Christmas Reflections

x o x o 

I love this season of Christmas.  I can barely wait each year for the afternoon when our family exchanges ornaments and decorates the tree; for the way we laugh and retell the stories, and one by one weigh down the branches with memories new and old.  I treasure the simple, unexpected moments of togetherness when all of us end up laying around in the living room with the tree lights low, the music playing and the easy conversation that flows.  I love the huge family and friend gatherings with great food, little kids running around and the pleasure of being with those we care about.  Even the kitchen chaos has had a festive feel to it lately... like last night when each of us on crazy schedules came tumbling in at different times, ate our dinner, snacked on ginger cookies, watched the gingerbread house take shape on the table (thanks to Brooklyn), and dipped into the candies meant to decorate it. These are the moments I love and cherish so much.  They are such wonderful gifts.

But there is one gift I cherish more, and sometimes I forget.   It's only when I stop and intentionally set aside some quiet moments to reflect, to pull away from all the hustle and noise, pressure and distraction, that I remember. 

Amidst all the wonderful gifts, there is something infinitely more....the most immeasurable, indescribable, invaluable gift of all: God's gift of Himself to me -- to all of us. He is the gift of fresh, new beginnings; the gift of forgiven mistakes, forgotten pasts, and clean slates.  He is the gift of freedom for our souls. He is Christmas.

A couple thousand years ago, at just the perfect moment -planned before the beginning of time- God did the impossible.  He became small. The creator and mastermind behind all that we might wrap our wildest imaginations around, willingly inserted Himself into time and history, in the form of a helpless baby, born to a peasant girl who was engaged to a carpenter.  And His birth was announced to the shepherds, of course.  God lit up the heavens with stars and angel-choirs singing -- a show for the lowly and lonely and overlooked. 

This is what God always does.  He comes to those of us that want and need him most. He becomes small enough to be born in us,  if we choose to make any room at all for Him in our own soul's manger -- right there in the mess of it all.  And then the Miracle grows in us.  God fills us and spills out of us.  We get to be transformed daily, if we choose, because the creator is lovingly at work within us.

And just like the virgin Mary, who said "yes" to being a vessel wherein Christ could dwell, we have the same choice to make.  Are we willing to say yes, even the tiniest yes, to having God dwell in us?  Are we willing, even when we don't know what it means, when we're afraid, when we doubt, when we're confused and lost in our messy lives, to say yes?  

If we are, if we're willing to make any room at all for God in us, I can't help but believe that we might finally experience a widening of our imaginations and catch a glimpse of Christmas' true meaning and best gift.

Merry Christmas to you all.

words and images © copyright Melody Armstrong 2016

happy T H A N K S G I V I N G 2016

 i am THANKFUL for...

(in 2 minutes or less...ready...set...GO!!!)

1. Jesus' unconditional love for me 2.my incredible husband and kids 3.Tuesday night sleepovers with mom and our Wednesday's together 4. lifelong friendships that grow deeper each day 5.the way my heart dances when I hear my daughter's laugh 6. long chats and laughs with my oldest son 7. that far away look in my younger son's eyes when he's making magic on his guitar  8. my husband's hilarious e-mails...such a funny guy 9.watching and playing volleyball 10. soft sheets and a warm bed to sleep in 11.my hubbie's warm feet when i sneak late into bed 12.long walks in the woods or by the river 13.the sound of water...rushing, crashing, trickling, splashing, lapping, rippling 14.morning mochas on the front porch listening to the birds or the rain, or the silence 15. good health to enjoy this life 16. our worship times at church...just gives me goosebumps to enjoy God's presence in this way 17. writing in my journal or re-reading old ones 18. favourite authors...books, words, poetry 19. watching my kids hug and laugh with one another 20. morning prayers all huddled in a hug at the front door 21.my sister and brother 22. car rides in the malibu with the whole family and the top down 23. scented candles and long baths with a breeze blowing in the window 24. soft jazz  on the piano or saxophone ...and big band music 25. impromptu parties with great friends and delicious food 26. everything artistic...i love when creativity just spills out and you can't do anything but surrender to it all 27. the respect my family shows one another...what a gift 28. times out on the boat with friends and family 29. long hugs...especially from husband and kids...the kind I have to reach up for now! 30.capturing magic with my camera 31. keeping gratitude lists around the house so that I can add to them any time I like....and then re-reading them

and so on, and so on, and so on....

