:. new life .:

My friend Pretty Pretty Sharol received a new kidney over the weekend. She's been a pretty sick girl for quite some time, and has been waiting for her chance at a transplant. (She really needs a pancreas, too, but this kidney will give her a new lease on life.)
After months of fighting with the insurance company, all the while undergoing dialysis, just last week she was finally okayed for a transplant and put at the top of the list.
Two days later, she received word that there was a suitable donor. The surgery went well, and so far she shows no signs of rejecting her new organ.
All she knows of the donor is that they were young, healthy, and an accident victim.

Wow. Imagine how it feels to know someone had to die to give you life.

"He was pierced for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,

and by His wounds we are healed."

Isaiah 53:5

Yes, imagine how it feels.

:. amen .:

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."

~ Margaret Atwood ~

:. it's here! it's here! .:

This is what you get when you google 'spring'.
Happy First Day of, everyone!!

:. playground mentality .:

I have had the express pleasure lately of accompanying Mr. Gavin to the park on a few of these lovely spring afternoons. (Sshhh . . . . don't tell Liam! We go while he is napping.)
I have noticed something wonderful:
children of a certain age (usually under six years old) are very accepting, kind, and democratic.
Yes, there is always the exception; the one bratty kid who doesn't take turns, or whines and complains or what have you. But for the most part, kids are very willing to make an instant friend, wait patiently for their turn at the slide, and just enjoy a day at the park.
Brown, black, white, Gavin has made some new friends lately, simply by virtue of sharing a love of the Big Slide.

When does all that change? When do we start noticing that a person is 'different' from us? When do we start having a me-first mentality? When do we start worrying about impressing others, rather than just enjoying their company?

It's too bad, isn't it?

:. snatches of life .:

The other day I saw an amazing thing. It was one of those lovely, warm days we've been enjoying recently, and a mom and her three little ducklings walked past my house.

[Ed. note: Just to be clear, these were not actual ducklings; it's just the way I talk.]

The kids, all under the age of six, were each carrying a plastic grocery bag. They were running, laughing, having a great time . . . and they were picking up trash. It had been really windy a few days before, and yes, there was litter scattered hither and yon. Some of it in my own yard, and I was too lazy to go pick it up.

These children were having a wonderful time; seriously, you would have thought they were on an Easter egg hunt, they were that excited.

Kudos to that mom for teaching her children servanthood. Kudos to her for teaching them to do something without being asked. To see a need and do something about it. Kudos to her for teaching them to take care of the earth. To take pride in their neighborhood.

Either that, or it was one of those kiddie work-release chain gangs that you hear about sometimes. It could've been that.

And here's something:

I bought a bubble machine last week . . . . just getting ready for spring, you know.

I love things made in China. Love it when the translation is just a little off:

'Up to 10 Thousand of Bubbles in Minutes!"

And the warning: "Play only under competent adult supervision."

Competent? How competent do you have to be to fill it up and push the button?

Hhhhmmmm . . . . I wonder what adults I know that should be barred from using my bubble machine?