Jun 23, 2011 | In the Name of Love
When we dance, he gently leads. He can make a fire in the rain. He starts a conversation out of nothing at a dinner party. He can ride a horse, shoot a gun, and make perfect crepes. And he’s stern and gentle with our boys.
He’s my South African gentleman cowboy hubs.
Four years ago we stirred to the sounds of our own peaceful morning music choices, playing from a laptop nearby. Seagulls called outside our window and the busy streets of Edinburgh bustled below. We eventually settled into a sunny place with a beautiful view of Calton Hill, and it feels like there was enough peacefulness to swim in. We left it for these sunny southern shores two years ago.
This morning we stirred to the sounds of a baby ready for a diaper change. About the time he finished nursing his older brother was awake and ready for Dada to fetch him. He turned over and whispered:
Happy Anniversary. I love you.
We stumbled downstairs in the still-dark early morning, me carrying the bigger one to go and use the potty, him cuddling the little one, so tiny in his strong arms.
I paused for a moment while waiting for the kettle to boil to listen to our music. The Bear, singing his ABC’s and laughing in his high chair, squealing a request to see his baby brother or get down or coffee or cookie or just something. The Baby, cooing and singing as he watches the palm trees sway in the winter winds of the Cape, on this close to shortest day of the year.
We have a week before our address changes again. Change and movement, suitcases and packing seem a chorus in the song of our lives. But love has been the rhythm, the beat, the lyrics, and the reason to sing. We have two beautiful boys, ten thousand photographs, and a lifetime’s worth of memories already.
These four years have been a gift and a blessing. They’ve been full of joy and profound heartache. We’ve laughed until we cried, and cried until we laughed. He’s a reason for me to send thank-you notes to heaven.
To my South African Gentleman Cowboy Hubs,
Happy Anniversary. I love you.
Four years ago, today.
xCC
(If you buy a photo, you’ll really make his day!)
Jun 22, 2011 | The Good Word
Have you ever noticed how the value of something often seems to have more to do with who made it than what it actually is?
Those shoes are Manolo Blahniks…
This car is a Lexus…
That painting is a Picasso…
This is Starbucks coffee.
Even if you don’t think that a Picasso is something you’d like hanging in your living room, still, by virtue of it being a Picasso, there is an intrinsic value ascribed to the work of art, because Picasso was the creator.
And so it is with you.
The world is full of people ready to de-value you, because you’re not Lexus enough…you’re not Manolo enough…you’re not Picasso enough.
But your Creator had something else in mind when He created you, and part of the joy of life is taking the time (and sometimes the risk) to discover how you were created, what makes you tick, and what makes you really alive.
As Irenaeus, an early Christian thinker and writer once put it,
“The glory of God is man fully alive.”
Do you think you could look in the mirror today? Not in the literal sense…the real value is on the inside. Look in, look deeper. Look for patterns. Think about times when you’ve felt that x-factor Eric Liddell described by simply saying,
“I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”
Are you living that now? What steps could you start taking to get there?
No matter what this world tells you, regardless of your cans and your can’t’s, you are fearfully and wonderfully made.
And of so much more value than even the sassiest pair of stilettos.
xCC
Jun 21, 2011 | Baby Photos, Travel..ling Tuesdays
While Goo-Goo, Gammy, and Auntie Lyn were visiting, we took a {previously mentioned} leisurely drive to Noordhoek, where a sweet little stopping spot filled our afternoon with a splendid diversion. The spot is called Noordhoek Trading Post, and it boasts a couple of sweet little restaurants, some shopping, and a playground so delightful, the Bear took one look at it and wet his pants. I’ll leave you to guess whether I mean that literally.
Ahem.
Noordhoek is a sweet little corner of Cape Town not far from b-e-a-uuu-tiful Chapman’s Peak Drive. {That might be the backside of Chapman’s Peak right dere. But I could be wrong.} The name literally translates “North Hook” but I suppose “hoek” is used around here kind of like “corner” where I come from, like Spivey’s Corner, with the annual hollerin’ contest. And don’t try to put a ‘g’ on that, it just ain’t right.
I digress. Noordhoek has a beautiful long stretch of beach that reminds me of North Carolina beaches…sans the mountains nearby, of course.
There’s a lot of Cape Dutch thatched roofage in Noordhoek. I like it.
And look! I found my flag…Americans must be welcome! Finally, we’re welcome somewhere!
We briefly perused the {tourist-priced} goodies…
which were certainly adorable
and interesting
and bounteously plentiful {or plentifully bounteous?}
but nevertheless tourist priced, so on we went in search of grub, and found it here.
The Bear found himself here:
and here
and here
and, with a Goo-Goo in tow, here
{Are those the pants we changed into, out of pee pants? Who knows…}
The Tank found himself here…
and here
and bestillmyheartIlovethisbaby, right in front of the camera lens, here:
And thanks to this:
and a good Goo-Goo,
we got to sit here
and enjoy a scrumptious lunch. Yay! {Auntie Lyn’s treat! Thank you!!!}
The Travelling Tuesday Review: Nice place to stop with the little ones! Cafe Roux is yummy. {Try not to get roped in on the tourist goodies.} But if you stroll through the awesome bakery (sorry, it just felt wrong to take pictures in there) grab an almond croissant for me. And, if you could, pronounce it KWA-sont, when you pass it to me. Keep it posh. Thanks a million.
Hope you’re having a great week!
xCC
Jun 20, 2011 | Baby Photos
Just thought I’d pop up and say hi.
Hi!
And I don’t mean to brag, but I’m turning four this week.
Yeah, four months.
I’d strut if I could.
Wassup????
Hope your week is off to a good start!
xCC
Jun 19, 2011 | The Parenthood
Happy Father’s Day…
To the father who’s always been there, whom I love so much, and who saw the gift of words in me before I saw it myself…
And to the second father I’m privileged to have been blessed with, who is one-of-a-kind and wonderful:
And to the father of my children who loves our boys so much.
The world is full of children, and adults, in desperate need of a good father,
not a perfect one, but one at least willing to show up.
One willing to love, to guide, to gently lead,
and to reflect the Father heart of God.
And, in this life, I’m privileged enough to have three.
From the bottom of my heart, and from these precious boys,
who, I pray, will be good fathers some day,
thank you.
To all the Dads aiming to reflect the Father’s heart every day, I wish you a Happy Father’s Day.
xCC
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