“It left us speechless, quite speechless,
     I tell you!–and we have not stopped talking
of it since.”

more accurately, i’m voiceless.
driving fast with the windows down last night was probably not the best idea–that humidity is a killer.
Oh, but it was marvelous!  hannah made a good choice when she picked my song.

it’s coming back little by little.
not a pretty sound, but i can make myself heard, for the most part.
i ran into a friend at the grocery store a bit ago, and the minute he asked me how i was,
i could suddenly do more than whisper.  “I’m fine!  I can talk!”
not being able to talk is hard for me, especially with so many people in this house.
but it’s a good exercise in patience and self-control.  and listening.
somehow, not being able to speak makes me settle down.
i don’t spend my life restless or jittery, but somehow,
being quiet makes me still, and then i see that i do seem to have a lot of energy,
even when i’m just sitting down or driving.
i wonder if I appear to other people to be energized all the time, or if it’s just that my mind is constantly going.
for some reason, having my mouth still slows my brain down, too.
i can finally think.

i love driving with the windows down this spring.
the breezes are still cool, but the days are just warm enough to coax a scent from the wildflowers.
stretches of road that before went by unnoticed are suddenly my favorite spots.
i can smell the clover, evening primroses, sometimes jasmine or wisteria.
why don’t i remember this from other years?

off to see the wizard…and start some laundry.
this family has a bazillion washclothes, but somehow we manage to run out every week.
it’s all these teenagers and preteens washing their faces, the little dears.
sometimes i think i’d like to turn some of my work over to the people who cause it.
but then i think, isn’t that what serving means? 
i’m not cleaning the bathroom because i’m the messiest person so i deserve the trouble.
i’m cleaning it because that’s what God would have me do.

have you ever thought how nice it is to be asked by certain people how you’re doing?
someday i want to be one of those people.