Alison Hodgson

Expert on the etiquette of perilous times.

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I thought you might like a break from Paul pretending to pick his nose.  The house is quiet.  Christopher and Paul have taken Lydia to a friend’s and Eden is at her cousin’s.  Jack has been sleeping on the floor beside me.  

In Chinese the character for peace (an) is the character for woman under the character for house.  I don’t think they have a character for sleeping dog, but if they did I would put that under the house, because it truly is peace.

https://alisonhodgson.com/2008/11/354/

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This week, as our trees turn and the leaves are falling, I have been thinking about my love for all the seasons, but especially the times of most transition, spring and fall.  I thought of this again today, walking with Christopher and Jack under a cloudless sky.  I asked Christopher if he had a favorite among the seasons and was surprised when he named summer and winter.  I asked why.
“Well, in summer it is hot and we get to swim in the pool and in winter there is snow and we let our imaginations run wild, you know.”
God help me, I do and I pictured Jack Nicholson in The Shining.  Figuring that that wasn’t what he meant I asked him to elaborate.
“When the snow comes we are able to make snowmen and snow creatures and build forts and have snowballs fights.  This winter I am going to make a snow zoo again, with lots of animals.”
He did that last year and the Legumes loved it.  It all sounds so sweet and benign, cozy even. Maybe for him it is, maybe I’m the only one who feels the urge to pick up an axe in the winter, although the blamey side of me wants to suggest that, some days, Christopher picks it up first and hands it to me.  
But who wants to be blamey?  I don’t.  And maybe this winter it will be different.  Today, with the sun shining in the windows of our peaceful house it doesn’t seem to be only wishful thinking, but a strong possibility.  

https://alisonhodgson.com/2008/10/373/

Taste of Heaven

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It has been raining off and on all day and I have been writing for a couple of hours.

Typing this, I am sitting on my bed, which was made, but I have tucked myself under the covers and am propped against some pillows.  Books, 3×5 cards for taking notes, papers and pencils are scattered across the comforter.  Jack is sleeping on the floor beside me.  The taste of peppermint lingers from a cup of tea I just drank.  The children are happily, quietly and appropriately occupied.  The house is neat and cozy and Paul should be home soon.
If there was something for dinner I might mistake this for heaven, instead of just a taste of it here on earth.
I wish that filled the stomach.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

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A couple weeks ago I awoke early and happened to see two deer on the trail across the road. They were looking around and daintily nibbling branches. Eventually they jumped back into the brush. Watching them I noticed the way the light was shining on our hill. I grabbed a beach towel, the Bible, a notebook and pen, a thermos of coffee, a bowl of oatmeal and my camera. I had to make two trips, but it was worth it to sit on the hill, with the sun shining on my face.

I didn’t bother to get dressed, so I was still wearing my pajamas. Few cars passed. It was me, the trees, the sky, the birds, the grass, the sun and surprisingly few mosquitoes. When they began to hover I decided to practice a sort of mind control and it worked. They left me alone, for the most part.
The above is a picture of one Sunday morning, but it could be a snapshot of this summer. It has been my best one in years. Faithful readers of this blog have been with me on many a dark day – figurative and actual – and I just want to tell you that the sun is shining and the air is cool and sweet.

A reprieve

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A pot of Marinara sauce is bubbling on the stove.

The children are playing together quietly and kindly.
The sun is shining.
The sun is shining.
The sun is shining.
It’s 15° F, I’m sick and Jack is barking like Cujo…but I choose to accentuate the positive.
The sun is shining.