O is for Ode

Something about your crimson red
catches my eye when feeling blue.
How can thy not appreciate your white,
purely ethereal and heaven sent,
giving birth to promises of green?
When none other than your chirp
esteems a melody of sunny yellow;
songs that echo symphonic silver,
so that even when I cannot see you,
I feel our electric connection.
Your honor and reverie shines,
dropping splashes of pure gold-
such divine inspiration you are!
Oh, how I love your sweet purple
that ripples effervescent faith
through my hungry soul,
a myriad of pink blessings
fragrant and everlasting,
cleanses me, cures me.
My sweet red cardinal,
your rainbow of color
paints hope in my heart;
I adore my messenger
of love
from above.

@Laurie Kolp

A bevy of friends

Today I have been inundated with cardinals. It started out this morning when I heard them chirping in the backyard. I went out to sneak a peek and there they were- several red beauties singing to me. Then just a few minutes ago I went to my front window and a bright crimson male alit on my bird feeder just in time for me to see him. I then caught a movement out of the corner of my eye and spotted another male on my porch under our chair picking up left over pumpkin seeds. I sat praying and watching for a good ten minutes as the cardinals took turns going back for more and standing guard. I had to thank God for His reinforcement as I have been dealing with some very emotional issues lately. I really needed to know He was still here for me and God did just that by bringing hope and joy to me through my cardinal friends... and thus forcing me to pray (since that is what I always do when I see a cardinal). God is the ONLY ONE who will never let me down and I find comfort in knowing that.

Praying is no easy matter. It demands a relationship in which you allow someone other that yourself to enter into the very center of your being, and to see there what you would rather leave in darkness, to touch there what you would rather leave untouched. ~Henri J.M. Nouwen

ACTS Retreat and Mother's Day

WOW! This is the only way I can think to describe my wonderful, spiritual-filled weekend on the ACTS retreat. I left Thursday to go on this retreat full of anxiety and with the weight of the world (or so it seemed) on my shoulders and left Sunday morning as light as a feather (except retaining water from all the awesome food) filled with love and hope. You see, I had spent all week trying to help a sick friend, trying to take care of my family, get groceries for Ms. Angelle, worrying that I had a brain tumor or something with all that MRI mess, and the list goes on. I was tired. This retreat was just what I needed, at the right time, to rejuvinate my soul. Don't get me wrong- I did not get much sleep. They kept us up late and woke us early so that we could get everything done. But the fact I was able to get away from my stressful life, lay my burdens out and hand them over to God, made me feel as if I had gotten a great sleep. I also met some wonderful new people and made a lot of new friends. I know I have a new list of people I can call at anytime, and they will be here for me.

The above picture is my roomie for the retreat and me. God put us together for a very special reason and I feel blessed to have roomed with Kathleen. The picture below is my prayer partner, Tami. She is a wonderful, spiritual woman who has her deal of challenges in life and I admire and respect her so much. Again, I think God had a hand in matching us and I am so grateful.

Next, is what the four of us jokingly called the "LORI/LAURIE double-decker sandwich" because there were four with the same name- two of us with the spelling "Laurie" and two with the spelling "Lori"- what fun! Then, the next picture is of two dear friends that were across the hall from me- Victoria and Lori.

When I finally got to see my family at church, I was so happy to see them. I missed the kids and Pete so much! We had a great mother's day together and then went to my sister's house to celebrate some more. Below is a picture of the moms in my family- me, mom and Molly. I love them very much! I hope all you moms out there had a wonderful weekend, too.

A Proud Moment

We were so proud last Saturday when Andrew received his first holy communion! He looked so handsome in his suit and read so well in front of a full church. During one song, all the kids stood at the end of the pew and sang to us, using sign language to go along with the song "Taste and See." It brought tears to this proud mom's eyes. Here is a poem I wrote about the special event:


Happy parents, friends and family
gathered together to proudly see,
their sweet young girl or boy
receive first holy communion with joy.
Flowers decorated the altar and pews
and everyone dressed in their best shoes.
Together they prayed in reverence
and watched with glee the innocence.
As each one took the bread and wine,
the choir sang glorious tunes divine.
After the service, all went to the hall
to celebrate with cake and pictures for all.
The day was a tremendously fine event,
one not to be forgotten; a proud moment.

Rollercoasters and Flowers

Oh, the joys of parenthood. I feel sometimes as if I am on a rollercoaster. The ups and downs I go through as a mother has me screaming at times and laughing the very next moment. But I truly love being a parent and I would ride this ride over and over again if given the choice.

As you can see, Katie broke her wrist. This makes our third fracture- the other two were on our youngest and most active- Nicholas. But Katie fell just the right way- here in our home and after complaining for a few days, I took her in. I really did not think it would be anything serious, since Katie is our "drama queen," but the doctor said she had injured the growth plate in her wrist and a cast was needed. Of course, Katie has loved wearing her pink cast and getting all the attention at school- what girl wouldn't. The cast is now full of signatures and she can keep it forever, which I would have done too, when I was her age.

Even though parenthood has its challenges, the joy that comes with it is as beautiful as a springtime flower. I am grateful to be a mom- sickness, broken bones, nightmares and all. The ride is a rollercoaster of memories I will cherish forever.

Oh, How We Love to Write

This is a picture of my critique group. We meet once a month to share our progress, review each other's projects and simply chat. A common bond we have, the four of us, and although we are different in so many ways, this deep bond~the love of writing~unites us and brings us together. I look forward to our meetings and am so thankful we have been drawn together during this time of our lives. I hope these special ladies know how much of an inspiration they are to me.