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends this weekend. May your own list of thankfulness grow throughout this coming year...and may your heart lean closer into the One from whom all blessings flow.

xxoo

~melody~

P.S. Come join me over on instagram:  whisperingsoulstreams  and take a moment to spread the love by clicking on the "share" link below.  

words and images © Melody Armstrong 2016

summer sweetness & seasons of the soul

It's breezy today and there is a soft grey cloud cover filtering out the strong, hot rays of this past week.  For the fair and freckled, like myself, the day is perfect.  I've opened the doors at either ends of the house to allow the faint scent of the river to flow through and mingle with the humid air drifting in from the lake.

I am sitting alone in my room luxuriating in the delicious solitude of this moment.  The rest of my family left for home a few hours ago and I will join them again in a day and a half.  But in the meantime, I am enjoying quiet; not necessarily silence, but the kind of quiet that lets me hear wind rustling through the leaves, the honking of rowdy geese flying low over the river, two little girls giggling at the park, the rhythm of my own thoughts flowing uninterrupted, and maybe even those whispers of God as He leans in close to share words that nourish my spirit and prepare me to move into the next season as it unfolds. For whether I am ready or not, summer is coming to a close soon.

I've just completed Mark Buchanan's book Spiritual Rhythm: Being with Jesus Every Season of your Soul.  With the carefully crafted words of a poet, Mark takes the reader on a stroll through the four seasons and the activities that characterize them, and then uses them as an analogy for the spiritual seasons of our soul.  Since it's summer now, I've especially related to the observations he makes about this time of year and how it corresponds with a summer of the soul...the beauty, the bounty, the energy, the leisure, the warmth. Who doesn't love summer?

For most of us, there is a unique sweetness about summer that makes us want to savour every moment the way we would savour the taste of a lush, ripe plum picked right off the tree and eaten while the sun's heat still permeates its skin.  (I got to do that for the first time ever this summer.  What a treat for a girl from the praires.)  Yet we know deep down, even as the sweet juice drips through our fingers and off our chin, that we must be present to the moment, giving thanks for these summer gifts even as they occur.

We help ourselves to the plums and enjoy.  If we hold onto them too long, they spoil.

I have to remember this as I try not to hold too tightly to the dreamy stretch of weightless days that have allowed us all to drift and daydream a little; to pause from the rushing, racing, accomplishing we do all year.  There have been so many "ripe plum" moments:  sitting in candlelight out on the front deck listening to my younger son play guitar till midnight, riding bike quietly under the stars with my daughter, walking and splashing along the lake shore with my mom and sister, savouring a few quiet mornings alone with my mocha and my Lord, going for a long swim up the river with my husband and a night swim out on the boat just the two of us, listening to each of my children share personal things that have been significant and meaningful to them this summer, cheering my brother on as he wake-surfs in his 60's (sorry for telling!!) and my 10 year-old nephew do the same for the first time, observing and respecting my oldest son as he becomes a man - making his own choices and stretching out into his independence, watching my kids with their cousins laughing and having fun, delighting in the deep heart-to-heart talks with a life long girlfriend during her visit,  playing volleyball in the sand until it's too dark to see, preparing and enjoying meals with a multitude of family and friends, eating ice cream with gramma and grampa and all of us, laughing at teenage boys dancing to house music beneath pulsing speakers out on the boat....all of this and SO MUCH MORE.  My heart is full to the brim and spilling over.

A year and a half ago I starting collecting letters to make up the word "nourish" to put over a collage of family images at the lake.  This summer I finally completed it and put it up on the wall.  It turned out perfectly, for I knew that our times together at the lake would be times of nourishment, for our bodies, yes, but especially for our souls.

