And the Heavens Shall Proclaim His Glory…

For your advent pleasure and devotion, an Advent calendar using images from the Hubble Telescope. And just think, He made the heavens and the earth, and we are still, millions of years later, only now discovering their majesty.

Could it be?

Snowdrops! It's almost spring!! Amid the dead and decay new life gives hints that the darkness has almost ended.

The Simple Joy of Camping

I used to camp with my husband, before we were married and Br. Maximilian before he was a brother. So to put that in a time perspective 12 years ago. I was a young lass then, barely 20, camping was fun, I loved it, but I never thought it was kid friendly. This weekend, my stupid pre-kid myths were proved wrong, again. Camping with kids is a huge giagantic blast!

Yes, we packed up the Olds and headed to the great outdoors. The car was a bit like a cartoon, with so much stuff crammed in every possible place, one bump and it could explode, leaving unmentionales all over the Illinois highways! Luckily, the stuff was packed so tightly, it held in place.

We headed north, to Apple River Canyon, which is breathtakingly beautiful. The weather was not great, it rained, yet, I think we may forget that detail in the future as we recall the fun we had. There was no schedule, no worries, no places to be, it was simply great.

My 7 year old lost his first tooth, the tooth fairy still found us, and didn't even wake a soul in our over stuffed tent. The 7 year old was so different out in the woods, hammering sticks into the ground, just because, fetching water for the kettle, and just relaxing. It was so nice to see he can have fun without video games or TV. He brought with the Dangerous Book for Boys to keep himself busy, and gave all kinds of advice on how to make the fire, tie knots and set up the tent.

We will definitely be camping again, soon, it was the perfect get away. Where else can you scare a turkey at 6:30 am? I will post pictures very soon, the kids took a few hundred of the fire and every other object in the campsite. I look back and wonder how I possibly had fun camping without my kids, life without them seems so dull.

Flower with the fun name

Dutchman's Breeches. It makes my kids laugh, not sure why, but it is in bloom this week. Check it out in the midwestern forest near you!

The Simple Joys of Sound and Silence

How often I take for granted the gift of my hearing, and along with that, the gift of silence. Yesterday we had another "everyone needs to get out of the house" hikes. Usually we are alone, but yesterday, there were, gasp other children where we hike. These kids were loud. I had never noticed before, but my kids are quiet when we hike. I think it is because we have spent time, listening to the world around us. We listen to the snow crunching under our feet, to the dry leaves rattling in the wind and tapping against the otherwise bare trees, we listen to the water in the distance gently tinkling over the worn rocks. This is our music. It is the most glorious music we could find, because it is that given to us by our Creator.

In the silence we hear sounds that give us hope, the "Spring's here" call of the chickadee, the loud trill of the sandhill crane, a sound we heard yesterday after the other children moved on, and much more. The sound of the crane, in particular, brings such joy. One year, we saw them migrate, but at least two other years, we heard them, without seeing. A simple lesson on faith, we did not need to see to confirm the sound, we just knew. The year I saw them, my daughter did not, she simply had to believe without seeing.

Even though snow still forms muddy piles around our hiking paths, we have faith that spring is hear. The sweet song of the chorus frog could be hear in the silence gently carried by the wind yesterday. The hope that comes from knowing that soon the cold and bitterness are coming to an end,and new life is spring forth, warms us, even while the air is still chill. We could barely hear the frogs, and when you get near them, they stop singing, but even my three year old announced Spring's return upon hearing the frogs.

We are no better than the average family, I get in the car, and turn on the i-pod, we listen to music, or TV or chatter all the time, but sometimes, we are silent. I wish I could say it happened in Church or adoration, but that would be a lie. God has given us a different way to adore him, especially when energy abounds. He gives us his creation, his beauty, his sound and silence.

It smelled like spring!

Here in Chicago we are used to big bad scary winters, but this year, well it was long, too. I say was, because today, it smelled like spring! We were our hunting for snowdrops, a sure sign that the winter is nearly over, sliding around on the iced-over trails, and enjoying every second. The air felt different, less harsh. Water was starting to melt, duck were wading in flowing streams, and the sky was bright blue, the deepest blue I've seen in months. Sure, it was still cold, but it seemed to be less brutal, like the earth is trying to wake from its deep sleep.

I find in really intriguing that Good Friday is the last day of winter this year. It seems so right. All that is death and coldness will fade in the warm light of the Resurrection. All of Creation will wake and sing to His glory, to celebrate the new day and new life. We usually hear Chorus Frog singing the first day of spring, this year I hope they wait a day, and wake the dawn on Easter morning with their joyous song. I hope to see the little glimpses of life, like daffodil shoots on Easter. It just seems the way it should be, earth wakes again as Christ Rises. After what seems like a long winter, and a very dark Lent, I look forward to the brightness of Spring and the Hope of the Resurrection.

Simple Joy of the First Snow

There is just something majestic about the first real snow. We got our first snow last night. I didn't have to drive in it, so it still held beauty today, when the roads were clear, and we got to go for a short hike. This is our favorite spot to "hang out", where we hike. It is secluded, and we watch the carp, sunfish and turtles for hours some hot days. I think we love it so much because it is always beautiful, no matter the season. the two images are what we see facing East and West, there are woods to the North and South.We only saw deer prints today, but we got to stand and wonder how the fish are, if that really big one will be back next year, and reminisce about how much fun the cicadas were this year.

Over the winter we will visit it many times, and look for fish, knowing that the first warm sunny day we have, they will appear, like magic. We will throw rocks, and listen to the "plink" of the rock hitting thin ice, we will have contests to see who can break the ice; Dad always wins. We will see many deer, all of which will be named by the 3 year old, who names everything we see. We might see a fox, if we sit still. There is so much beauty around us in our little "secret spot". It is as if this spot were created by God, just for us, to create memories.

The Storm!

I love the rain, but this is getting ridiculous! We've had violent storms every day this week. I've even gotten jumpy at the sound of the thunder.

My husband has committed to the 40 day vigil at Planned Parenthood, Aurora at 10pm. It will STILL be storming then. It is his first time there, pray for him, please, this is not the kind of thing he usually does, his mom would discourage him, but despite the weather, he will be there. I usually do not speak like this, but the forces of darkness are really giving us all a challenge, So many people have been out there praying, so many visions, dreams, and other unusual occurrences have taken place, many think the "clinic" will not open. Let's hope and pray they are right.

The Downside of Hiking

We hike, a lot. Like miles a week in the many beautiful forest preserves and nature centers around home. DD got a rash one day, not quite mosquito bites, those are usually reserved for mom. Then this lovely story appeared on the news. Itch Mites, commonly found in Pin Oak trees. Says mom to Daughter, "Hey, have you been climbing oak trees?" DD responds, " Uh Huh, the toads are all around the oak trees where we see the deer( look to the right on this site, deer, with Oaks in the background), We've been there like everyday." Mystery solved. I thought the ticks were annoying, but at least we can see them!