Just a spoonful of sugar

The last month has been hard. Okay, the last year has been hard. Okay, the last three years have been hard. I've been hard-pressed to figure out how to deal with all this continued hardship. What I wouldn't give for some rest, I tell ya. 

But for now, respite from the hard stuff doesn't seem to be God's plan for my life. So I've been learning to press on. The best way I've found to do this is to recenter my heart on God's goodness and involvement in my life. I'm learning to do this by noticing and celebrating the ways God daily shows me his love and grace. 

Awhile back my mom suggested that I also consider building things into my life that I can look forward to.

I think Mary Poppins would would agree with a resounding, "Yes! Do it! A spoonful of sugar always helps the medicine go down."

Mary Poppins' advice is practically perfect in every way.

And then, this week, as per the suggestion of a friend, I decided to be Mary Poppins for a friend's Halloween costume party.

When I was a kid I loved the creative challenge of making my own Halloween costumes. My favorites include a bumblebee who sold honey from a portable honey stand, a half a sandwich (a friend was the other half), and a bag of jelly beans.

I also just generally liked dressing up.

Left to right: honorary sister Annie, Me, little brother Aaron

Honorary sister Elizabeth, sister Rebecca, and me

My childhood friend Lauren and I had some of the best dress up get-ups I've ever seen

The ol' tape-the-nose-trick.

So you can imagine that dressing up as one of the main ladies from my childhood was a delightful prospect. Very delightful indeed.

And glory of glories, it was something new to look forward to!

Boy, you would have thought I was 9 years old the way I grinned with anticipation while sewing my bow tie and and putting the finishing touches on my felt hat.

The finished product did make feel like I was nine years old all over again.

And really, who doesn't love an excuse to talk with a British accent for a night? Also, I've discovered an interesting phenomenon: if one person is speaking with a British accent, then everyone around that person will also begin to speak with a British accent. It is truly wonderful.

This tall frappucino needed a spoonful of sugar.

A friend had the actual Mary Poppins umbrella and let me borrow it. Isn't it perfect?!

Mary Poppins is the perfect party costume for introverts... ;)

We had lots of fun taking pictures.

All in all, it was a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious kind of evening!

Just exactly the spoonful of sugar I needed.




© by scj