amusing hobby of some

http://www.teamsandtastic.com/RockStacking/

this is generally true

nataliedee.com

my food pyramid

George John Tezich

My Grandpa was such an amazing man.  This is a picture of him entering the Army in 1939, where he became a sergeant major at Fort Benning by the time he was 19. That cocked half-smile is so a picture of his ornery, punky, but yet oh-so-charming personality. He died this past Saturday with my grandpa and two uncles there. I was very close to him and he had such a positive impact on my life, so this whole experience has been so bizarre.  However, I am so grateful he's not in pain any longer, but I miss him so very much.  For the meantime, I'm here in Indiana celebrating his life with my family. 

this song keeps coming to mind...but do something else while listening because the album cover is cool, but not five minutes cool...and it talks about Georgia and ironically the base where my grandpa was stationed forever is in Georgia.  

lovely morning in tucson

went to the botanical gardens this morning - so beautiful! And they have pretty decent food from 10:30-2:30.  Go sometime.  Enjoy.  Sketch.  Breathe.  Eat.  it's very restful. 

today's lesson isn't going so well...

familiar sights...

Growing up in the Catholic Church, this image of Jesus is a familiar sight. But especially this particular version because it is from Notre Dame's Sacred Heart Basilica where my family often went to mass.  I have been thinking about what it would be like to go home to Jesus a lot lately, and today it seems even more so appropriate.  My mom has been taking care of my grandpa, who has been slowly dying for the past few months as his body has been shutting down.  She called today and told me Grandpa keeps telling her that for the past few days he's been seeing a lady in white telling her to come with him. Honestly, he sleeps most of the day because his body is barely running and he is in such pain...so knowing nothing about death or how God intervenes as we die, I thought his visions was so interesting.  My grandpa is one of the sharpest, most intelligent, yet gentle and good men I have ever known. He is known to exaggerate, but not about serious matters like this.  He says he's been scared and hasn't wanted to go with the lady.  My mom said she told him it was ok and that God would take care of him.  

God works in such bizarre ways...that my grandpa would start seeing visions of what I presume to be angels...that my mother (not a Jesus-loving woman) would tell him that God will take care of him. Those things should never happen and do not make any sense...but wow...who else besides God could bring about such crazy things...

If you read this and feel like talking to Jesus, pray for my family.  My grandparents have been married for 58 years.  I can't imagine what it would be like to lose your husband after that long...my Grandma's name is Joanne.  And it has been so hard on my mother (Ruth), the only daughter of the family. But I feel like Jesus is showing up for us all as the Jesus in the picture above - one with arms open, loving, accepting us amidst all our sin and such great pain...maybe a little less gold though :)

the wilting tree

this image often comes to my mind when i get really lonely or sad. a single tree that's either losing or lost it's leaves. i liked this version, but sorry about the blurry factor.

Kirkdorffer Farm

a very cute steer!  :) about 6 months old

the place where i have walked many calves in thousands of circles

I'm currently student teaching in a high school.  This inevitably brings back tons of memories from Indiana, and for me, especially those about 4-H.  Beef club was such a huge part of my life and my identity and it's weird now to think how that's a part of who i am...but for the while, I'll just miss it since I have no idea what God is doing with that...

mushrooms :)

how cool is this?!  Back in the day, being a scientist took artistic talent.  I wish that was still true so I could practice art while conducting my necessary science business. This also reminds me of the exhibit my sister just helped organize and is very, very cool at the Columbus Museum of Art - check it out here

bridge in nappanee

i remember walking across this bridge with my family when i was 7 years old and saw a snake bathing in the sun.  i didn't know what to do so i just stopped walking. i remember being afraid and my parents stopping to comfort me. that is a good memory.

scary place for now

Slowly,

she celebrated the sacrament of letting go

first she surrendered her green

then the orange, yellow and red

finally she let of her brown

shedding her last leaf

she stood empty and silent, stripped bare.

leaning against the winter sky

she began her vigil of trust.

Shedding her last leaf

she watched its journey to the ground.

she stood in silence

wearing the color of the emptiness,

her branches wondering:

how do you give shade with so much gone?

And then,

the sacrament of waiting began.

The sunrise and sunset watched with tenderness.

clothing her with silhouettes

they kept her hope alive.

They helped her understand that

her vulnerability

her dependence and need

her emptiness

her readiness to receive

were giving her a new kind of beauty.

Every morning and every evening

they stood in silence

and celebrated together

the sacrament of waiting.

Macrina Wiederkehr

my new identity

except stick a globe on the board instead of a math problem...and im wearing something else...

lovely song

listen to this as it rains. God blessed me with this before life gets ridiculous...

konstantine

i always loved the piano for this song. but i think the recorded version is better than the live version...without all the chaos of the crowd...