Mourning doves

05-07-14 

The mourning doves have arrived. Finally. I like to think that these are my feathered friends from the house in the roses, who have been following me in our journey to whatever places life has taken us. I hadn’t seen them around here yet, but this morning while I was out in the garage I heard the familiar calling, which introduces the breaking of days; their cooing—songs and praises of the early morning; and I knew they were calling me; making me know that they’d finally arrived.

How marvelous these creatures are. They make me happy. They make mornings happier and brighter and even rainy or cloudy days get their doze of bliss under their spell. They are always the pull which, on cold rainy days makes you long for your favorite couch by the window, and cozy up with downy blankets and fluffy pillows and your favorite garden books and magazines.

I am happy and complete and feel wonderfully foolish and jittery all inside me. I am blessed. Daylight doesn’t stretch enough to contain this joy. Days seem to fly by way too fast; faster than my senses can accommodate to my surroundings and be able to grasp life as it goes by, minute by minute, moments by moments. And when nightfall enfolds our little white cottage, it seems to me that shadows are laughing at me, and that night has come in haste to my little world just to shatter this joy and part me from capturing the little moments of summer-like days, so that I won’t have time to memorize them, and treasure them in my heart. Do you feel this way when you’re happy?

I noticed that one of the teal cupboards needed some retouching. So I headed to Home Depot and had the nice young man at the paint department mixed up a color sample using the original formula I gave him… Unfortunately, things don’t always turn out to be the way you want them to… and neither the paint. It was a slightly different color, and boy what a mess that created. I had to repaint the whole cabinet again… and again… finally, I added the right amount of white paint to the green and got a pretty good match… I was exhausted.  But happy.

Fading roses... 

Still lovely to me

The backsplash is now done. Armando, the guy I hired to do the job, came by right after he was done for the day at his regular job, wherever he works. It was around 6:30pm when he came and he worked on the grout and sealant till about 10:30pm. I felt terribly bad for him having to work so hard at his regular job and then staying until so late to make my kitchen look pretty. In times like this I wish I could open up my hands and let grace flow freely onto others… convey silent blessings… real blessings that would fill specific needs… blessings to those who are always there to help, to the ones who go the extra mile for someone they hardly know, for the good ones, for the poor, for the meek of heart. I wonder if Jesus felt this way when He walked on this earth? I’m sure. The difference is that He could. And did. His big heart was ready to burst with pity for the sorrow upon which his eyes were gazing. And He was moved with compassion and always did something to make people feel better… That’s amazing grace.

I am over joyful at how my kitchen had turned out… it looks and feels like a total new kitchen, a new house!  I’m still waiting for the cabinet doors to arrive, but that’s it.  Pretty much done for now.