Alphabet Soup - Letter "S"

SNOW DAYS - During the years we lived in the Midwest on cold winter mornings we would lie in bed and listen to the radio, hoping for that magical announcement proclaiming that school would be closed on account of snow. When the word came we'd all shout YIPPEE!! It meant a whole day unrestricted by duty or schedule. I have a big hump back trunk that I picked up at an antique store years ago - it is a beauty. In that trunk are boxes of all sorts of precious family mementos - the silk flowers I wore in my hair the day my beloved & I were married, the boys' various awards, report cards, trophies, and art projects, my mothers old square dance skirt, all sorts of "stuff" of no value other than the memories they hold. On snow days we'd make piping hot cups of steaming chocolate to warm us as we opened up that old trunk and spread the contents all over the living room floor. We would tell each other stories of what we remembered from each thing.

"Hey Mom! Remember this one?!" the kids would cry out. Or, "Tell about the day I was born" (a tattered old receiving blanket) or "Tell about the time the truck broke and you prayed and God made it drive" (a knob off a gear shift) "Tell about ....

Those were the days when we preserved the oral history of our family. NO TV allowed, just us and our memories and imaginations.

Later on in the day we'd play marathon monopoly, read out loud to each other from classic books like Robinson Caruso or The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Sometimes we would bundle up and go outside to build snow forts and marvel at the giant icicles hanging from the eaves of our house.

Those were great days.

SANDY BEACHES - while I very much savored the season of my life when my sons growing up years was my main focus, I must say I have taken to the "empty nester" season with relish and delight. I have loved the freedom my Beloved and I now have for spontaneous travel. We have been blessed to be able to see some wonderful parts of the world. We've been to Fiji, Costa Rica, Egypt, Mexico and most of the United States. Some of our best trips have been the tropical ones (...although Alaska was fun too!) While I am not a diver like my husband, I do enjoy snorkeling, and love the powerful sense of energy I feel watching mighty waves crash. I have laughed at pelicans diving, squealed with delight at sea lions, and sat quietly in reflection watching many a sunset. I love the beach!

SOUP - split pea, lentil, clam chowder, chicken noodle, you name it - I love a good soup!

SABBATH - this day I will ponder much that I have to be grateful for, reflect on the areas where I need to repent, and draw closer to the most important S word of all:

SAVIOR - the relationship that makes all the rest of my life have meaning.