the story of a watermelon

an epic story really, one of determination, persistence and strength.

it all began in march, maybe even earlier.

the garden needed to be turned over and prepared for the summer harvest.

we worked hard, we dug up by hand and flipped over the land.

we feed the earth with mushroom manure.

i designed, prepared and plotted the look and feel of the garden.

we bought, nurtured and grew from seed.

we thought outside the box, we thought what about a watermelon.

a good idea.

we found, we planted, we watched.

it rained,

and rained,

and rained.

the watermelon did not do so well

she had lost most of what was life giving, but still there was hope.

finally the sun came out.

her small green leaves reached and reached, longing to be filled.

and then it came

the small one came,

the small one in a diaper came to see the watermelon plant.

there were no leaves left when the small one left.

but still we watered it.

not sure why.

and to our surprise a tiny green leaf emerged from the stick we called a watermelon.

we nurtured

sang to

praised and rejoiced in our plant.

and then she came again

this time yanking the plant from the earth

throwing it in with the weeds.

but she is not a weed.

carefully, oh so carefully, i replanted the watermelon.

she does not look so good.

still i water, by hand.

my choice

i think that in most things we have a choice to make, a story to tell, a dream to capture.

i know that in my own life i hold very closely the dreams and passions i have, they are engraved in my heart. i believe it is important to teach our children that it is not foolish to dream, there is nothing that we are not able to do as long as we try.

scott has dreams of being a wrestler, and as much as i would hate that for him, if that is truly his heart, he knows that i would be there, every match cheering him on...maybe minus the tight low cut outfit...but i would be there, a little worried and stressed i would stand to my feet and whistle him in every time he made his entrance.

for my self, i have had to understand that dreams don't necessarily change, they just look different at different parts of our life. today, my dreams are our girls. growing them, challenging them, teaching them, and loving them. my dream is that they be beautiful women who love the Lord, who are kind to others, who aren't afraid to love, who hold onto their own dreams and step out in faith to see them come to life.

i have had to battle envy and jealousy in these past few days. i have had to remember what i have been asked to do and what is of most importance to me. i have been challenged by both my mom and friend to see life as i have been given and to cherish it with all my heart.

this is what i choose. i choose to do life well, to live with passion, to invest my whole heart into these girls. i choose to love well, beyond what i am capable of. i choose to be a mom, a mom who dreams, a mom who shows her girls what it means to develop friendships, what it means to love your husband with your whole heart, what it means to grow beauty in your home.

i choose to be thankful everyday for the gift i have been given in these two. today these are my dreams, these are my passions, these two are my life.

some days

some days we all need a little yogurt, granola, fruit combo in our hair.