Saturday, August 25, 2007

Quietness

There is a certain peaceful feeling at my house tonight. All is quiet here, but in a good way. DD is babysitting for one of her teachers, DS stayed all night last night and went back to his place this afternoon. SH is home and we are relaxing. We watched tv, napped a little, took a quick dip in the pool. SH has worked day shift this week and it has been good for me to have him here in the evening. It has made the quietness not so scary or hard to get used to. Next week he goes back to his usual evening shift but maybe, just maybe I will be a little more ready for it. The dog has even spent her evening in the recliner.
I think I mentioned something earlier about the cookies DH gets at work sometimes. This is his load for today. I am not a huge cookie fan so it isn't too hard for me to look at these and not eat them all.


Today for some reason I have missed my Grandma Wood more than I have for a long time. She was a wonderful, patient person who never said a bad thing about anyone. She was my Sunday School teacher for years after my grandpa died and though she never went to college she was one of the smartest people I know. She could take a map and tell you anything you wanted to know about the bible and where it happened. She read continuously. When she died there were thousands of books at her home and they weren't just well read. She made notes on the pages and inside the covers so you know what she was thinking when she was reading those books. It was a great gift to us to read what she did and know what she thought. She also loved to write. She wrote poems often and for Christmas she would write her annual Christmas poem and send it in cards handwritten. One of my favorites...

My Christmas Poem

There is a kind of stillness

in old Barns

That's just the same within

A church's door

Before the organ peals

or people pray

Or parson-or a teacher-

Takes the floor.

And dust-mites rise in

rays of sunbeams there

Instead of colored rays of

stain-glass light.

And creatures come to take

their daily bread

Then endure patiently

their daily plight.

And so I wish with

coming of this year

(and it will come, it's joys

and its alarm's)

That in your heart you

will be feeling much

The stillness that's in

churches and old barns.

M.W.

6 comments:

kim-d said...

I truly think that Pioneer Woman's post the other day got everybody into the "thinking of grandparent" mode. I have found myself thinking of and missing my Gram a lot this week, too. Your Grandma sounds wonderful; what a blessing to have some of her poetry and books with notations--that, I find especially cool!

My Gram only made it to the 8th grade--farm chores to do, ya know--but she had the largest, most varied vocabulary of anyone I know! She did crossword puzzles a lot and her incredible word power was a by-product of that. NOBODY could beat her at Boggle :)!! I miss her all the time. But, then again, it seems my whole life is about missing people!

Switching gears. NUTTER BUTTERS!!! YUM! My favorites...how lucky are you, and you don't even like them? Wish I didn't...if they were in my house, they'd be gone.

It sounds like you have had a nice weekend. And isn't it great for you and SH to be on the same shift? The last four years before he died, when Bill and I worked the same hours, were the BEST! You adjust and make do the best you can when you work opposite, but, working the same? Nothing beats it!

Evidentally, Koko's new love Mr. Purple Hippo, tuckered her right out! HAHA!

katy said...

If I eat any of these cookies it would be nutter butters. I do enjoy them more than any other but just not too exciting to me. If I eat any of those I will think of you from now on.

Anonymous said...

I always wished I had a good relationship with my grandmother. We only had the one (my mom's parents died when she was a kid and my grandfather died when I was 3).

My grandchildren, however, will have a great, fun grandmother who will spoil them just a little...

kim-d said...

Dear Sybil~

Both of you are going to be WONDERFUL Grandmas! When Bill and I married, Jeremy was two and such a sweet, nice little boy that it was easy for me to slip into Grandma-mode. Since I was young at the time, I just thought about what I loved so much about my Gram and let her be my guide as to the way I wanted to be with my grandkids. And I have to say, I think it worked because I have a great relationship with them. This could also work in reverse; if you didn't have a close relationship, you can do the opposite! My "kids" keep me young and whatever I do for them--they do for me, double!

And Katy--next time you're thinking of me while enjoying a Nutter Butter, could ya please have one more, just for me? I'd appreciate it. Hehehe.

kim-d said...

You are so darn funny! You almost piddled? MWAHAHAHA. And tomorrow I'm going to read the instructions--HA! New post covering that...

What's up with you...having a good day?

kim-d said...

Katy, I'm really lonesome for a post from you in general and, specifically, for some new pix of DD, puppies and Mama, and DS if at all possible! It's been so long!