Christmas Eve Eve

Today our family headed to the birth center for our ultrasound to see our new baby. Anna and Will thought it was pretty neat, though #3 was not so impressed and yawned for the camera. No, we did not find out if it's a boy or girl... we're holding out for the surprise. Anna really wants a sister, but we'll see in April/May. Thankfully, the baby is healthy.

Anna, Will, and I also went to the mall to ride the Christmas train and visit the Winter Wonderland at Outdoor World. I can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve - last chance for shopping, wrapping it all up, church with Jon's family in the evening, opening presents at Jon's parents' house.

With all the activity sometimes it's hard to find time to reflect on the profound depth of meaning in Christmas, the awesome implications of one baby's birth. But I will try to carve out a piece of "silent night" to attempt to wrap my brain around the fact that the great God of heaven humbled Himself to be born a man, to peasants, in a stable, tended by shepherds. That He somehow had you and me on His mind, in His heart, and His love compelled Him to come. To live among us, to die on our behalf, to rise again to give us the greatest gift of all... true life. Merry Christmas.

Christmas Anticipation

"Is today Christmas?" That's Will's question for me every day lately. He's ready to open his presents - or rather, the blue presents whether they're his or not. He likes blue. I'd better stock up on blue wrapping paper. Anna keeps telling him the day after tomorrow is Christmas. She's still working on her sense of time. Somehow Christmas is sneaking up on me this year even though I tried to start early, just after Thanksgiving. But I guess spending a week in the hospital set me back. So I have not yet baked the Christmas cookies I had planned on, or finished my shopping, or hung the stockings "by the chimney with care." But we're happy. Anna and Will have thoroughly enjoyed decorating the tree, opening advent calendar surprises each day, singing Christmas carols, and riding around looking at Christmas lights after dark. So maybe my plans aren't working out just as I intended, but the joy of Christmas is not restrained. Sometimes we need to see more through the eyes of a child to appreciate the wonder of the season, the wonder of the world. "Is today Christmas?" Sure, why not? Embrace it.

Will's Week in the Hospital

Tuesday should have been a blue-skied, sunny day complete with singing birds. But apparently the weather didn't get the news that our little William was coming home from the hospital at last. So, after a week of dealing with my son being in the hospital, I joyfully drove him home under gray skies. What had started as a cold and pink eye somehow turned into bacterial pneumonia and a lung abscess, going undiagnosed over the Thanksgiving holiday as we took Will to Urgent One instead of his regular doctor whose office was closed.

When we were able to see Will's pediatrician, I was stunned and terrified that our "baby" had to go to the hospital. And he was so pitiful going through everything - not feeling well and not understanding what was going on. It's so hard to have your little one screaming your name while you vainly try to comfort and reassure him. It tears a parent up inside. Many tears were shed by all of us over the course of the week. Will was hooked up to an IV for fluids and antibiotics, and had his blood oxygen levels monitored on his toe. He had blood tested and x-rays taken. On the fourth day (Sunday) he had minor surgery to place a central line/port in his chest so we could take him home but still administer antibiotics by IV four times a day. He went through the surgery very well, and by Tuesday afternoon, he was fever-free and ready to go home.

Now we are dealing with giving him the antibiotics every six hours around the clock... flush the line, hook up medication, run the pump for 30 minutes, flush the line again with saline solution and then with a blood thinner to prevent the port from clotting up. It is easy, but also nerve-wracking when you consider all the things that could go wrong if we mess it up (though there is a nurse on call 24 hours a day for us). This treatment will continue for four to six weeks in order to clear out the abscess completely. Will now manages to sleep through the midnight medication, but protests the most at the morning dose when we have to wake him up. Other than taking the antibiotics, Will is behaving like his normal impish, happy little self again, which of course is a joy to see.

It's funny, as a parent, how you know you love your kids and you take care of them and do what you need to do. But then something like this happens where you can actually imagine the worst case scenario and you feel helpless because you can't control anything, and then you really know - and are terrified by - the depth of your love for this little person. How devastating it would be to lose them. Thanks be to God for His provision of good doctors and medication and the wonders of modern medicine and the workings of the human body.

