Measuring the Immeasurable

Sonnet 43
by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet needs, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints--I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!--and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

***
I believe it's possible to love another person so deeply that God could choose to allow that love to transcend death. Is it possible to measure this kind of love here on earth? Probably not while the loving is taking place--throughout the rise and fall and rise of life's moments, days, and years. It can be difficult to measure something that is often intangible or while it's in the course of full steam ahead.

Falling in love hurtles us to an unrealistic height, and we are often blinded by expectations of perfection. But love eventually flutters softly to the mortal ground, and, once there, it makes a decision: can true love grow here? As life takes hold, the glistering gold of new love settles into a gentle and knowing look, touch, smile.

I am fortunate to have weathered the inevitable descent of new love and to embrace the steady growth of true love. Loving someone for better or for worse, in sickness and in health is easy to say during a moment of emotional promise making. Fulfilling those promises takes a special courage and strength that can only come from God. Everyday life can be love's cruel enemy and intimate friend all in the same breath. But, through God, true and everlasting love will persevere and win the race. Only then can we look back on a lifetime of smiles and tears and confidently say, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."

The Little Plum With a Mean Streak

Farmer's Markets are a lot of fun on a Saturday morning, and it's hard to resist sampling your purchases right away. Trust me, I didn't resist the temptation. I had to try one of those tiny plums as soon as I got in the car. Whoa! How can such an itty bitty fruit pack such a gigantic punch of juice? I took one little bite, and the juice gushed everywhere--and I mean everywhere!

Well, there's nothing to do but finish eating the trickster plum while Ken is leaning away and shouting, "watch out!" sheesh. I then topped off the entire fruity episode by spitting the plum pit out the window--so attractive.

Winning Things isn't Everything, but it is a Fun Thing

This September will mark one year since I started playing in pool leagues with Ken. I want to show my progress so far in terms of "things." I plan to blog in detail about my experience over the past year, but I will wait until it has been officially one year. Playing pool in a league (make that three leagues) has definitely been an experience . . . but more about that later.

For now, here is what I have won in 8-ball and in 9-ball. The trophy is for second place in 9-ball for this past spring session. The pin is for high point champion in 9-ball that led us to the playoffs that led us to winning the trophy.


The patches are for 8-ball. They are all "rackless night" patches, which means I won the lag and all the games within my match for that night. I will receive another patch tonight for last week--yay! I actually got a rackless night two other times, but the powers that be forgot to give me the patches--boo.

Showing off my "winnings" might smack of bragging, but it's actually not--okay, maybe a little bit of bragging. Hey! if you knew what I have gone through this past year (and you will in September), you will understand that winning these things has been no easy task for someone with my limited pool skills.

I will, however, give credit where credit is due. The pin and trophy were won due to the efforts of everyone on our 9-ball team, the Snipers--we did great this spring! By the way, I will get a little plaque with my name, etc. to stick on the base of the trophy.

Here is an interesting observation. If you look closely, you will see that the person on the trophy is a female. Yes, Ken's trophy is male.

And now . . . for a man who needs no introduction, but I will give him one anyway: Ken Jones! Take a look at all his winnings, and yes, he is that good. I would have arranged everything on the pool table like I did my things, but we only have a 9-foot table--there just wouldn't be enough room. Ha!

Good job, Ken! You're my hero . . . and not just in pool Y

God's Crocheted Hugs

My Church, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, has many ministries that provide opportunities to reach out to people all over San Antonio. The Hugs Ministry is a small, unassuming ministry that allows us to make baby blankets for unwed mothers. No matter a person's feelings towards women having children out of wedlock, it is important to reach out to them and their children because even a simple homemade blanket says, "God loves you and so do I."

Here are two blankets I crocheted this past spring.


I was super busy with three grad school classes as well as playing pool three nights a week with Ken, but I managed to make these blankets as a way to reach out to women and their babies. Making these blankets also benefited me: crocheting and knitting offer a creative and relaxing outlet I desperately need when I am overwhelmed or stressed.

There are new projects on the horizon! I found out last week that the Hugs Ministry wants us to make prayer shawls for seniors who are ill and in nursing homes! Okay, God. I can do that.

While crocheting these two blankets, I was able to pray for the women and children who would receive these simple items that I lovingly fashioned. We are God's instruments, and I am happy to obey His commands. Even a small baby blanket can be created and given in His Name. Alleluia!

It's Alive: the galvanization of a rubber tree plant!

Last year I blogged about a rubber tree plant that I received as a welcome-to-the-family gift from my brother-in-law just after Ken and I got married on June 11, 1994.

Well, this past January we had the biggest freeze I have ever seen here in South Central Texas. For two nights in a row, the temperature dipped below 20°F (totally unheard of in this part of the country). Even though I covered my precious plant with TWO sheets, it froze and appeared quite dead. I really was devastated, but I kept these feelings mum. "It's just a plant."

On a visit to my parents' house over Memorial Day weekend, I discovered my mom's rubber tree plant suffered the same fate. BUT! her plant is making a startling comeback. My dad was ready to dump it when, lo and behold!, new leaves were spotted amongst the deadness. I resolved to check on mine (again) when I returned home.

Before Memorial Day weekend, Ken had dropped the huge (and heavy) dead plant off the deck (about 6-7 feet) to the ground so he could dump it out and recycle the pot for something new. For some strange reason, he didn't dump it right away. Instead, he set the pot out of the way under the oak tree to deal with it later. When I returned from my parents' house, I slowly went out to look. I was not very hopeful because I had already looked at it over and over for months hoping for any sign of life. What's this? It's Alive! I saw a very tiny (and I mean tiny) green leaf sprouting from the side of a seemingly dead branch at the very base of the plant. What in the world took it so long? No matter because I was beyond thrilled at this discovery! I trimmed down all the dead branches, and I moved the plant back to the porch so I could give it a lot of love and watch it carefully. Yes, my special rubber tree plant is still alive!

Here is a before and after picture so that you can see how amazing and full it looked before the "big freeze of 2010." It still looks amazing because life always finds a way!

A Little Stroll Some Sunday Evening

Ken and I took a little stroll around the lake at our neighborhood rec center this past Sunday evening. It's been a while since we did this, so it's nice to see that the lake has quite a bit water in it, which is not always the case in this Texas heat. Here are a few pictures of our small adventure:

Ken starts off with a firm stride and ready to conquer the path around the lake.

This seems like a nice place to sit and ponder.

A little golf on this short par 3 course? No, not today.

Another bridge along the way!

Ken is taking advantage of the little bit of shade.


Here is a leftover exercise station--there used to be several along the path. This one is made of metal and firmly in the ground, so I guess no one wanted to tackle its removal.

A nice splash of purple.


This spot is a little too sunny for me (I actually love cloudy days), but it's a nice place to admire the sunset.

Stonehenge, Texas style. Or maybe just a little rock art.


These children are fishing for something with nets. Minnows maybe, tadpoles? Whatever they're doing, I'm sure it's fun!


Here is the pavilion. An excellent place for a party.

No rec center would be complete without a pool.

Time to go home. What a lovely stroll.