Pauses in a Busy Week

I'm so glad it's Friday.

It's been a long week filled with all sorts of busyness.  It's to be expected at the end of the school year.  In just 2 weeks from today, it will be the end of  our final full week of school, and then it is just 3 more days after that! My teenager only has 4 full days of classes left and one week from today, exams and NYS Regents begin.

For now, let's take a pause in the busy-ness of the end of the year and focus on finding FIVE FAVES from the week.  I'm linking up at Susanne's...how about joining in?

• FUNERAL:  yes, this actually makes my fave list this week.  Over the weekend, my oldest aunt (and my mother's oldest sibling)  went to join my mother, their little sister, and one of their brothers in heaven. There are still 5 siblings left.  Aunt Martha was a funny, hospitable and caring Christian woman. She lived 89 years in one of my fave Adirondack villages, and one thing that stands out in my memories of her are the long letters she wrote to me when I was a newlywed and then a mom.  She always included Scriptures in her letters and always had an encouraging word. The funeral was awesome!  Very simple with a good salvation message and the old classic hymns (one is a fave of mine).  As we were singing "It is Well with my Soul" I realized that when we really do know it is well with our souls, we can have peace in the face of death.  The graveside service was special, too.  I marveled at how my 4 cousins (all older than me) were celebrating their mother's life....they  broke out into a couple of old gospel hymns before laying the roses on the casket.  It just became a chance for me to pause and reflect on family and the unity we have, not because of being blood relatives, but because of being united in Christ.

• PEONIES!  I noticed that my pink and white peonies are starting to bloom.  We had 3 good days of rain and everything turned a bright green.  Our lawn looks good now (it was starting to get brown already due to lack of spring rains) and now that it is late Spring, all the flowers are bursting open.  I took a nice pause to admire my 3 peony bushes I have in the front yard.  God has beautiful Handiwork, doesn't He?

• CATBIRD!  On my evening work-out walk, along the town bike path, I heard the call of a catbird.  And then I spied him on the side in the grass.  I waited.  And waited.  I paused for about 3 minutes and then he flitted to the rail fence where I snapped his pic with my iPad.  I NEVER power walk with my iPad...too cumbersome.  But, Wednesday evening, I grabbed it from my car for some reason.....and I'm so glad I did.  I love catbirds.  We used to have them all the time all over the woods and yard of our childhood camp in the Adirondacks.  I rarely seen them here in suburbia.  It was nice to just pause from  brisk walking and just listen to him. (hopefully you can spy him on the fence in the photo!)

the Mohawk River as seen from the bike path in town

my walking work-out route
town bike path along the river

• WOODS, WATER, WALKING!  I walked for only about a mile as I had a late start on Wednesday evening.  But it was so peaceful (even with several joggers, walkers, bikers and skate-boarders). The part of the trail I did was fairly deserted on my return trip after the first mile.  I loved the woods with the sun glinting through, the water of the river sparkling, and the peace and quiet of the walkway!  It was good to just pause and take a look/listen at my surroundings.  Late Spring is simply gorgeous!

image courtesy of globeviews website

• SPRING CONCERT:  Dave and I took a pause in our hectic evenings, and attended our 16 year old's Orchestra concert.  This is the last high school concert she will be in (unless she decides to take Orchestra again when she is a senior...next year she is taking a break to pursue other classes).  Our high school has an outstanding Orchestra.  In fact, they have won state and national competitions!  How wonderful it has been to have had both of my daughters in the string program from the time they were 4th graders, all the way up to high school.  We are silently hoping she will change her mind next spring and sign up again for her last year of high school.

That wraps up my faves.....I hope you have a wonderful, restful weekend and I hope to get around to reading some of my favorite blogs this weekend!