After Thanksgiving

So now we've just had Thanksgiving and enter into the Christmas season, and I am woefully struck by the depth of self-centeredness in the world. The poison of the me-first mentality can be seen sometimes on t-shirts that proclaim "it's all about me" in an attempt at humor. Or it can be seen in the Hummer driver who arrogantly parked his vehicle behind mine in a parking lot with plenty of empty spaces, blocking my exit for his own convenience. Or it can be seen, dreadfully, in the trampling to death of a Walmart employee by sale-hungry shoppers the day after "giving thanks." What in the world??!! It's all about me? It's all about you? How about some human decency, some kindness, compassion, good old-fashioned morality? We have a heart problem (for which there is no government solution.) We cannot legislate kindness or goodness or the quality of one's heart (although hate crime legislation makes an attempt). There is only one answer, one solution, one savior from our corrupt condition. And now we enter into His season, to remember His first coming, as the need for it is so glaringly illustrated. Let us humble ourselves before His lowly manger, knowing both our profound need and His supreme sufficiency.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, Thanksgiving is upon us. What are you thankful for?

I'm thankful for my family - my wonderful husband, two great kids plus one on the way, caring parents who raised me, inlaws who accepted me, and "outlaws" who welcomed me after so long. I'm thankful for friends and my church family. I'm thankful for my job and my home and the assorted "stuff" of American life - cars, food, clothing, heat/ac, electricity, running water, etc. I'm thankful for the turkey with which we will stuff ourselves on Thursday. I'm thankful for the United States of America - land of the free and home of the brave - where we have liberty to pursue our dreams thanks to the wisdom and foresight of our founders. I'm thankful for music and art and the beauty and wonders of this amazing world in which we live. Most of all, I'm thankful for my God, Giver of every good thing, Provider for all our needs, Hope of the nations, Light of the world, Maker of all.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

About My Mom

For the past couple days I've been taking care of my mom at our house while my dad had surgery and regained some strength. My mom has multiple sclerosis and is confined to a wheelchair. She can stand only briefly, and precariously, to move to a chair or such. She is also a very headstrong woman who has spent most of her life being strong, taking care of herself and others, and doing things her way. She has yet to reconcile her personality with her relatively new reality.

Yesterday, I went to pick up Anna and Will from school and left my mom at home for about an hour. When we returned, my mom was not in the living room. Anna and I searched through the house, calling her name, as I envisioned my mom sprawled on the floor somewhere unconscious. As I passed by a window, I caught a glimpse of silver hair and red jacket. There was my mom outside in the backyard in her wheelchair, seemingly carefree. Let me point out that there are no ramps leading out of my house... there is, in fact, about a six to eight inch step down from every door. The questions "how" and "why" filled my head.

When I asked my mom why she was outside, she said matter-of-factly that Lucy (our boxer mix) wanted someone to play with. While I'm sure that was true, I'm also quite certain that Lucy could have waited a little while. My mom explained that she had stood up and pushed her wheelchair down the step and then gotten back into it. I still cannot imagine how she managed it, after having helped her for two days. Somehow I succeeded in getting her back into the house without dumping her out of the chair. It was all quite a stunt!

I took my parents home today, with new insight into their lives, with sadness and sympathy for them both as I better understand what they go through every day. I wish I could do something to make it all better. My mom told me to pray that I never get the way she is. She hates needing to be helped, and makes her and my dad's lives both more difficult because of that. I don't know what my point is in writing this - except to share my frustration that some problems are not easily fixed.

Election Day

It's Election Day.
Pray.
Vote.
Pray.
God help us.

Reformation Day

Happy Reformation Day! On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his "95 Theses" to the door of the All Saints' Church in Wittenberg (Germany), laying out his challenges to various corruptions in the Catholic Church at the time, and inviting open discussion of the issues. He did not seek a split with the church, but a restoration to the truth in the Bible as opposed to man-made doctrines.

Luther had grown exhausted by the weight of guilt and grew to nearly hate God for being so judgemental. Then he started to read the Scriptures and found the truth of the gospel and discovered God's amazing and profound love for him (and for us). He began to see the corruptions of truth in the church body, along with the need for people to read the Scriptures themselves in their own languages. He was driven by a passion for the truth of God's love and the message of salvation by grace, through faith.

