Hope

Two daffodils bloomed today while winter's reach still looms.  It gives me hope that mournful hearts may yet warm and bloom to sing again.

"Sing, soul of mine, this day of days,

     The Lord is risen.

Toward the sun-rising set thy face,

     The Lord is risen.

Behold He giveth strength and grace;

For darkness, light; for mourning, praise;

For sin, his holiness; for conflict, peace.

Arise, O soul, this Easter Day!

Forget the tomb of yesterday,

For thou from bondage art set free;

Thou sharest in His victory

And life eternal is for thee,

Because the Lord is risen."

~ Anonymous

Anybody Listening?

"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."

~ Lady Margaret Thatcher

Justin and His Unusual Cake

A few days ago, Justin came home to celebrate his 23rd birthday.  It's not an easy thing for a mother to realize that her baby son is 23 years old (!) but we had a fun celebration and a fun weekend.

To add to the fun, big sister Kristin made a most unusual cake.  But it was a very appropriate cake for Justin who's left his heart in Egypt.  Here you can see three rice-krispy pyramids (two on a hill), the Nile River, and Egyptian fauna:  tiger, lion, and alligator!  Needless to say, we all derived a lot of entertainment from Justin's birthday cake . . . and it was good, too!
                          Here's the birthday boy and the baker of the cake.
                     Gilbert learns the joys of party blowers!  
                                       Balloons make great toys, too!
After the birthday festivities were over, all the spaghetti and cake washed from the boys and pajamas donned, Papa reads about Lowly Worm and all his friends.  Patrick thought this was great fun!
Ladybug thought this was great fun, too, and wanted to join in.  She even brought a toy!
Papa and the boys conclude a most enjoyable evening!

Consequential Ideas

"He was one of the great humanitarian French freethinkers; and the only thing wrong with them is that they make mercy even colder than justice."

~ G.K. Chesterton,  The Secret Garden