little did she know...: for the beauty of the earth

I was given the magical privilege that only flowers, leaves, and fairies usually have on this past Saturday eve (that means friday night in fanciful speak). I felt the subtle breeze of summer truly passing the reigning season scepter to fall, finally giving her free reign to rule the land. this was no nominal calendar date deciding fall has arrived. this was creation having her say in the matter. it was the perfect cool evening (as in not very cool), but it was a fall kind of cool. the kind that tells you there is no turning back. and boy oh boy, fall did not waste any time getting the party started.

Saturday I woke to cloudy, cold, drizzly skies. and the world was magically turned inside out (we now go inside for warmth and outside if we want cold though don’t ask me what crazies would want that...unless it’s snowing. then all bets are off. anything can happen when those sparkly flakes float to the earth, including me not wanting to come inside in freezing temperatures). in all fairness though, I got the hint the previous night and i knew in my bones it was coming. I think it was the good Lord doing me a favor, because I don’t take well to unexpected cold snaps. Not that I am taking too well to the expected one...and i kissed goodbye to flip-flops and welcomed back my old friend flannel.

last year's flannel wear

and yeah, maybe flannel is trendy, but guess what hipsters, when flannel is out, girlfriend will still be rockin it because i am not a fair-weather fashion friend. i am loyal to my tried and true wardrobe companions. flannel, you are here to stay as far as i am concerned.

it was a good day to be dreary as I had to work. working in a warm, cozy, pizza perfumed environment on a cold, drizzly day doesn’t stink. getting treated to a hot cup of mocha infused coffee by my number one brother after said working stinks even less. and spending the rest of the evening with my favorite human (sophia)...well, i can’t even put the word “stink” in that situation.

it smells like flowers (or flowfas if little bear is saying it) and the first day of spring and sunshine and fresh coffee and chocolate chip cookies. and pumpkin flavored everything. because i am still completely on the pumpkin flavored everything train. all aboard.

i even got to spend the night and wake up to her fairy sounds and cuddle her in her cuddliest jammies.

we went to mass; and having sophia sandwiched between lianna and me, singing “for the beauty of the earth” accompanied by a celestial sounding choir, all while the Love of Christ is radiated from the Tabernacle and through the beauty of a community gathered to worship our Creator. i couldn’t help but think to myself: “i like this place”. i even think i can use the word love in this situation. definitely called for. and to put the cherry on top of a Sunday of beauty, we had one of my favorite treats:

doughnuts.

hello , Sunday treats

and let me just say, i am way into doughnuts and coffee after mass. it brings people together because it’s free.99, and hello, it’s doughnuts. delicious, pillowy, sugar coated goodness. and anyone who has rangled sophia during mass knows that a little coffee after that can go a long way.

not to mention doughnut induced euphoria. and watching other little ones take delight in the rainbow sprinkled treats brings added joy to an already happy situation of post-Mass bliss.

one happy sophia

it's hard to say who was more excited about the doughnut situation , me or the kiddos but if i was a betting woman , i would go with me

(a side for-the-record note: i still think the UD cafeteria has the best doughnuts. they didn’t do much that we could call “the best” in the cafeteria department, but i think they still got what it takes when we’re talking doughnuts. props, UD caf.)

after Mass i had some more precious moments with the little bear. she was demanding books, and books she got. and to see her dancing to the musical charlie brown Christmas book. i melted. puddle central.

pictures complements of the mama bear

the book title says it all

so, anywho. it’s cold, y’all. like texas in december cold. i had a little Christmasish feeling in my bones today as i donned my favorite beflowered old brown grandmama sawyer (trishey’s grandmama) hat. my mittens. my uggs. my coat (or fall jacket as bubba informed me it happens to be).

and as the 49 degree air nipped cleanly through my layers, i noticed that austin, we may have a problem. i was wearing my warmest gear, and this is just the beginning of the end. so, i need to regroup and reconfigure and synergize and see what happens. because short of sewing electric blankets into all of my duds, i don’t have much to go off of.
p.s. we went to dinner at a friends home who happen to be native to this frozen tundra. let’s just say one of them was wearing shorts and a tshirt. the others were not noticeably acknowledging the cold snap. i was standing in front of the oven in the kitchen in my winter clothes to keep warm...so yeah. winter. psh. bring it...

china and i happened upon Adoration at my Church randomly (or so it appeared to me) this evening. probably the best ever to happen upon. and everything seemed to have a glow as the candlelight warmed the petals of the hydrangeas and deep purple roses on the altar spreading the gold.

everything was made more beautiful by the Savior resting humbly on the altar before us to remind us we are never alone. He is with us always. i was mesmerized by the candlelight and enchanted by the flowers silently praising the Creator. and i was delighted for them to have the greatest honor that can be bestowed upon any creature. their velvet petals, precious perfume, and delicate beauty all silently sang praise to Jesus, and invited us to do the same. ‘twas a Resurrection day, indeed.

* * * * * * *

just to keep things above board, i’ll fyi you. i wrote this on Sunday night, but was too tired to go on with a post, so it’s Monday now. and i figure most of my readers (all five of you) will not read it until tuesday, so i am going to hitch up on this post and give you my would be tuesday thoughts. really, it’s just to wish you happy feast of St. Francis.

i feel a special love for St. Francis for obvious reasons, but particularly because Assisi is my favorite place in Italy. i have spent many a blessed and truly peace-filled days there, and i feel it is because two Saints brought Jesus to that town and it is permeated with holiness and love. so this is my tribute of gratitude to St. Francis and St. Claire.

the monk at St. Francis's hermitage let me go barefoot in the chapel , St. Francis style

Every day He humbles Himself just as He did when from from His heavenly throne into the Virgin's womb; every day He comes to us and lets us see Him in lowliness, when He descends from the bosom of the Father into the hands of the priest at the altar.

– St. Francis of Assisi

Lord , make me an instrument of Your peace
Where there is hatred , let me sow Love ;
Where there is injury , pardon ;
Where there is doubt , faith ;
Where there is despair , hope ;

Where there is darkness , light ;
and where there is sadness ; joy

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console ;
to be understood as to understand ;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive ;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned ;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen