old-fashioned post

     Even in our advanced-techno society, receiving a letter in the mail is a treat.  There's something about seeing your name and address in print on something that's not asking for

money.  And it's an extra bonus if it's hand-written. 

     Because I fell in love with this row of mailboxes, each one representing an individual household, I couldn't bring myself to simply rent a P.O. box.  Trekking down the twisty-turny dirt road, firmly grasping the bent metal handle, pulling down the little door, and peering into the cavernous box is a daily ritual I thoroughly enjoy.  It's a let-down if the box is empty...but there's always tomorrow.

simple joy: a row of mailboxes

unexpected versions of the prosaic

     I often drive past this Bonners Ferry garage and smile every time.  I call it the "Hobbit garage."  It tickles my imagination.  

     Then last month, while driving around Bainbridge Island near Seattle, we spied this fun mailbox "house":

     Also on Bainbridge Island, we saw this lonely chimney--remnant of someone's erstwhile home--just sitting by the water, waiting to tell its story:

     

     simple joys: unexpected, unusual versions of the everyday

changing seasons

The red berries left clinging to these bare branches look like natural tree ornaments to me.  It seems it was only last week these trees were full and green!  Time flows, seasons cycle, and each one is beautiful, necessary.  

I am amazed, though, by the promised transformation.  How is it possible that, in a few months, buds will emerge and sprouts will poke through the ground and the air will gradually warm?  Yet, I know it will happen because it has happened time and time before.  Faith in nature.

Faith in people.  People can change, for the better of the worse.  I can change, hopefully for the better.  How horrid it would be to be stuck, frozen stiff inside, unable to open up and be warm and vibrant!  That people, that I, can change and improve, I think, is one of the most beautiful things in life.

simple joy:  the ability to change my thoughts, habits, and goals

Christmas 2012

A dear friend from London made this Nativity for our family. It reminds me that the greatest of all simple joys was the long-ago birth of that Babe in Bethlehem.  It also reminds me that we rejoice in Christ's birth because of His life, His Atonement, His death, and His Resurrection. The complete and unconditional love--for us--of our Savior Jesus Christ and of God (His Father and ours) is manifest in this Gift we celebrate at Christmastime.

simply wonderful joy: pure and eternal love for each and every human being

seasons and specks

Time passes and seasons change, at least here in North Idaho.  
Strangely, there's a bit of comfort in the knowledge that there are things outside of my control. I suppose it's knowing that I don't have to be responsible for them.  No matter what I do or don't do, the seasons cycle round, the sun rises and sets, and life goes on.  I'm just one speck in the universe, yet a small act or word of mine can have great impact, 
for good or ill.  

I want to be a force for good.

                                          simple joy: nature's majesty

tidy bundles

      The whirring sound of the tractor is calming and consistent.  The tidy bundles of hay dotting local fields are comforting.  We'd probably all like the loose ends in our life to be bundled up tightly and tidily and set to rest in the middle of our field.  It's not always like that, though, and we just have to deal with it and find joy in doing the best we can.  

                                        simple joy: doing the best we can 

feeling appreciated

I recently visited a local business, Ponderay Garden Center.   As I looked up at the entrance sign, I felt appreciated.  It's a basic human need, I think.  Wouldn't businesses do so much better if they appreciated their customers, employees, and management? Wouldn't families do so much better if they expressed appreciation for their children, parents, and grandparents? Just an observation.  

             simple joy: making someone else feel appreciated, important, and loved