matter, but he was thrilled all the same. after gibson's pick we need some good literature in the house.