Today, on Reformation Day, we do well to remember the message is the same. Not by works (so that no one should boast), but by grace, through faith in Jesus we are saved. God gives us the gift out of His great and deep love for us, in spite of ourselves.

Blue Dog

Blue Dog was missing, and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Where could he be? Blue Dog is Will's absolute favorite thing... a tiny (maybe 1 inch long) blue plastic dog that he found at his Grandma's house and no one knows where it came from. Irreplaceable. Beloved. Easily lost.

Jon and I remembered seeing Blue Dog when I was painting Will's face, getting ready to go to the Pumpkin Patch Party at "the big church" (Will dressed as Blue Dog... in a Blue's Clues costume). But we couldn't remember if Will had brought Blue Dog in the van with us. Was he lost at home or at the giant party in the midst of thousands of people? Through careful examination of our photos taken at the party, we determined that BD did not make it far into the party if he went there at all. The next morning when I took Anna and Will to school at "the big church" (aka "school"), I looked in the parking lot where we had parked the night before, and I looked around the entrance of the festivities, but no Blue Dog. We had already searched our house and the van, and had begun to lose hope, trying to figure out how we might be able to replace Blue Dog. After school and Anna's field trip to a pumpkin patch, Anna and I returned to the parking lot to look one more time before picking up Will from class.

Maybe the sunlight was different; maybe I had looked in the wrong place earlier. But there, where we had parked the night before, laying on his side after a long night out in the cold, was Blue Dog!! I couldn't believe it! I hugged Anna (who just looked at me like I was crazy). Blue Dog once was lost, but now was found! I thought of the story of the lost sheep, and how God loves us so much that He will go to every length to seek out those who are lost from Him, and how even the angels in heaven rejoice when the lost are found. As a parent searching for her son's most beloved toy, I got a sweet glimpse into the heart of God.

Ode to Autumn

Autumn is in the air... crunchy leaves, smiling pumpkins, fall festivals complete with crafts and hay rides, and finally a chill in the air. I love fall! I love changing seasons anytime, but especially changing to fall from the long hot drudgery that summer becomes. And fall has great holidays and times of anticipation... Harvest time/ Halloween/ Reformation Day, Thanksgiving, spending extra time with family and friends, Christmas programs starting up, preparing for Christmas... So many reasons to feel warm and cozy. So much to be thankful for... God's provision for our lives in every way: from food to faith to family and friends, to His promise and presence with us. All wrapped up in autumn.

Where is Your Hope?

Where is your hope? Hopefully not in the stock market or money or the government or... yourself. The headlines are full of great examples of sin these days... besides the usual robberies or shootings, we see greed, corruption, fraud, cover-ups and scandals. Many of us will suffer or pay because of the sins of others, and it's just not fair. What's wrong with "those people" anyway? But while we point out their faults, we should also take a look at our own hearts, for "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Sure maybe our sins aren't in the process of destroying capitalism and America as we know it. But sin is sin. We cannot pull ourselves up out of it; we are stuck in the mire of dishonesty, jealousy, hatred, lack of self-control, dishonorable desires, etc. It isn't pretty.

But thanks be to God, we can put our hope in Jesus. (Warning: Here I go clinging to my "religion" - better get a gun in case Obama becomes president and takes away that right!) He has taken care of this sin problem; we just have to trust Him with it. On the cross Jesus took the punishment for our sins, and credited to us His perfectness, bringing us into peace and relationship with God. We can put our hope in Him because He is absolutely trustworthy (unlike so many making headlines these days). So, although the days may look dark and times may get harder, take hope in the assurance that God is real; He is there for you; He is faithful; you are His as you trust Him with your life. God is still good, a refuge in times of trouble, a mighty fortress of strength. Amen.

High School Reunion

I recently attended my 20 year high school reunion. How crazy is that??! There's no denying your age when you see your old friends and classmates all grown up... when did that happen? It was a lot of fun (even though some people were missing), and I would recommend everyone go to their reunion, too. My sister-in-law Rose made the comment that you kind of owe it to everyone else to go, too, because they want to see you also. Everyone is curious and good-natured about it. And as Jon noted, it's nice because by this age everyone has figured out who they are basically and are comfortable with themselves. There's a sense of being settled and established.

