I am so grateful for the time this morning, rising early and sitting in the dark quiet before the day truly began.

I’m grateful for the year’s first seeds sown in the hoophouse, and two daikons harvested from a late fall planting (most of them got frozen).
Grateful that she wears either her stripey raglan or her ...
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Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of belonging that comes to us. We no longer live in a completely hostile world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless. The moment we catch even a glimpse of God’s will, the moment we begin to ...
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I recently ran across a story about a Native American tribal leader describing his own inner struggles.  He said, “There are two dogs inside me.  One of the dogs is mean and evil.  The other dog is good.  The mean dog fights the good dog all the time.”  Someone asked him which dog usually wins, ...
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Gabriel’s birth, like Ella’s, really began weeks before with lots of contractions.  Nearly every night as I lay down to sleep, I would have so many serious contractions for so long that I would almost get out of bed to call the midwife . . . but then at last, they would quiet down, or ...
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I read these two quotes (day 71 & day 72) in Meditations from the Mat a few days before New Year’s.  I could say a lot about what they mean to me, and how I think they might shape my year, but I think I’ll just let the quotes do the talking.  Blessings on your ...
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Well, we’ve tried but I’m not sure we managed to capture his extreme sweetness and cuteness.  Happy New Year’s to everyone, and Happy one week old to Gabriel.

Gabriel David Lester
Born with love and joy at home at 5:30 am Christmas morning.  Baby and Mama are both healthy and well.  Thank you in advance for your good wishes – we are resting and trying to soak up this precious time, and so grateful for this amazing blessing.

It’s been a week filled with beauty, love, and plenty of challenges.  Like most weeks, basically.  Ella’s had a wicked chest cold for about two weeks, which wakes her in the night coughing (which wakes me int he night to comfort her).  I did manage to sneak in a bit of crafting while a babysitter ...
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Lest you think that I’m all grumps and thunder these days . . . I’m either laughing here at the enormity of my own belly, or at something Ella was saying.  Maybe both.  As baby gets closer, I can’t help but remember the baby who might have been born in October.  Every time I dream ...
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Some days, I find myself snapping, crackling at the edges as if I might break or burst into flame.  Often I catch myself sooner, but sometimes I have to get to that point before I realize that I am really, really thirsty.  Thirsty for good words.  I realize, suddenly, that I am trapped in my ...
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