Pericope

Jeff added a new word to my suffering vocabulary a few weeks ago.  Pericope.  I can’t say I’d ever heard or read it before.  He was actually teaching when he used it, so unfortunately I don’t think I heard the rest of what he said because I kept thinking about that funny word.  It’s sort of catchy whether you know what it means or not.  First chance I got, I typed it in.

pericope [puh-rik-uh-pee]- noun.  something taken from a whole

These last few weeks there’s been more time to click the shutter than click on these keys.  I think about all these pictures I take and think about the simple stories they tell-- pericopes of this family’s whole story.  Lighted windows into one room of an entire house.  There’s always more to see than what you can see past your nose just beyond the glass.  There’s always more to know about a story because a good one never really ends.  A pericope is just a part of something, an unknown whole.  That’s what these pictures are and these are the parts of the whole I have been enjoying the last few weeks.




This last month, it seems like every time I looked up after 5 p.m., the skies were just overflowing with colors of loveliness that just can’t be enjoyed properly driving home from who knows where.  

887.  beauty in the sky


When Jeff offered to take Brighton camping for his eighth birthday, B was ELATED.  It was THE talk for the weeks preceding.  When Jeff offered to take one of Brighton’s friends along, he shook his head, “No, Daddy.  Just you and me.”  I loved the pictures sent to my phone all weekend.  

888.  Brighton’s connection to his Daddy


Even though I am constantly challenging myself to get this boy with other boys more often, these two really do enjoy each other.  Oh, they argue, roll their eyes, aggravate, grunt and squeal but most of the time they are content with each other.  


After a few days of picking and irritating, this night watching fireworks at Epcot found them back to normal.  Some Disney die-hards would say, “It’s the magic,” but I know better.  This momma’s heart was grateful.


889.  something had changed in one of my children’s heart 

890. tomorrow would be a better day


It’s hard for me to go into my kid’s rooms sometimes.  The messes begin to fill my mind with clutter- and condemnation.  I have to breathe deep and pray it away.  A week or so ago as I was digging CANDY wrapper out of BED covers and tossing the bazillionth microscopic Lego piece into the bin, I was low enough to see this.  His church-- complete with "Faith in Action" banners and a really fun "Kids Zone".  I saw an altar, pews and a center aisle-- and a boy admiring his daddy.  I left Whoppers under his pillow. 


This one may be more difficult to see but we have been watching a miniseries on the first olympics {the rebirth in 1896}.  In this scene, you see the royalty watching the platform ceremonies in front of the track hurdles.  The guy in the red “do-rag” is the Irishman who always wore his little hat.  

890.  Brighton’s playtime creations


I always feel a night is complete if we have all been on the couch at the same time-- preferably talking or reading.  Why?  I don’t know but our kids love it and ask for it any night we are all at home.

891.  couch time with my family-- at what point will we not all fit??


I can’t help but laugh when I am startled by scenes like this.  It took me aback-- like I was back at DisneyWorld in a floating boat of some kind.

892.  dolls still scattered about {Again, I must wonder, how much longer?}


What is it about kids and the kitchen?  They love it, especially if you let them have something with an “on/off” switch.  We got busy freezing Thanksgiving food before we left for sunny Florida.  Brighton enjoyed his first time running the hand mixer and being in charge of the beaters afterwards. Lick. Lick. But my favorite thing about this picture is his hair.  He woke up like this and never once thought about combing it.  This particular “fluff” is mild but characteristic of him.

893. that he still needs a stool~ and help with his hair


894.  that he doesn’t mind the camera


It’s hard for me to believe she is capable of just about anything in the kitchen.  She delights in helping.  She can even cook and compose poetry at the same time.  

Oh onion, oh onion, you make me want to cry.
Oh onion, oh onion, let us say goodbye.

895.  that she made the dressing this year



After the mornings turn cool, when I can’t find him, I know where to look.  Julia, Brighton and I benefit from these morning rituals-- we have no idea.  

896.  that he leads us quietly and boldly


We do live in 2011 with our faces down, looking at our little 2x5 screens.  As much as I fight it, my kids can navigate almost any cyber device they come in contact with.  Here’s the upside-- finding notes like this.  That IS urgent news if you ask me.  And I can even appreciate her creative spelling of “unbraking” because I see God NEVER putting on the brakes when it comes to His love.  It just blindsides us and runs us all over.  Whether I mess up or not...

897.  grace upon grace from my children



Mr. Disney had a terrific idea.  I am a huge fan as of last week.  My favorite thing I learned while in the magical theme park was that the WHOLE idea of Disneyland/DisneyWorld came from his Saturdays with his daughters.  Taking his girls out was a Saturday morning tradition and there were some weekends he wasn’t quite sure what to do with them.  And one day a brilliant idea popped into his head and thanks to grandparents, we all enjoyed his dream last week.

898.  the gift of time and energy and lots and lots of fun from my parents-- and the fact they didn’t want miss out on a thing





This castle “wow-ed” me so.  I don’t remember it a bit from when I was a child.  Maybe it was the night time, Christmas-time adornment but I could not photograph it enough.  But this I remembered at every turn......


899. childhood memories



Life hardly gets sweeter than to have special people in your home-- I might should say EXTRA special people.  Brighton says she must be famous because of all the people that came to see her.  I assured him that she was.  Mrs. Summey-- my mentor since college.  I say “my”-- multitudes of others can say the same.  She filled our home with her love and wisdom and her laughter which Brighton told her he really liked.

900.  Mrs. Summey and her cot story



A country roadblock 



I love the country.  We were here yesterday just for a bit.  The wind was cold on the open fields and the drizzle just put a little bite to it.  Julia was the photographer yesterday and I love what she saw.

901.  that His Word tells me the path of righteousness leads to LIFE and because of what Jesus did, that righteousness is now mine.

Our story is not finished.  I can hope Julia and Brighton are just getting started~ at the beginning of a whole lot of life to live.  God gets to see the WHOLE, for He knew before the foundation of the world, but me~ I only get to see parts.  I don’t know where He’s taking us or what He’ll use in our continued sanctification, but I know I want to fully live in each pericope knowing that day by day we are making the WHOLE of what He’s given us.    

Comments

Tanya said…
Hi, I just clicked over to your blog from One Thousand Gifts. Reading it, I saw lots of glimpses into my own life. We are a Texas family, with a 9 year old girl and an 8 year old boy - 18 months apart. Legos and American Girl dolls are very popular here. Right now we are living in the UK as expats. I look forward to reading through your blog. :) Tanya
Sarah said…
Great post. I wonder where Julia gets her poetry skills? Love how you wrote this! :)
Alyssa said…
Oh how I love seeing all these bits of your family's pericope!
TJ Wilson said…
Great insight to great photos! Love it!!

Popular Posts