Not Many Words

Some nights, when the house quiets down after being filled with energy all day long, I find myself with words left over, ready to spill them out here.

Other nights, I've already poured out as many words as I can; and if I have the strength to stay up late, it's to be filled up with others' words, not put out more of my own.

Tonight is the second kind of night, and the words are flowing into me, not out--this time, they are the words of Jesse Stuart's classic book, The Thread that Runs So True which has sat on my bookshelf for years--a hand-me-down from my mother--but which I've never read.  I'm not sure why I waited so long.  It's inspiring me not only in how I approach education, but in how I approach life.

Before I read another chapter--and likely fall asleep while doing so--let me squeeze out a few thoughts.

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This evening, on my way to Josiah's speech and debate club meeting, I was half-listening to Moriah's prattle from two seats behind me in the big white van; but when I heard her describing her future, I tuned in more closely.  From her, I found out that she's going to have a cat named Love and is going to defend her home with guns and cannons.  She's also going to put a sign at the end of her driveway that says, "NO BAD GUYS.  But yes, good people allowed."  I'm sure with a sign like that, she'll never need to use those cannons.  ;-)  I don't think she's ever heard Theodore Roosevelt's saying, "Speak softly and carry a big stick," but I think she's got the concept down quite sufficiently.  :)

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A few days ago, I cleaned off the bathroom counter in preparation for our neighbor girl to come and clean.  She has started coming every week to clean the two bathrooms and the kitchen floor, and I CANNOT TELL YOU WHAT A DIFFERENCE THAT MAKES in the feel of our home and the stress level of my soul.  Life-changing!  :)

As I removed random debris from the counter, I came across this scrap of paper, and paused to smile.

You see, ever since the kids heard how Jeff used to write notes to me in gum wrappers and hand them to me as if they were pieces of gum, they have been inspired to do the same.  This particular gum wrapper was given to me one day as I was in the bathroom, maybe after a shower.  I heard footsteps approaching and tensed a little, not because I expected someone to physically enter the bathroom (our bathroom doors have locks, after all, and I KNOW HOW TO USE THEM), but because I expected some request to be forthcoming from the lips of the child drawing near, or perhaps a complaint about a sibling's treatment of them.

Instead, a slip of paper was pushed by Tobin's hands under the crack at the bottom of the door, and on it he had written this simple message--a short, sweet "I love you," strong enough to melt me.

That might be the best bathroom interruption I've ever had.  :)