Life on the Farm (Christmas 2012)

One day before we left we went out with Grandpa and Uncle Myron to watch them feed the cows. Afterwards Uncle Myron let each one of the girls drive the tractor. One was focused on the task at hand; one easily distracted; one wanted NOTHING whatsoever to do with it.

Hannah helping Grandpa untie the haybale

Daddy, Elizabeth, Grace, and the cows eager for breakfast... ok, maybe just the cows.

Gracie driving the tractor

Hannah driving the ... oh, what's that over there?

Elizabeth... GET ME DOWN FROM HERE RIGHT NOW!

Hannah as Amer Justice... grandma's mom.

Hannah is wearing a dress belonging to her great-grandmother.

Craft Time (Christmas 2012)

My daughter can create something out of just about any collection of things she is given. Apparently, that gift is also active in the other Olson cousins. There were definitely lots of craft projects happening over Christmas.

Macy creating a tissue paper flower. Hannah figuring out what to do with silk flowers and a paper plate.

Daddy and Gracie creating a jewel studded and ribboned heart

Lanie keeping Elizabeth entertained while watching Macy create her masterpiece

Christmas Project with Cousins

This year we gave Lanie and Macy a "tie-dye" kit for Christmas and bought t-shirts for us all to do them together. It was quite a project, but I think they turned out well.

Prepping the shirts and getting ready to dye them.

Macy and Lanie coloring their shirts

Rinsing the shirts after they had soaked in plastic bags for 24 hours

The finished products!

Christmas 2012

Yes, I know it is almost the end of January and I'm going back into December! Kind of wonder if we could have a "do-over" for January 2013... but on second thought, I'd rather not. I can't imagine things going differently and I think it is probably a better idea to keep marching forward.

But, as I seem to finally be coming up out of the blah of flu, I should probably get some of these Christmas pictures on the blog before it is Christmas 2013.

We had a lovely time out with the Olsons in North Dakota. It was just what we needed... low key, being taken care of by grandma, playing with cousins and aunts and uncles, reading, resting, and hoping that we didn't have to return to reality too soon. It was cold, but we did get outside some. For the most part there was lots of laughter and food in grandma and grandpa's warm house (they kind of spoiled us for when we came home:-) ).

Cousins arrived and everyone headed out in the snow for some fun (it didn't last long).

Olson sister love

Elizabeth playing piano with Uncle Nell

Grandma, Grandpa and all the Olson cousins

Before opening presents the Christmas Story was acted out with the puppets and backdrops Hannah created.

Present time!

Transition Day

I'm not so good with transitions... I struggle with change... and yet that is what we are in the midst of right now. I think I'm having a lot tougher time with it than my daughter to whom the change will impact most significantly. I wonder why that is?

Perhaps because Hannah is so much better at being fully present in the moment... not worrying about what might happen tomorrow or longing to return to yesterday. She loves passionately. She sees potential in the smallest scrap of paper. She feels the excitement of a new thing and is not overwhelmed about the "what ifs" that sap my joy.

So, perhaps I need a bit of a "Hannah-tude" adjustment...

It isn't a "bad" thing to grieve what did not come to be, but it didn't happen and no amount of my dwelling on the "mistakes" by "whoever" is going to change that. I live by faith and my faith teaches me that there is something more at work in all of this. Could I perhaps put on my "Hannah" glasses or even better my faith goggles and look with different eyes?

Can I tell you the number of kids who greeted me in the hallways of Hannah's new school? Every hall we walked down I heard "Dana!" Can I tell you about the great conversation with Hannah's new principal when I heard her passion for education and her desire to figure out ways to do it better? Can I tell you about the mental list I'm creating of ways I can possibly support and encourage the work that is already going on at the school?

Why do I prepare myself for hardship and not let myself look forward to the possibility... no, the likelihood... of finding joy?

Here's to joy, especially the kind that comes from my Hannah Joy:-)!

New Beginnings

Over the summer, Daryl and I agonized over what school to send Hannah to for kindergarten. The school we chose is now closing as of Friday. Did we make the wrong choice?

The critics would say yes... both the critic in my own head and the critics from community. Those voices are loud and hard to ignore, but thankfully there are louder voices.

The louder voices come from friends and from a life lived by faith. Decisions are made by finite people with limited understanding. Decisions are made in the ebb and flow of life usually without much guarantee about anything. Decisions are made and then the consequences are lived out, both positive and negative.

Because of our decision, we met an incredible teacher that loved Hannah and continued to nurture within her a love of learning. Because of our decision, Hannah rubbed shoulders and played with a variety of kids across the social economic and neighborhoods of our city. Because of our decision, Hannah is having to begin again in a new school with a new teacher. Because of our decision, I grieve what never came to be and wish I wasn't having to decide again. Because of our decision, I am back on my knees... a place I should never leave and a place God encourages me to return by allowing life to shake me up a bit.

