Rose passed away yesterday. A husband has lost his young wife. Two little boys have lost their mommy. I pray their hearts are held tight in the strong arms of the Lord today.
Monthly Archive for June, 2005
First, to my adorable, hunky husband - my kids’ daddy. You play, you laugh, you tumble, you snuggle, you tend, you clean, you pray, you cherish our children. They adore you - so does their mommy:) Thank you for serving us beyond the realm of typical “fatherdom”. Thank your for protecting our home, our time, our marriage, our dreams. You do so much and bear so much so that we can have joy in our home. You are loved beyond the realm of words - by the most important people on earth - Joel, Olivia, and Lucy… oh, and me too:)
To my Dad, to Papadaddy. You always encourage. Your joy in my children is a beautiful reflection of God’s joy in his children. You have been faithful in being a godly father to me, and I am so blessed to have that godly heritage to pass on to my children. Thank your for being faithful… to my mom, to your children, and to God.
To my husband’s father, Poppy to the grandbabies. Thank-you for raising a son that brings such hope and love to his own family. Thank you for giving him the heritage of Christ… this has been the richness in our marriage and home…
Someone recently said my kids are high-maintenance. At first I brushed it off because it hurt my feelings and I thought it\’d be best just to let it roll off. Then I decided to NOT let it hurt my feelings and just chalk it up as circumstances during a phase of life. I need to just admit it. It really did bother me and now I find myself analyzing this potentially complex tree of behavior - my children\’s and my own as a parent.
Here are some things about my kids that some may perceive as \”high-maintenance issues\”:
Joel (almost 6) - He likes his chips in a bowl, fruit in a bowl, and for his food not to touch on his plate, unless he dips it himself. He doesn\’t like his utensils to be sticky. He doesn\’t like his hands dirty, or his socks all bunchy in his shoes (likewise). He is not attached to a particular cup or bowl, but he often wants the one his sister gets:) He knows what clothes he likes and does not like. He prefers sweat pants (me too). He talks - a lot. He talks - loud and with passion. He doesn\’t like it when his food breaks (like a popscicle off it\’s stick). He is used to and comfortable with the way mom and dad give him his medicine. He asks, \”Why\” a whole heck of a lot. He likes COLD water.Olivia (3) - She also likes her chips in a bowl, or fruit, or any side item. When she is done with pieces of her meal (the rind, crust, etc…) she sets it on the table instead of leaving it on ther plate - no trash on the plate, you see. She changes her clothes - A LOT. She still needs to be wiped after going potty. She spills something at every meal/snack, and she asks for food all the time - really. No, REALLY:) She likes to put on her own socks, shoes, and clothes. She likes to brush her own teeth . She talks all the time - really. No, REALLY. Realy, truly, the girl has the gift of gab.
Together - they rough-house, snuggle, play with and provoke each other.
As I run through he list of the things that may categorize my kiddos as \”high-maintenance\” I must reflect on my parenting. Have I created demanding children? I believe the most truthful answer is probably (I let them have their chips and fruit in bowls!). However, many have said I am much too hard on myself. So…
I conclude, I can admit my kids may require some maintenence, and thus provoke some feelings of exhasperation. BUT… my kids are, well, kids! They are 5 (almost 6) and 3. There are 2 of them. They are young - preschoolers. AND they both have pretty dynamic personalities, by this I mean that they are not quiet or mellow by nature. Neither are their parents:) I guess when it comes down to it I feel my kids are regular \’ol kids with their own set of funny personality quirks. They exhaust me. I\’ve heard that the children of other parents exhaust them too. I\’m pretty sure this is true and not a myth.
*Ahhhh* A sigh of comfort and satisfaction. I have regular \’ol precious, impossible, irresistible, snuggly, messy (Olivia), obsessive (Joel), lovable kids. They\’re mine and I\’m tickled that I get to be their mama.
I\’ve got the \”mother-of-an-infant\” exhaustion, so why can\’t I sleep??? It\’s frustrating because I know tomorrow will be horrrrrrible. So, I blog until I can\’t sit up anymore…
Lucy and I are quite the pair. I am enduring my third round of mastitis, thus third round of antibiotics, and darling Lucy got to take her first trip to the ER on Sunday night… on the advice of the on-call pediatrician…
It turns out, the two of us endured bloody people (none more serious than what looked like bicycle crashes), severe hack-up-a-lung-type coughing (I was glad Lucy is current on her immunizations), atrocious vomiting sounds, and quite the angry words from a patient who really wanted someone to clean the gravel out of her leg.
Why did I introduce my sweet 3 month-old to such a cruel world???
So… the nurse practitioner could diagnose a clogged and infected tear duct. Apparently, Lucy didn\’t get slugged by her older brother and/or sister while I wasn\’t looking, after all (OK, I knew that didn\’t happen, but it looked kinda that might have happened!). Kid #3, and this was the first clogged tear duct. Oh, it was a long 3 hour tour… of the ER.
It\’s time to break out the dictionary only used by my dear daughter Olivia. Three can be so charming…
While roasting marshmallows with my parents the other night, Olivia noticed her grandma had a little melted marshmallow around her mouth. Innocently, Olivia asks, \”Why do you have marshmallow pee on your mouth?\”
Marshmallow pee, in fact, really isn\’t gross at all!
Let me pull out the dictionary on Olivia speak. . . Oh! It means, \”I want to go barefoot.
My friend needs a miracle. Her family needs a miracle. I am praying for a miracle.
About two years ago, I found out through a mutual friend that Rose (who I\’ve not beein in touch with for a long time) had breast cancer. She received treatment, and eventually went into remission. The cancer returned some months ago, aggressively. Rose is a mom. She has two young boys (about 5 and 3 years old).
Our mutual friend called on Saturday. At a visit with her doctor last week, she was given devastating news. The cancer has spread to her brain and spine. She has been given 4 - 6 weeks (yes, only weeks) to live.
My mind can\’t comprehend. My heart can\’t comprehend. It becomes too overwhelming as I let my mind ponder… if I feel so angry, grief-stricken and physically sick, how must Rose feel, her family feel???
It has been so long since we\’ve talked, I am unsure what I should do. Family is coming in from all over - her close ties are all around. Who am I to step in now and distract from the people who are important to her now? I want to help, support, even carry a small piece of this unbearable load.
She and her family are asking for a miracle. I do too. My faith is specific. I believe in God. Many people believe in God, but there are many definitions. I believe in the God who created the earth. I believe in the God who gave his Son, Jesus Christ - so we might have a hope and relationship with Him throughout eternity. I believe in the God who has raised people from the dead, made the lame walk and the blind see. I believe God can heal my friend. I also believe there are reasons why this may not happen - however I ask my Father in heaven with boldness, insistance and reverence that he might intervene. I ask Him to WOW the world, the doctors, all who know Rose with something that only HE can do. I cry out to my Heavenly Father, \”Spare the boys the loss of their mother at such a young age, spare a husband the grief and hardship of losing a wife, spare a mother who fears she will not see her children grow up or see the \’golden years\’ with the love of her life. On behalf of these people, I ask for a miracle. I ask for a heart-jumping, breath-taking, jaw-dropping, eye-rubbing, utterly-astounding, mind-boggling, and down-right confusing MIRACLE.\”
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