As I spend my last few days here at the lake, I find myself thinking ahead to what next summer is going to be like, hoping for many more wonderful family times together, yet knowing that our oldest son will have graduated from high school by then and be getting ready to leave for collage in another province.  My heart aches at the thought of it.  It will be another kind of letting go and I'm not sure if I've had practice enough to do it very gracefully.  In the words of one of my favourite authors Katrina Kenison:

I looked around...and tried to memorize the moment, to burnish it by my own attention into a keepsake that I might store away now and retrieve later, on a day when the sparkle and intimacy of the holiday had long since vanished from the house...The irony, of course, is that every moment of our togetherness contains the seed of a farewell, that life is always a dance of coming together and moving away again.  Somehow we must learn to be nimble in our steps, to welcome both togetherness and solitude, to move boldly, easily, out into the world and to honour as well the soul's requirements for rest, replenishment and reflection."  (p. 249  The Gift of an Ordinary Day)

So today, in the peace and contentment of some sparkling alone moments, I thank God for all the sweetness and nourishment he has provided this summer, for the summer season of my soul right now, and for the year ahead that is full of possibilities and beauty -- even in the letting go.

words and images © copyright Melody Armstrong 2016 (unless otherwise cited)

lost in lilacs

i think lilacs

are one of my favourite things

about spring

i cannot get enough of them

their colour

their fragrance

their texture

as long as they are in bloom

i will have a vase full

on as many tables

as possible

one favourite memory as a kid

was mom and I with clippers in hand 

going to the neighbour's house

down the street

to cut lilacs

and fragrant bouquets

in every corner.

DELICIOUS!!

Mom and I still do this-

just a little more sneaky 

these days

( padding around in my

girlfriend's backyard

paradise

with clippers in hand

while she is 

away!)

Another slice of heaven.

words & images © copyright Melody Armstrong 2016

hidden in the woods

I've been walking through the woods near my house a lot lately.  It's one of those magical places where I can lose and find myself all at the same time.  

The moment I step into this world of soft, filtered light, evergreens and pine needles, rotting branches, and fallen leaves, I am filled with a sense of wonder and delight.  My heart beat quickens, my senses awaken and I feel especially alive.  I know that even as I walk, the big white Jack rabbit I saw a little earlier is still watching me, waiting to bolt if I come too close. I can hear a squirrel up high in a nearby tree.  Maybe he's checking his secret winter stash.  And sure enough, there are deer in their winter camouflage, standing beyond the bluff with their ears perked, listening to my every footstep.

It's easy to feel like I can get away from rest of the world when I'm hidden in the woods.  But these days I've been looking for the opposite.  Instead of wanting an escape from life's daily rhythms and minutiae,  I've been longing to enter my life more fully, to see it more clearly and to live it more attentively.  This moss covered forest is a quiet, sacred place where I can actually pay closer attention to the subtle ebbs and flows of my own inner world.  It turns out that this is what I really need, because what inevitably follows is a greater understanding and appreciation for God's simple gifts of grace in my life, whatever shape or form they appear in.

Do you have your own version of "the woods," a place where you love to go and be alone with your thoughts?  A place where you can let peace and quiet wash over you, where you can ask some tough questions or listen to some answers, where you discover by surprise some new ways to enter your life more fully with gratitude and eyes open for gifts of grace?

I hope the answer is "yes."  If you are looking for a place like this, just follow your eyes and heart (all my non "romantic" friends groan and roll their eyes!!!)  But, really!!  You may not have to go any further than your own bathtub or bedroom, a nearby park, a long ride on the train/tub/subway/bus going nowhere, a quiet corner in a cafe.....

I would love to hear of your special places and the things that you've been discovering in your times spent there.  (I know this blog is a pain in the butt to try and make comments on.  Please give it a try and if it doesn't work, feel free to drop me an e-mail at melodyinbluejeans@gmail.com )

And...in case you'd like a tiny glimpse into the ideas that have been percolating from my time in the woods... Here are a few of the gifts I am grateful for:

- the art and beauty I find in my daily life.  I love that I notice beauty in unexpected places.  I think that is one of my gifts that I can share with others
-that I can choose my own attitudes and emotions -- they really are having an impact, good or bad.
-that I am dearly loved by my husband, and while there are ways I wish he could express that love more frequently (adoring words :), a million kisses and hugs and touches...) his faithfulness and kindness is a gift I never want to take for granted.
-that my body is strong enough to let me live an active, healthy life -- despite the injuries, and weird, random aches and pains
-that my mom, at almost 89, sleeps over most Tuesday nights and it is a treasure our whole family enjoys
-that I have faithful friends who always have my back, see and believe the best in me, and will continue to love me when we're old, old ladies.
-that I have a sister and brother to share life's joys and sorrows with
-that my kids love me, talk to me, trust me, laugh with me, and even occasionally share their secrets with me too.

(I love to keep copious lists of gratitude..........it's just what I do.........so I will stop now and let you work on your own list.)

