Aiming Past the Wood

"Aim for the chopping block. If you aim for the wood,

you will have nothing. Aim past the wood,

aim through the wood." - Annie Dillard 

We've made some progress on the tree I mentioned in the last post and the logs are starting to pile up. It's time for my thirteen-year-old to learn the fine art of log splitting. 


The Annie Dillard quote above is true, not just literally, but symbolically, and I hope I can use this opportunity to teach a greater truth to my son.  Sometimes you just have to fix your focus beyond what lay just before you to get where you want to be.


I often think if we could see too far down the road of any endeavor we might never dare move forward.  If known in advance, the challenges and obstacles ahead might well overwhelm us before we even got started.  Often the only way to progress is to set our eyes on the prize...the end result...the finish line.  This is, afterall, hope.  This is, afterall, faith.

Just One Question...

How am I supposed to get anything done with this face begging me to come play?

Thanks, Deisel, for helping me find balance in my day!

A View from Above

I ran across this photo of our front yard as I was organizing my photos today. 

It was taken early one morning last summer, when the day was fresh and full of possibilities.  This is the view from the desk in my studio.
Sometimes I look out and see my son chasing (or being chased) by our dog or my daughter sitting on the swing with a friend.  I can see the driveway as people come and go and I always seem to look up just when our sweet mail lady leaves something in the box by the road.
From this vantage point, I see a bigger picture than I would see on the ground.  I see things "in context", if that makes sense at all.
It reminds me how grateful I am that there is One higher than I Who watches over me.  When I can't see past my immediate situation, my Father in heaven is there, knowing all that has been and all that will be in my life and in the lives of my loved ones.  From God's perspective, every moment is fresh and full of possibilities and nothing is random or out of control.  Most importantly, just as I look on my children with such overwhelming love as they laugh and play and trust, my Heavenly Dad delights in me simply because I am His.
There's a little verse trying to make it's way out of my head today.  It's nothing fancy, but it expresses a bit of what's on my heart:

On days when I don't understand
I place my life in your strong hands
And trust that from your throne on high
You see and know the reason why
Then, safely resting in Your grace,
I sense a smile upon Your face