AARK's Open House

Today, we went to AARK's Open House.  AARK is a wildlife and rehabilitation center for animals, they have just recently moved into Hilltown.  Dave enjoyed looking at all the animals.  He especially liked the nursery, where they had baby squirrels and possums.  They also had an area for animals that are being watched for signs of rabies, currently there are some baby raccoons being watched.  Below are a few pictures of some birds that are on the mend.  We were not able to take pictures of everything due to most of the animals being new.  

I think this guy is a hawk who got hit by a car and ended up with a broken wing.

An owl with a injured eye.

I think owl was anther one with and injured wing.

Wordless Wednesday

Frog hunting, again!

This time Nan thought if maybe she put her boots on and went into the water, she might have more luck catching a frog.

Chris came out and took a bird's eye view to see if he could help spot any.

So Dave thought that maybe he should look from above too.  But no luck this time, not even a tadpole.  

"Nan, will we ever catch a frog?"

Our little helper

Over the weekend Dave was a great helper!  He helped me with the laundry.

Once the laundry was done Dave wanted to go outside to help Daddy.

Helping to lay the new stones.

And digging up some dirt.

And of course there's always time for bubbles!

Happy Mother's Day!

There's nothing like a home picked bunch of flowers (from a  proud 3 year old) for Mother's Day!  And a homemade picture of Lake Galena, where he remembers having so much fun with me.  Thanks for all the nice Mother's Day presents Dave, I love you!

Will we win millions?

No, not millions.  

But Dave did win a free ticket, which you would have thought was millions!

The invisible Mother

One of my favorite girlfriends sent this e-mail to me and I thought that I would share it with everyone, it's a good one for Mother's Day.  Thanks Cara!

Invisible  Mother..... 
  
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into  the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside  I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' 
  
Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner,  because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands,  nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? 0r... Can you open this?? 
  
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' 
  
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum  laude   -   but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!? 
  
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England.  Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.   
  
I was sitting there, looking around at the others all  put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to  me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe.   
  
I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte , with admiration for  the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.' 
  
In the days ahead I would read - no,   devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.   
  
These builder s gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. 
  
A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny   bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it. And the workman replied,'Because God sees.' 
  
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.   
  
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. but it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.   
  
The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree. 
  
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there..' 
  
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.  And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. 
  
Great Job, MOM!