My Partner In Crime

If you've read this blog very long, you'll know that my day is not complete without thanking God every-which-way possible for the love and companionship of my husband, Jack.

I don't know what my life would be without him in it, but it would not be the life I have, nor would it have the same colors, depths, heights, and enjoyment that comes in sharing it with him each step.

Our crazy dreams have meshed into one delightful journey.  No, it has not always been full of joyful events.  We have had years that could have been categorized as personal tragedies at deep and visceral levels.  We've experienced loss and grief and disappointment and depressions.  And setbacks, and stupid decisions, and heart sucker-punches.  And misunderstanding and frustration and railing at iron ceilings and needing answers in times of silence, and needing silence in times of clamor.  And too much stress, and too little industry or too much to do.  And STRESS.  And falling down and having to get back up again and again and again.  And seeing the best and the worst and the boring and the exhilarating.

And having God together.

And counting our blessings that all those things, those felt things and remembered things and the forgotten things and the asleep things and the alive things...all were mostly TOGETHER things.

And it's been surreal and REAL and ..........ours.

When our journey together began incorporating impossible dreams into a co-conspiratorial best-friend-ness-filled patchwork of sharing and imagination...paired with practical to-the-bone changes and the comfort of nearness in all of it.....it didn't  have to make sense to anyone but us.  As long as we pray and ask for direction the whole way from our wonderful God......and follow His wisdom as we best can ascertain it as we walk these things out....

this nutty life of ours is something anyone on the outside looking in would nod heads at and declare CRAZY.

And I love that Jack is the best part of the journey and the crazy sharing even if no one else in the world understands the whys of our decisions and that black is not white and up is not down and our race for simplicity and survival OUR WAY makes some sense to us, if no one else.

I don't say these things often enough, but Jack is...so much more than I deserve, my miracle, and the gift from God's hand to me.

That he has dreams that mesh with mine into this fine and glorious mess we adore, I marvel!

Why does our path look so crazy in this upside-down world, though?  Why are our SIMPLE ideas so against the tide?  Why is grasping at sense and simplicity so crazy to our culture today??

One of my favorite children's books is The Jumblies by Edward Lear. I highly recommend adults read the really fun and good children's books.   I think I picked this one up at a yard sale or a library book sale somewhere, and it has the original Gorey illustrations.

It's really short.....in fact, here it is if you care to take a read.....The Jumblies

Please have a read, and laugh!

And....if this is YOU......if you know the way that is right for you and if your favorite person or people are with you on the journey

even though it looks like sheer craziness to others around you (which to us sometimes indicates we're on the right track, ha!)

then maybe they'll say of you someday

"They went to sea in a Sieve, they did,
  In a Sieve they went to sea:
In spite of all their friends could say,
On a winter's morn, on a stormy day,
  In a Sieve they went to sea!"

Thank you, God, for my Jack, and all the others who dare to go "to sea in a Sieve..."