I do believe in fairies!

Today a friend of mine on Facebook posted a story about a man in England who discovered the mummified remains of fairies in a small fissure near his home. They had a photograph and scientific descriptions. I must tell you that this delighted my heart. I have always been a dreamer that believes wholeheartedly in the existence of things that we cannot or do not see with our eyes. I don’t divulge this fact to very many people as I have found ridicule in the past. But today I step boldly into the sunlight to clap my hands and say, “I do believe in fairies!”

I have to say that after reading the article and seeing the photo I immediately thought of the fairies and their little hearts breaking at their burial site being disrupted and brought to light. The article stated that there were as many as 20 mummified fairies in the site. Some guessed to be as old as 400 years and some newer still containing fingernails and eyebrows. I imagined how I would feel in their place with my loved ones and ancestors becoming a local news story and not a hidden treasure.

When presented with images of the mythical, mystical and legendary my heart responds with wonder at a world that is far larger and more magnificent than I first imagined. I do not find that this narrows or rattles my views of faith. God is wondrous, infinite and the seat of creativity and imagination so why would I limit what I think he could or would create by my ability to explain or define their purpose. I believe that some things exist solely to foster in us a sense of child-like wonder and remind us that we are small in a vast domain.

My imagination is vast and well populated with things that I have never seen or even hope to see. It is a land that I have comfortably lived in for as long as I remember. It is what makes my heart beat with the rhythm of a child. I told my husband today that if I had to guess, I would say that I am 30% grown up and 70% child. I am happy with that ratio and have no desire to tip the scales to grown up. There is great beauty in looking at the mysterious world with the eyes and imagination of a child throughout one’s life. But there is the pain of being misunderstood and the scoffing of those who see the world more logically. I consider that a small price to pay for the moments of joy that dance around the campfires of myth and wonder weaving stories of worlds and peoples unseen but closer than we think.

What about you? Fairies or no fairies?

I look forward to grocery shopping

I grocery shop on Monday’s each week. Unless of course Monday gets full of unavoidable other things then it’s a Tuesday thing. We can’t really go much further into the week because food runs out. It is a precious and quickly devoured commodity in our house. I actually look forward to this task. My older 2 boys accompany me each week and sometimes my youngest completes his school in time to join us.

I find a sense of accomplishment in being able to buy for my family for a week safely within our budget while still getting items that people crave and enjoy. It’s kind of like I give myself a little gold star each week. That would be the first born in me at work. But even more than that I revel in the time I get to spend with my boys. We laugh, dance  publicly, joke and go about our tasks. We shop and eat lunch at Costco before we head to Kroger for step two of the shopping process. In this method, my young men have learned how to work a budget and price evaluate for a good deal. They have acquired life skills while we had fun.

But mostly I have been able to pack away memories and joys into my mind and heart of countless hours spent getting to know them better and hear their hearts as they wrestle with the onset of manhood. It is a treasure that I didn’t even know to look for much less how to find and it found me. I am so grateful to God that He gives us things of eternal value that we don’t even know to ask for. I am in awe over the gift of being a Mama to three wonderful young men. And I don’t say that lightly. I honestly feel as though I stand in front of those moments in my life, mouth agape, tears welling at the wonder of this life I have been given.

Who knew Heaven was waiting in the grocery store?