Our neighbor up the street plants zinnias every spring. The kids and I are excited to watch every stage of the process– first the prepared soil, then the progression of tiny shoots, leaves, and blooms in every color. Zinnias are my favorite flower, and I love that they come in late summer, just when things […]
beauty
May “Beauty Month” Recap
We’ve reached the end of our first monthly focus on beauty. We’ve explored beauty in the home, in marriage, in special moments, and in old objects. The Female Yoda gave us an insightful guest post on changing our expectations of beauty, I honored my mothers in a beauty-centered Mother’s Day post, and dipped back into the […]
Keep A Beautiful Moment To Yourself
A few days ago, I was finishing lunch, with Edwin still in his high chair nibbling on puffed cereal and playing with his toy piano. He found a button that played a new song, and as it played, he got very excited. He started dancing in his chair, laughing and smiling at me. He made […]
7 Beautiful Things About A Good Marriage
I have noticed something about marriage: the people who are happily married, and therefore have the most to share about the joys of marriage, don’t generally talk about it. As Americans, it’s more culturally acceptable to complain about a social institution (such as parenting or families) than to appreciate it. (We Americans are good at questioning authority, and […]
How Scars Become Beautiful
One doesn’t get to adulthood without acquiring a few scars, of both the emotional and physical kind. You could be emotionally scarred from a difficult childhood, from being bullied, rejected, dumped or passed over. You could be physically scarred by broken bones, surgeries, regretted tattoos, or self-mutilation. Everyone carries the scars of aging, which include wrinkles, gray hairs […]
Tips For Beautifying The Home
I’m about halfway through my month of focusing on beauty, and I have to admit, I’ve found it harder than expected. Seeking beauty, I’ve had no trouble with; I’ve found myself more observant of beauty in nature, in people, and in writing. But creating beauty is another matter, because in order to evaluate what, in my life, needs beautifying, it […]