it's hard to keep track

at bedtime, we always pray for the extended family by name.  tonight, dylan insisted on praying for uncle josh's brother.

i broke the news:  "uncle josh doesn't have a brother.  he has three sisters: aunt tiffany, aunt bethany, and mommy."

"yes, he does!" she insisted.

i thought for a moment.  "are you talking about uncle jerod's brother, chad?"

we just met jerod's family at his and bethany's wedding, and it was crazy how much his brother chad looked like our brother josh.  twenty-something?  check.  coordinating groomsmen suit?  check.  tall?  check.  red hair?  check.  beard?  check.  blue eyes, friendly smile?  check, check.

josh is to the left of my dad, and chad is giving a toast on the right.

i tried to clarify that although he looked like josh, chad was actually jerod's brother, but dylan wasn't having any of my explanations.  "NO." she persisted. "JOSH's brother. the one with the same head."

how can you argue with that?

handmade, fair trade: Noonday Collection {giveaway}

**giveaway closed. HopefulLeigh, you are the winner, lady:)**

One of my favorite passages in all of scripture is Isaiah 58.  I love how it reveals the communal aspect of covenant faith and our deep ties to one another.  I love its imagery [you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings] and rich promises of healing, God's nearness and provision, community restoration, and deep joy for those who seek justice for the poor and oppressed.  I love how it demonstrates God's heart for righting wrongs, shalom, and faith-lived-out.

I can't say for sure when I first became acquainted with Noonday Collection, but when I learned that they got their name from Isaiah 58 [if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will be come like the noonday], I knew they were about more than selling beautiful accessories.

The business grew out of a trip to Uganda and a desire to adopt internationally and provide sustainable income for women there.  Founder Jessica Honegger began selling fair trade goods at trunk shows in Austin, TX to fund her own Rwandan adoption, and she continues to advocate for orphans by:

• Providing jobs that create a pathway out of poverty for women. A stable income means a family is less likely to abandon their child.
• Help families fundraise for their own adoptions. We give 10% of trunk show sales directly to the adoptive family when they host a trunk show.
• Aside from donating 10% towards qualified adoptive families, Noonday Collection Foundation gives net proceeds towards orphan care and prevention. 

Every item is made by artisans from all over the world--including refugees here in the U.S.--and buyers can feel confident in knowing that they are paid a just wage, according to fair trade standards.  Plus, the collection is stunning:  ethical, beautiful, and perfect for gift-giving.

Noonday Collection sells direct from their website and though in-home trunk shows. You can even become an ambassador and earn income while benefiting families in the developing world.

Jessica is offering a beautiful giveaway to so much shouting, so much laughter readers: a set of four wood bracelets, painted by hand in Kashmir, valued at $45:

Don't they just look like summer?  They'd be perfect alongside sandals and a sundress.

To enter the giveaway, take a look around the Noonday Collection and comment here on which piece catches your eye.

You can get four additional chances to win if you subscribe to their newsletter (scroll down and enter email at the bottom left corner), like them on facebook, follow them on twitter, or post a link to this giveaway on facebook:  leave a unique comment for each entry.

Although it won't net you extra entries, you are, of course, always welcome to subscribe to my site or follow along in the various capacities indicated by the social media buttons at the top of the screen. ;)

Giveaway ends Friday at midnight, eastern time, and random.org will choose a winner from among qualifying comment entires.  Good luck, friends!

the long road back

"i make this look good"

jim's surgery yesterday went well.  thank you to all who've kept him in prayer!  they repaired the ACL and found no meniscus damage, which means that his recovery ought to be quicker.

he started logging six hours daily on a machine to help keep his knee moving and healing properly.  between the meds and the anesthesia wearing off, he hasn't felt well enough to eat much in two days, but he's able to get around the house ok and is keeping the pain under control, so we're putting those in the "win" column.

may you enjoy a wonderful holiday weekend.  and be sure to check back monday--i have a gorgeous fair trade giveaway that i know you're gonna love:)

i will not forget you

{image}

Can a mother forget the babe at her breast,
who grew in her own Body and is sustained by it still?

Nuzzled close and warm,
milk-drunk smiles suggest no.
Aching fullness creates urgency the
fuzziest awareness cannot suspend.

Tender moments nurture intimacy,
embodied grace of Mother-love:

I will not forget you!  See, 
I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.

Nail-scarred hands ache, too:

O Jerusalem, killer of prophets, 

how I long to gather you as 

a hen gathers chicks under wing.

But you were not willing.

Love, secret-knit and nourished in mystery,

poured out for the prodigal unto the very ends of the earth.

shared with five minute friday at the gypsy mama, imperfect prose at when eden murmurs,

and simple moment, bigger picture at peanut butter in my hair.

steady the knees that give way

jim directs the adventure program at the camp where we live.  he climbs trees; builds ziplines and ropes courses; oversees staff and schedules and horses; and is the first responder in all emergency situations.

he is also having knee surgery tomorrow to repair the ACL he tore this spring.

his job is physically taxing, and summer camp hours and obligations are grueling.  staff training--camp--begins tuesday, day four of his recovery.

if you are the praying sort, would you lift him up in prayer?  the situation and timing are overwhelming, but we remember that our God is a God of healing.  we trust that he will steady the knees that give way, just like he promised.

But for you who fear my name,
the sun of righteousness will rise
with healing in his wings.
And you shall go forth again,
skip about like calves
coming from their stalls at last.

thank you muchly, friends of mine:)

get your bid on: help for joplin tornado relief

the help for joplin auction is live over at bigger picture blogs.  they're adding items every hour today and tomorrow, so check back often.  the more money the raise, the more the salvation army can provide that needy community, so let the bidding wars begin!

it's the end of the world as we know it {and we feel fine}

the world did not end may 21, and in fact, a whole other one may have opened in its stead:

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

~e.e. cummings

we love you, sweet bethany and jerod. grace and blessing abounding in your new life as one.

wild kingdom

i'm not a "dog person".  you know how they smell, lick, shed, bark, jump, and get all up in your ladybits?

i'm not really down with that.  

but i'm not a "cat person" either.  the truth is, i don't really like animals much at all. 

*gasp* i know!

now before anyone suspects me of hating my mama, Jesus, and america, too, rest assured i don't wish animals any harm.  they're fine with me in the woods or at the zoo; i just don't prefer sharing personal space with them.

my kids do, so i make exceptions--for at least as long as it takes to snap a photo.

dylan's sharp eyes discovered a little painted turtle amidst the driveway rocks.

our dog wrestled this poor bunny out from under our deck, and our curiosity probably gave it a good scaring too--especially james' grabby hands!--before it hopped out of sight to safety.

the same night, after the kids were in bed, i was picking up toys and almost grabbed this little orangy-brown tree frog off our living room floor.

i tried to catch it, but it jumped under the couch, never to be seen again.

now, these animals are all of the little, cute, unstinky, non-threatening variety that i can deal with handily.  neighbors of ours were awoken the other night to what sounded like a giant jungle cat snarling just outside their window.  something that sounded big enough to eat a dog or cat with room to spare.

we were ruminating about it last night at dinner, and dylan offered this helpful perspective:

"mama, jungle cats don't eat windows, so they can't get you when you are inside. even if they are big enough to eat james."