This week is a week of saying goodbye and new beginnings, but in reality... isn't every week that way? Doesn't every decision we make take us along a new path away from one thing and towards something else? Perhaps not on quite the same scale... but movement none the less. My prayer is that my decisions will continue to bring me to my knees and fill my life with grace for myself as well as for others.

Books Read in 2012

My cousin, Krista, has been a great motivation for searching out and intentionally reading good books. She is a part of a book club and I'm a bit envious of her for that:-). It sounds wonderful. I enjoy gleaning from what she reads as well as finding other good books. Some of them I find through blogs I read... others I stumble upon and am captivated by the first pages, so I continue. While I do read fluff, this past year has been full of more quality, thought provoking stuff.

This past year I've read...

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
This was a powerful true story of survival in the midst of horrific obstacles... plane crashes and POW camps. Hillenbrand is an incredible storyteller.

The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz
This is another true story of survival. I had to keep reminding myself that someone actually walked all the way from Siberia through the Gobi Desert over the Himalayan Mountains into British India. Would I have kept going (or even started) in the face of so many obstacles.

The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Sterns
This book was very thought-provoking. I will need to reread this one to let all of what the author said sink in again. Some of the quotes I wrote down while reading it...

"God's love was intended to be or demonstrated, not dictated. Our job is not to manipulate or induce others to agree with us or to leave their religion and embrace Christianity. Our charge is to both proclaim and embody the gospel so that others can see, hear, and feel God's love in tangible ways." (18)

"The true gospel is a call to self-denial. It is not a call to self-fulfillment." John Macarthur

The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
I loved the first one, really enjoyed the second one, and thought the third one was ok. I actually enjoy fiction for youth, but haven't picked up much recently because of the current obsession with vampires. I'm so glad I picked up the first book... I can't remember why I did. Daryl even picked it up after me. We went to the movie for our first movie date in I don't know how long.

Prodigal God by Tim Keller
I picked up this book at the last CBD warehouse sale. Dr. Keller is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell and I had the privilege of organizing a conference at which he was a speaker and heard part of this is sermon form. It was good to read... a reminder that God is the one who lavishes love on us... prodigal at its best.

Others... I forgot to mention. No reflection on the quality of the books, (these were all excellent) I'm just not good about remembering what I read.

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba
The Boy No One Loved: A heartbreaking true story of abuse, abandonment and betrayal by Casey Watson
There is No Me without You: One Woman's Odyssey to Rescue Africa's Children by Melissa Fay Greene
No Biking in the House Without a Helmet by Melissa Fay Greene

As I look over the list, I realize I've read a lot this year. I just need to record my thoughts and impressions when I finish, otherwise I forget.

As part of my "educational" goal for 2013, I would like to be intentional about reading quality books... books that make me think and challenge the way I live. Again, I have turned to my cousin for recommendations. I have started while at my in-laws house this past week. The following two books, while works of fiction, were uncomfortable yet powerful glimpses into two difficult times in history... pre-civil war south and WWII Germany. The summaries are Krista's.

THE KITCHEN HOUSE by Kathleen Grissom

First of all this is one of the most tragic books I've read, because there really isn't much redemption or hope until the very last page.  All that being said, it is a gripping piece of Colonial fiction, and another book that provides many points of discussion.  I really enjoyed the author's style and felt she made a bygone time period come alive without painting a glossy finish on everything the way Colonial life is typically portrayed.  (I don't mind sad stories, or shy away from that sort of thing if I can learn something valuable in the process.) Krista at Cornrows and Meadows

THOSE WHO SAVE US by Jenna Blum

A frank and deeply unsettling story of Anna, a German woman living in a village bordering a concentration camp, who becomes the mistress of a high-ranking SS officer during WWII in order to save herself and her young daughter Trudy, a child born out of wedlock by a Jewish doctor.  In my opinion, while the author did not shy away from detailing the physical abuse Anna suffers from the Ubersturmfuhrer, the manner and purpose in which she wrote was not titillating, but properly disturbing.  HOWEVER, this opinion will not be shared by all.  I think it all comes down to what your own life experiences have been, (whether anything conjures up memories), how sensitively you respond to issues like sexual abuse, and whether you shy away from dark subjects in general.  For me, it generated much thought--philosophical and spiritual contemplation--without violating my conscience.  Still, when mentioning this book I always fully disclose the above. Krista at Cornrows and Meadows

Here is the continuation of my list for 2013.

Daring Greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent and lead by Brene Brown
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough
A Thousand Resurrections by Maria Garriott
One Thousand Gifts by Ann vos Kamp
When Helping Hurts - How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Yourself

Any suggestions? Anyone want to read along?