And here are a few thoughts coming into sharper focus for me:
-Transition is exciting but tough! And since we are smack dab in the middle of it, extra does of patience and grace will go a long way towards keeping a happy home.
-Time with my children is precious.  It used to seem like our days together stretched forward endlessly but I'm realizing that this is not the case.  I want to enjoy today, right now.
-Simple moments together with friends and family matter.  Small gestures add up.  I am reminding myself to take those few extra minutes at bed time to rub someone's back, to hear a story from the day or listen to a favourite song.  I want to have time for coffee or a walk with a friend.
-I can give myself a little slack.  There is room for my mistakes.  There is forgiveness for all of us.
-I am unhappy when I procrastinate.  I feel burdened when I procrastinate.  I want to do it less.
-I actually feel downright happy and giddy when I do the things that need doing -- this feeling of accomplishment could become addictive if I'm exposed to it enough.  Haha!!
-I realize that I sometimes let fear of failure (meaning: not meeting my own high expectations) stop me from trying to attain certain goals.  This is NOT how I want to live.  So.......I've got a little work cut out for me on this one!!



and with that.... let me send you all hugs and wishes for a lovely, joyful week.

xo. melody

words and images©copyright Melody Armstrong 2016 

summer gifts & dreamy spaces

my heart smiles contentment

and spills gratitude 

for the gift of this lovely lake space

a dream that really came true

a place

that is peaceful

and filled with the love we share 

dreamy blues and whites

and candlelight

and sloped ceilings

and bathtub in bedroom

sparse decor

of driftwood and rocks 

white birch branches

and garage sale trunks 

and creamy sofas and papasan to sink into

and lots of spots

to nap in the sun 

or snuggle under blankets

to watch the lightning 

to listen to the rain

to daydream

to sip wine or extra hot moccachinos

or G2's or iced tea

to luxuriate 

in the laughter of those we love

or share a tear

or be alone

this place is about

solace

 nourishment

and freedom

to Be and to become

to simply relish

whatever the moment may bring

a ski, a surf, a crazy flying tube ride

a paddle, a midnight swim off the boat

a movie on the hammock

or the drive-in

a dip in the river 

a walk in the sand

or a float on the boat

to gaze 

and be amazed

 at meteor showers for hours

this is a place for favourite foods

with favourite people....

ribs in the smoker or steaks on the grill

salads and fruit and pie 

Demille's cheese buns

Enderby cinnamon buns

and D Dutchmen chocolate milk

and, and, and.....

summer

in this place

with these people.

LOVE.

words and images © copyright Melody Armstrong 2015

an amazing father....

What a great day together yesterday - celebrating YOU!!  Your kids (all kids, actually) and I adore you.  

Yesterday, you took the boys and their buddy out driving.  Of course they loved that!  It's just like you - having fun yourself by making things fun for others.  You are such an incredible person.

Thank you for loving deeply, for being committed and caring, for putting the Lord first and us next (the best order!), and for always living by example.  If our kids follow in your footsteps - I know they will be wonderful human beings. 

You're an AMAZING FATHER!!  XOXOXOXO from us all.

...you even manage to get our girlie-girl in on the car scene!!

and you make a mean pizza!!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

memorize....

of all the intricacies

i want etched in my mind

i tell myself

i won't need to memorize your hands

the shapes, the bends, the ridges

where your lines and wrinkles end

and mine begin

as counted days of holding on

still sweetly grow

and two hands blend into one

till yours lets go

and i'll look closer than ever

and hope to find

my hands as old as yours

with lines of tenderness

still reaching, serving, sharing

with wrinkles from pressing and smoothing

and faithful, humble folding

with secret giving

and i'll tell myself

maybe i should have memorized

and i'll wonder

will my hands ever

look like yours?

words and images © melody armstrong 2014

my heart at home

within this place

I find a space...

where I am safe to be me

allowed to stand tall or fall

and nothing changes

where love is framed 

on walls along the halls

and inside arms

where there is always room

to grow and know

it's never crowded 

where there are hugs and smiles

to treasure through weather 

of changing seasons

where peace is not a stranger

where living is forgiving

and hearts heal

words and images © copyright Melody Armstrong 2014

just one of those days.....