Anna and Will went on their first sleepover at Aunt Rose's house the first night of the reunion. We bought them sleeping bags to make it extra special, and they had a great time! I was just a little concerned about Will because he's only 2 1/2, but he (and Anna) had a fun time playing with their cousins. The second evening we had a sitter come to our house, which Will found to be much less agreeable, crying off and on the whole evening apparently. Builds character, right? Poor little guy! Anna told me the next time we need to go to a reunion or go to do anything, we should just call Aunt Rose and she and Will can spend the night there again - no problem.

Of Politics

Can you believe the financial mess our country is in? Are you just sick of hearing how screwed up things have gotten? Do you wonder where all this will take us? Is this the end of the world as we know it? We need a change, that's for sure! We need a change with some substance, though, not mere empty words. We need to fire Congress, or file charges against them for violating the public trust and running this country into the ground. Why are the very people who have been in charge of the system, who were supposedly overseeing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the same ones who now get to tell us how to fix the mess? They couldn't see this coming a little sooner? They couldn't have managed it better? Why should we believe they can handle it now? And why the heck are lawyers - known for seeking out loopholes and giving persuasive arguments - the people we entrust our government to anyway? How about some smart people who actually know about the economy and finance and foreign relations and such? Can we start over? Let's get a do-over. Start fresh.

How about some accountability and personal responsibility in this country - instead of the government trying to help every sob story and just making things worse. For example, if you live in Galveston and don't have homeowners/flood insurance... what were you thinking??? And why should the rest of us have to bail you out? You buy insurance, you relocate, or you suck it up. Sorry. Or you buy a house you can't afford or take a risk that turns out badly... sorry, but you face the consequences. Don't take the rest of us down with you. You make stupid business deals, you take the consequences.

I don't now what to think about the $700billion rescue plan, but I know we never should have gotten this far. Something has to be done, but let's not sacrifice our country to socialism and put the government in charge of everything. They've proven they are inefficient and corrupt managers... look at social security, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, education, etc. Why does anyone think they can do a good job with the world of finance?

For the sake of change, though, I hope we don't go crazy and elect Obama in November. In troubled times, with serious problems, we need someone with real, verifiable experience at the lead. Not a junior senator who only served 143 days before starting his presidential exploratory committee. Not someone who rose quickly through the ranks of the corrupt Chicago political scene with no questions asked. Not someone who has trouble speaking without his teleprompter, who is the most liberal member of Congress, who claims to want to be a uniter but has voted with his party line 97% of the time. Not someone who has shady ties to terrorists and racists, who wants to negotiate with terrorists (oh, right - they might be friends), who has Marxist tendencies, who has not really accomplished anything in his time in the Senate - except managing to receive more money from Fannie/Freddie than anyone else in the Senate except one other Democrat.

I'm not a huge McCain fan, though I like Sarah Palin a lot. But if we want to have a hope of saving our country, we need to vote against Obama, which means voting for McCain (because, honestly, the Libertarian guy sadly doesn't stand a chance). It just doesn't make any logical sense to vote for Obama - if you had a business and were trying to hire someone, you wouldn't hire him because his resume is so weak and suspect.

Anyway, so there you have it. I got political, which I try not to do usually. Take it for what it's worth. That's my two cents for the day.

A Flower in our Midst

On Tuesday Jon brought home a stray little hound dog that he had found wandering the street as he drove home. She is a medium size dog, but still obviously a puppy by her behavior (very high energy, playful, chewy). Anna named her Flower even as we told her we could not keep this dog. (Unfortunately Anna knows that Dixie was a stray that Jon had found, that we did keep, so I'm not sure she believed us this time.) Poor little Flower (or "Dog" which she answered to much better) was wearing a chain around her neck that had a wire "leash" of sorts attached to it, and her ribs were showing, so we did not put much effort into finding her original owners.

