Sunday, April 10, 2011

Connected

I just read a blog post from a friend of mine who is working in Egypt.  I'd like to tell you about the work she does...but I really don't know what exactly she does.  Hilary went to school for long time and has several degrees in ....uhh, I'm not really sure what.  Good friend, eh?  I know her her first degree was in archaeology and the only reason I know this is because we attended the same university for our undergrad studies.  Since those university days, I have seen Hil only a handful of times...she pops in here and there...on her way to and from her many adventures.  I often ask "where in the world is Hilary"...literally. 

So today when her status update had a link to her blog post... I followed. I learned about archaeobotany and  archaeozoology and the endless work of the archivist.  Hilary is an archaeological photographer and  she posted an amazing photo of the night sky at Giza and it made me think of the pictures I took yesterday as Callie and I went on our own adventure...in the backyard.





I had one of  those moments when you think about how small you really are in this wide world, when you wonder who else is gazing up at this beautiful sky, feeling small and grateful to be alive and to be a part of something so big. And when I see Hil doing her thing on a part of the world so far, in both distance and in experience, from my own patch of earth... I am in awe.... for the stories of her days are so completely different from mine yet we are connected by the earth and the sky and and of course the web.


Here, on my patch of the earth, spring is running full speed ahead.  And the time and purpose of spring involves dressing for winter when you leave the house in the morning...having Callie cracking the ice with her rubber boots that had formed overnight on yesterdays puddles.  And on our way home, after our day, we are peeling off our layers, tip toeing through the mud, and splashing in the puddles that were shards of ice just hours before. The sun is working overtime trying to force old man winter to pack his bags and be on his way.  The air is on the verge of freshness...not quite April spring fresh, as there is a hint of dust tickling my nose as the wind stirs up the dirt and sand off the roads...left over from the winter driving conditions.



This time of the year gets everybody moving and doing...including me.  The weather is warm but not warm enough...But that didn't stop us from having our first barbeque of the year!  Now, the aroma from the grill, that is something beautiful.  And you know how when you get that first taste of warm weather and there are those people who jump the gun and start wearing shorts and flip flops even though there is still snow on the ground ...guess who?


I too jumped the gun this weekend.  I got the stroller out of the garage and I took the girls shopping on Main Street.  The sidewalks were clear of snow and I thought that would be all I needed to get out strollering...yet the air still had some bite and the wind picked up creating the kind of sandstorm where you close your eyes and mouth tight and try not to breath in.  We ducked in and out of the shops on Main Street picking up little treasures, like new Diego socks and helium filled balloons for no particular reason. 

She was so proud of her hockey shirt.  She chose it because she thought her dad would like it. 
This is the second time she has pulled it out of the hand-me-down box!

The highlight of our girls' shopping trip was our final stop for a latte, a smoothie and delicious desserts at the local coffee shop...and we sat in!  The mommy stars in that vast, peaceful sky that connects the world were aligned.  My girls and I had a delightful time.  I will say though, we were quite the sight when it was time to head home.  Lexi was half an hour past nap time, the wind was whipping our hair in our faces, I was trying to pull Lexi's hat down over her little ears while getting her in her car seat and, on top of that, I was trying to keep two helium balloons from entering the atmoshere.  Once Callie and Lexi were buckled in I turned to grab the stroller and here it had blown down the sidewalk and was still rolling.  I guess I jumped the gun on the strollering.  But it's all good.  I had a latte in the shop!

Where ever you are in this world, take a minute to look up. No matter how we choose to spend our days...we are all connected.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8


1 comment:

Megan said...

You and your girls are just so cute! And it sounds like y'all had a great weekend!! I love that verse from Ecclesiastes that you posted. Beautiful pics :)

ps - I'm following your blog now!