The Best...

Did I ever tell you I have the BEST husband in the world? Well, I DO! You know, Pete is so in tune to my needs and wants, he might know I need something before I even do. When the kids were babies, he would come home early from the office often so I could take a break and get out of the house. At the time I didn't know I needed some "me" time, but once I got away, I realized how nice it was to have a few minutes alone. A happy "me" makes a happy mom, and a happy mom makes a happy home!

My husband also knows how to take subtle hints. The other day I was dusting and decided to get rid of some empty perfume bottles I'd been keeping (I had thought they were too pretty to throw away). I put them on the dryer instead of in the trash can in hopes that Pete would see the empty bottles. Of course he did, and when he asked me about them, I was a little snappy about how he had never bought me any perfume.Well yesterday, he came home and nonchalantly handed me an empty perfume bottle box. He asked me if I thought it smelled good. "Mmmm...it smells beautiful," I answered."Good, then go look on the mirror on your dresser," he said. Sure enough, there was a small bottle of perfume standing there. How lucky I am to have a husband like that(even though he can be a clown)! Thank you God!

"Just Like the Olden Days..."

I have a confession to make. When Nicholas woke up feeling bad this morning from a cough and a cold, I did not hesitate one bit to say, "Okay you can stay home." Wouldn't that mean I could stay home, too? No worries about who is barging in on my art classes or how I'll get everything ready for the upcoming art show (didn't I mention the teacher who quit sent ALL the year's work home, so we are starting from scratch?). So I called my wonderful supervisor who is so very understanding and voila - I was able to stay home with Nicholas. He laid on the couch, eyes watery and coughing quite a bit while I tried to catch up on some writing and laundry. Then I told him he was experiencing history today and made him watch Obama's inaguaration.

By 11:45, while engrossed in the presidential inaguaration, Nicholas looked at me and said, "I think I'm better now. Let's go do something." He had enjoyed the music played by the trio and written specifically for this occasion, which he called "Japanese"- don't ask me why, but by the time we got to the poet (which of course was the highlight for me) he had had enough.
I looked at him and said, "You really didn't feel that bad this morning did you?"
He answered, "Well, no. But it's just like the olden days isn't it?"
I gave him a big hug and said, "Yes it is. I have a secret for you, too- I really didn't want to go to work either."

So we popped some popcorn and watched the rest of the inaguaration until it was time to go get Katie and Andrew, and just like the olden days, we took the DVD player for the car and the same movie we took everyday last year, and watched it while we waited for school to let out. Oh how I love days like this!!

Cardinals Swarm My Yard in Praise of Award

Today after I gave Jeni the "Sisterhood award" cardinals started appearing in my backyard! I am not talking about just one or two cardinals. No- there were many more. Male and female cardinals were all over the place- on the ground, in the trees, on the powerlines, on my fence, grill and patio furniture. I have never seen so many cardinals in my yard at the same time- the bird feeder was even empty! Can you believe these red birds let me take their pictures, too? Usually when I want to get a picture, the beautiful bird flies away before I can get it. But today I was able to capture quite a few of the cardinals. I posted some of them. At first, I took a few pictures from inside (here's one)...

Then I decided to open the door and take the chance that the birds would stay. They did! I was filled with joy and happiness as I came to realize that Mary was thanking me for giving her big sis this award. Thank you for filling my yard with LOVE!

Happy or Sad?

I am amazed at how well my day goes when I start it off with prayer. Yesterday I was challenged, turned to God, and He gave me strength to do the next right thing. You see, I was going through some of my poetry and came across a lot of poems I had written right after Mary died. After reading them, I was very sad and said some prayers. Then I went to visit Ms. Angelle. She needed to go to Sam's, so we went. She is getting to the point that walking is very painful, so I pushed her around in a wheelchair cart. Well, that got so full I had to go and get a regular cart, too. I am sure we looked hilarious pushing two carts side by side! When we got back to her house and had unloaded everything, we ate a nice lunch together. I am so grateful for my 93-year-old friend!

When I got home, Jake and Snowy did not greet my from their doggy hole. I went outside and they weren't there, but the fence had been pushed back and I knew they had escaped. Again, I was at a point to either panic or pray. I prayed. Then I called for them from the back and front of the house. Moments later, they appeared in the front, wet and dirty. I was so happy to see them (thank you Lord). Of course I had to bathe them. That reminded me of Mary, too, because she gave Jake a bath once. But this time it was a happy memory.

The rest of the day was good- picking up the kids and doing things with and for my family. I thanked God for the wonderful day- one that could have been sad, but turned out happy!

Job Joy

Today is my first day back to my new part-time job as a preschool art teacher. You should have seen me last night- prancing around the living room, rejoicing to the fact that I am a "working woman" again and get to go to work the next day.

Wish me luck. What could have happened before the holidays did, plus more. Let's see- where do I begin?

1. The first day's lesson required GLITTER, cotton balls and glue. Need I say more?

2. Oh, the last class of the day had a glitter party on their own accord- art is so fun.

3. The next day we dealt with paint and an unhappy coworker (- I forgot about working with a lot of women).

4. Then there was the day I had the big bucket of soapy water for the little kiddos to wash their hands in that was accidentally spilled all over the floor (last class again).

Yet, I am very optimistic about my day today because I have had a nice refreshing break and have been praying constantly. I love the kids and they love me- isn't that all that really matters anyway?