The ABC’s of me. I saw this on a friend’s blog: An Inch of Gray, and thought it would be fun. Hope you find a quiet moment in your busy summer to do an ABC’s of YOU.

A: Age:47– I had to think about this one. Sometimes I forget how old I am. I used to feel younger than my age. Since Anna died, I feel older.

B: Biggest fear: My kids won’t go to heaven. Because they’re a bunch of little beasts. Actually, they’re a bunch of little beauties. But still sinners like us all. Jesus says “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. I pray every day for my kids to love Jesus.

C: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. One of my favorite Bible verses.

D: Dogs. When I was a child, I wanted to be a dog, a puppy actually. Just ask my cousins, “Please play puppies with me!” I’d beg them. Being the puppy was the best. Who doesn’t love puppies? In the third grade, my friend Marcy’s mom didn’t like dogs and wouldn’t let her have a puppy. “They stink,” Marcy’s mom said as she smoked cigarettes one after the other. I thought she was an evil woman.

E: Eyes are windows to the soul. I always look into a person’s eyes when I first meet them. If I see evil, I walk away. If I see pain, I try to offer comfort. If I see kindness, I want to know this person.

F: Failure. I’ve learned more from my failures than I’ve ever learned from my victories.

G: Grandma Anne and Grandma Helen. My grandmas played a huge role in my growing up. They both were farm girls who loved their families. Grandma Anne taught me how to say the rosary. Grandma Helen taught me how to ride a horse. Do you remember what your grandma taught you?

H: Home. The Sutter Buttes. I grew up in this little mountain range. I now live in the shadow of these hills.

I: In love. One of the greatest feelings of all time. I love being in love.

J: Jesus.

K: Keeping up with the lawn. I mow our lawn once a week. I used to mow it twice a week in summertime, but with the drought, it’s half dead, so half the mowing time. I miss our big, lush lawn.

L: Laugh. I miss laughing. Be careful. If you make me laugh, I might fall in love with you.

M: M&M night. Mussels and a movie. A Bicknell family tradition. We used to do seafood night, crab, shrimp, or lobster, but after Scott quit flying, we could no longer afford this treat. Mussels are cheap and tasty. I created my own mussels pasta recipe. Our kids love it.

N: “No.” I have a hard time saying this word. My boys know “no” is really “maybe” for mom.

O: Organized, I am not.

P: Play. When did life get so serious? I’ve been reminding myself this summer we all need to keep playing.

Q: Questions. “You’re always asking questions,” my oldest son Luke complains. “Your mom’s an old newspaper reporter,” Scott reminds him. “She a curious person. Especially curious about you, Luke,” Scott tells him.

R: Rest. I remind myself to rest because I am not good at getting enough rest.

S: Sweet. The sweet life. The sound of a slamming screen door. The smell of summer rain. The kiss that makes your belly tingle. What is the sweet life to you?

T: Time. “What is the greatest surprise you have found about life?” a university student asked Billy Graham “The brevity of it,” he replied without hesitation. Graham said, “Time moves so quickly, and no matter who we are or what we have done, the time will come when our lives will be over. As Jesus said, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work” John 9:4.

U: University. My greatest failure: not graduating when I was only two classes away from a degree. What I learned from this: I finish what I start now. What I really learned from college: persevere!

V: Verse: “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10.

W: Winter. I love winter. In winter, Northern California turns lush and green. By February, the almond orchards are blooming where I grew up. The Sutter Buttes look like Ireland. All green and misty with sheep grazing on the hills. Praying El Nino kicks in this year and the rains return to California.

X: eXamine yourselves before casting judgement or blame on others.

Y: Yellow sunflowers remind me no matter how dark life gets, to always turn my face towards the light. Jesus. The Author and Perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12:2. Thank you, Miss. Kay for sending me the beautiful sunflower picture to use on my blog.

Z: ZZZZZzzzzzz… I love going to bed at night. Our bed sheets are worn and soft. We sleep with a box fan in the window. The smell of the orchard blows in. Goodnight Moon: my favorite children’s book. I have it memorized. Which is good since now I need reading glasses. The other night, I forgot my reading glasses, but read Goodnight Moon to Cruz anyways. He turned the pages and I recited the book to him.

Goodnight friends!

If you’re really up for the ABC’s of Me post yours in the comments or email them to me.

I’d love to learn more about you!