From Chopin to Saint Saens

About this time last year, our daughter Kathryn delighted us with her senior piano recital. Friends are still raving about how elegantly and passionately she rendered each piece. My favorites from the program are Chopin's Nocturne, Opus 9, No. 1 and Saint-Saens Concerto in G Minor, Opus 22. Her recital and her sister's art show were the highlights of the year for me! Kathryn is off to college now; I so miss hearing her daily practice on the piano.

Thy Lord is Risen!

Easter
by George Herbert (1593-1633)

RISE heart ; thy Lord is risen. Sing his praise
Without delayes,
Who takes thee by the hand, that thou likewise
With him mayst rise :
That, as his death calcined thee to dust,
His life may make thee gold, and much more just.

Awake, my lute, and struggle for thy part
With all thy art.
The crosse taught all wood to resound his name
Who bore the same.
His stretched sinews taught all strings, what key
Is best to celebrate this most high day.

Consort both heart and lute, and twist a song
Pleasant and long :
Or since all music is but three parts vied,
And multiplied ;
O let thy blessed Spirit bear a part,
And make up our defects with his sweet art.

Art Show

Around this time last year, our daughter Lauren delighted us with a well-crafted presentation of her work at her senior art show at Washington University in St. Louis. I was so impressed by how poised she was as she presented to a crowded auditorium. Time flies...can't believe it has been nearly a year!! That was one of our family's highlights of the year.

Here are the links to her website and blog. Enjoy!

Banana Cream Shasta Daisies

Aren't these daisies absolutely gorgeous? It was a beautiful weekend in Dallas. I bought some plants and filled the pots in our backyard. These Banana Cream Shasta daisies are by far my favorites! They are perennials; so hopefully with some tlc, they will bloom not only through the spring and summer, but continue to thrive year after year.

Airy Bedrooms

House Beautiful

Country Homes Interiors

I know I'm procrastinating! I have two major papers due but instead of working on them, I'm looking at interior design magazines and websites! My daughter Kathryn said she loves white crisp bedrooms. Here are a few which I think she would appreciate. Enjoy, Kathryn! Back to work for me!

Afternoon Tea

"Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
-- Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady

I can't agree more fully with Henry James! Our family has spent many an afternoon delighting over tea -- from intimate teas at home to elegant affairs at the Waldorf. We unwind as well as celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, recitals with tea, sandwiches, cakes, and scones with Devonshire cream! Afternoon tea necessitates the slowing of time. It evokes the joys of companionship, of unhurried conversation, of beauty and elegance, and of much-needed relaxation. Oh, the joy and necessity of Afternoon Tea!

Life is Beautiful

Photography by A. Monaco

Just by living, we know that life can be hard and at times filled with great disappointments, pain and sorrow. The Bible does not offer a cure to our painful existence in so many words. We do not find a methodology on how to avoid or alleviate pain and suffering. Neither do we find a philosophy or even a conclusive understanding of why we suffer. In Scripture, we do however find a God who offers Himself to broken humanity throughout history, culminating in the gift of God the Son who entered our world, taking upon himself all the worst ugliness this world has to offer and changed forever what it means to live in the midst of that ugliness (paraphrasing Professor Stuntz). Life is beautiful and hopeful because God has entered into every nook and cranny of our lives. Scripture presents to us life for what it is, and a loving God on whom we could cling to in life's journey.