Alison Hodgson

Expert on the etiquette of perilous times.

Archives for February 2007

Einstein’s Protege

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Yesterday Christopher had the idea to help the Legumes build a snow guinea pig…I don’t know.

Soon he was poring through a book about animals, pen in hand, making a list of all the other snow creatures they wanted to make. He was so sweet with the girls, showing them pictures, making suggestions and listening to their ideas.

This is what they came up with:

Adult and young croc.
Beaver, Bear, cat, cobra
turtle, Duck & Eggs, mouse,
rabbit, slug, snail,
Squirrel, Worm.

We scrounged around and found a couple empty spray bottles which we filled with water and a few drops of food coloring to color the snow. Then I got the little girls bundled (no small job) and threw them outside. Although it was in the low 30’s – which is now warm for us – the wind was blowing ferociously and I didn’t have a lot of hope they would stay out long. But it was quite some time before I heard a small knock and muffled wailing at the front door. It was Eden who had hurt her hand. Quite a bit later I heard a loud wailing at the back door. This time it was Ren covered with a light dusting of snow, Lydia in tow and Christopher not far behind. He had been throwing snow.

After tending to the needs of the wounded, the indignant and the unrepentant, I chose to be thankful for the thirty minutes of quiet and peace.

Three Things Thursday

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Three things I love about Paul:

1. He makes me laugh. He’s what we, in my extended family, call a “square” or “straight arrow” – someone who can get from A to Z without getting lost in the laundry room. Despite his attention to details and his out and out passion for systems he’s not a humorless lad. He has quite a silly streak. Sometimes when we’re throwing it back and forth he’ll let out this shriek that sounds like something being slaughtered, but he’s just pretending to be scared by my threats which I find very gratifying. On special occasions he’ll throw his hands up by his face and wave them back and forth while he is shrieking. This is especially good.

2. He’s a square. I am what we call a “circle”. I rarely make it from A to Z period and am frequently lost in the laundry room. After a lot of time and effort I am able to run our household fairly smoothly but it would be a nightmare if he wasn’t pulling in the same direction.

3. He’s a looker.

Marriwage

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The workshop is finished. It was great and I want to talk about some things about marriage in general. One of the guidelines the participants agree to is complete confidentiality: what comes up in the workshop stays in the workshop. I am sure you can appreciate that. In the past I have confused confidentiality and anonymity. Now I would rather error on the side of caution, which demands a certain amount of circumspection before saying anything at all.

One of the roles Paul and I filled was Prayer Captain. We shared the role, which gave us lots of opportunities to see where we struggle working together, where we don’t communicate, where we assume, where we don’t combine our strengths and divide the labor. This while we were already navigating some painful aspects of our marriage as well as feeling the heaviness of carrying others in prayer. And I think I mentioned that Eden had night terrors almost every night…

It was arduous.

Which is what marriage can be sometimes.

Way back in early December our little band of volunteers – the team – came up with a theme for this particular workshop “Receive it all/Give it all” based on part of Luke 12:48 “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required.” One guy suggested the verse and I felt strongly about the theme. I was thinking of how, so often, we miss the gifts that our already ours: the fullness of our relationship with God, the love and grace he offers, the gifts of our families and other relationships, etc. For myself, I sometimes get a little stuck on what I think I’m not receiving or make up that “I’M GIVING SO MUCH ALREADY!”

Perhaps I’m the only one…

So there’s lots to tell, but I need to sleep.

I’ll try to write tomorrow.

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The marriage workshop for which Paul and I have been volunteering begins tomorrow. We are both excited and tired. If you think of us through the weekend please pray for us and for our kids at home with my mom.

I am thinking about a lot of things and having trouble articulating them. You know when something shifts so deeply within you, when something you have acknowledged as truth becomes even more real and to say it aloud makes you sound simple, which, in a way, you have become from wonder.

That’s where I am.

There and I haven’t had more than a few full night’s sleep in a month.

https://alisonhodgson.com/2007/02/786/

Valentine Reflections

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I love Aunt Torey and Mom and Dad and Ren and Uncle David and Christopher and Lydia. I love mints and candies we have on this year and I love something that hides in the snow…sticks! And I love love love love love love HEARTS!

Eden A. H. as dictated to her Aunt Torey