I don't know if any of you have had the rare experience of hearing and seeing your microwave door burst open in an explosion of spaghetti squash......but I have.  After the mild heart attack my kids and I had, we busted up laughing.  Half my kitchen was splattered with the stringy yellow stuff.  And my microwave....well the pictures say it all.  I don't know how I had the presence of mind to take pictures of it, but I'm glad I did.  It was just one of those days. 

So much of my life is like this - splattered, messy, yet still kind of beautiful in a totally weird way. 

I'm sure you've had days like this too when you're hanging by the skin of your teeth, trying to laugh instead of cry and reminding yourself how good you've got it compared to most everyone else on this planet?  (And you do!  Me too!)

The day before yesterday was another one of those days for me.  It began by spending 2.5 hours on the phone for technical support over someone repeatedly hacking into my apple ID.   A couple hours later, I wiped out on my friend's icy, concrete front steps and landed square on one butt cheek (at least one reason to be grateful for extra padding).  Then, after pulling my sorry butt up out of the snow, I hobbled over to my car, got in and proceeded to dump an entire container of granola mix I had just purchased, all over the floor and seat.  Finally, after arriving home and vacuuming up the mess in my car, I went to the kitchen to heat some store purchased soup (yes, another stellar effort at dinner) and spilled half it on the counter. Not a good day.  One might wonder at the wisdom of me cleaning out my china cabinet the next morning!!!

If, like me, you can also laugh at the craziness of your life -- then we both have so much to be thankful for.  

Just thought I'd share.  xo

words and images © copyright melody armstrong 2013

first snow

thank you Ali for capturing pure joy!!

first snow...

it is

jitters and giggles growing

in a bubbly frenzy

til finally kids can

burst outside

in boots and mitts and snow pants

too big and too small

pulled from the hidden recesses

of closets and bins

still in summer hibernation

it is 

 hollars from the garage of 

"where's my .....[everything]"

and the two of us behind them

following happy chatter 

and frosty footsteps

tracked all the way up the street

to the new best hill behind the neighbour's house

it is 

doorbells ringing and 

more crazy kids 

smothered in scarves and outgrown jackets

peeling and reeling

 into the wonderful

chilly white world

of 

first snow.



Words © copyright Melody Armstrong 2013
photo credit:  friend Ali  M.

how to savour the fragrance of fall

Shrug on your favourite sweater, grab a bag and one of your (favourite) kids, and set out  for a walk around your neighbourhood, keeping your eyes peeled for a crabapple tree loaded with fruit.  Knock on the owner's door and ask if you may pick away till your heart is content.  Most people are more than happy to see you pick from their tree - leaving some for the birds, of course.  

Once your your heart is content and your bag is overflowing with tart, red, apple-ly (my word!) goodness, head for home. 

Heat your stove to medium.  Fill a pot 3/4 full with water and throw in a pile of crabapples cut in half.  Add some cloves, some cinnamon (and any other falls spices you might like....anise, cardamom, allspice...)  and let the simmering begin.

Before you know it, your home will smell like heaven and your family will be asking you what you are making that smells so amazing.

You will then say "ummmmmmm.................nothing."  

Then you will feel guilty for teasing them like that and end up making a batch of cookies or something. I guess that's the rub.  Haha!!

And hey.........there's always the option of trying your hand at making crabapple jelly. The recipe is on the back of the Certo boxes at your local grocery store.  What's the worst that can happen ----- your jelly doesn't turn out and you have several jars of crabapple syrup for pancakes???  Your neighbour might even like some of that!!!!

images © copyright Melody Armstrong 2013

wasn't it just yesterday?

....that our life was water

 playgrounds  

of river and lake 

to cool

to float our boat 

to forget school

to laugh and swim

to sit by and gaze at

and daydream?

....that our life was warmth

and freckles and sun 

and I followed the boys

just for fun

into the river - 

clothes and all

and who cares about hair

or hurrying?

...that our life was fresh

sweet cherries staining 

teeth and clothes 

and peach juice dripping

from chins to toes

an overflow of 

goodness and thanks

in every bite?

wasn't it just yesterday...

...that our life was together

 in early light snuggled

some afternoons huddled 

under canopy

of rain-drop symphony

storytelling faces

in strands of twinkle-light glow

thanks to husband 

who doesn't even know

he always brings light?

...that our life was transition

even while drenched 

in shades of green

and sun

a gentle knowing

that change would come

that summer treasures

get buried beneath

a pile of leaves turned gold

then snow

until who knows?

words and images © melody armstrong 2013