Soul Carving

When we first moved into this home, I knew I wanted to update the toy kitchen for our kids. Our family was growing and I was excited to have more space available. So for Christmas that year, I was delighted to score a sturdy wooden set, including a stovetop and oven along with a fridge. I liked that they were painted a bold red and green respectively -- nothing considered too girly for boys to play with. I also loved that they don’t sport any brand name logos or characters. They look “real”. A few Christmases later, we added new dishes (from the local secondhand store, of course), and we spruced up an old wooden table with spray paint to go along with the oven and fridge.  Just recently, I realized our silverware collection had dwindled, so I surprised the kids with a new, realistic looking set. But I lamented that the kids had no drawers to store them in. It seemed odd to put them in the cupboard next to the oven, and keeping them in the refrigerator was out of the question! ...

Emily Dickinson called hope " the thing with feathers ". This time of year, nearly every time I'm out for a walk, I can find empty eggshells. The bright turquoise of the robin's shells stand out against the dampened soil. I always feel a surge of excitement when I spot one. I like to collect them for our Nature Nook at home.  But lately, my delight has quickly turned to sorrow as I've discovered several eggs, cracked, but with baby birds still inside. Yesterday, I even found a dead baby bird on our driveway. It makes me heartsick, seeing these lifeless, tiny shapes. As the chatter and songs of a dozen other birds fill the air, my heart swells with a bittersweet ache. I relish the music that surrounds me, but I mourn for those voices that are lost.  Spring is a season of new beginnings. Witnessing death at this time seems like a cruel irony. Like a bird struck down in mid flight, it can cause you to question that budding optimism you felt only moments...