As a new youngster will do, Flower upset our normal routine and way of life. We had to barricade the carpeted areas of the house because she was not housetrained. We had to relocate the dog crate for her to sleep in because she cried at night when first put in there. We had to put her in the crate whenever we needed to do something in the carpeted areas of the house because she would knock the gate over and pee on the carpet. She was inconvenient, but so very sweet... a wiggly, kissy, jumpy, good-hearted pup.

On Wednesday, Anna, Will, and I took Flower to the vet for shots and a check-up. The vet estimated she's about a year old. Flower needed three days of treatment for hookworms, but other than that, she was fine. I called around to the local animal rescue groups to see if anyone could take Flower, but all the groups have too many dogs already and are not taking anymore right now. So today, Saturday, after our church picnic, we loaded up Flower in the van and took her to the Humane Society shelter, which is where we adopted Lucy from years ago. I'm sure Flower will find some nice family/person to be her own. But even though I knew from the start that she was not for us, it was hard to say good-bye. I have such a soft spot for animals, especially dogs. We left Flower with a proper collar and a chew toy, and she actually looked happy (as always) sitting in her cement dog pen (we could see her from a distance).

The whole situation just highlighted for me again the plight of pet overpopulation and neglect and ignorance. All of these sweet dogs and cats out there, who are here through no fault of their own, are just waiting for a loving home. How many will be put to death - due to health or mistreatment that ruined them or simply a lack of interest on the part of anyone wanting to take them in? How many will wander the streets and meet their demise there? How many will grow old in foster care for one reason or another? And people breed more... because puppies are cute, because they don't bother to spay or neuter their pets, because they want to make some money, because they just don't care. What does it take to get the message out to spay and neuter your pets? Every animal welfare group that I looked at stated that one thing as their main purpose, and still the problem remains. Some of us are working on the problem, but what does it really take to get the message through to people? I don't know. If I had unlimited resources and space and time, I would adopt them all and throw balls and hand out treats all day (with the help of Anna and Will, of course, who love to give dogs their treats!). Of course, that's unrealistic, but what will it take? Spay and neuter, please! Click to go to the Savannah Humane Society page www.humanesocietysav.org and hopefully in a few days Flower's picture will be posted.

Runaway Bunnies

Tonight I read "The Runaway Bunny" by Margaret Wise Brown to Anna at bedtime. We've read it a thousand times... the story of a little bunny who wants to run away from his mommy, but she pledges to pursue him endlessly no matter where he should go because she loves him so much. It is a great tale of the relentless, unconditional love that a mother (or father) has for her child. And tonight, it finally clicked in my head what a beautiful picture the story is of God's love for us. The "Hound of Heaven" pursues each of us little "runaway bunnies" tirelessly in His great grace and mercy and love for us. No matter where we may try to run or hide, He will seek us, constant in His love, even to the end of the age.

Misadventures of Lucy Dog

Tonight I let the dogs out in the backyard for a while until Anna wanted them to come in. So I opened the door and Dixie trotted in, but no Lucy. I called and whistled for her, but still no response. Now, Lucy is a boxer, a true "people dog" who will follow me around the house underfoot just to be near me, much to my aggravation, so it was very strange for her not to come in. Finally I put on Jon's flip flops that were by the door and went out into the yard, where I discovered that somehow one of the gates had come open and Lucy was nowhere to be seen! Anna and Will were barefoot, in their pj's, so I told them to stay inside and I ran around the house calling for Lucy, not knowing how long she'd been out or how far she might have gone. Fortunately my neighbor was outside with her daughter who had seen Lucy run by. She said she looked like a pitbull, but I assured her she's a boxer and very friendly. My neighbor said her dog always heads around the bend to the woods near the railroad tracks when he gets out - oh, great! I called and whistled, and a few houses down the street I saw my goofy-grinning pooch come running out of someone's yard, happy to see me! After an I'm-so-happy-to-see-you-please-don't-be-mad-at-me greeting, Lucy had to go over and visit with the kind neighbors. By this time, Anna and Will had put their shoes on and come out of the house to see what was going on. Anna said she "just knew it wasn't good!" But it was after all, and we all went inside, happy to be together again.

So this all got me thinking about how we sometimes take loved ones for granted or find them inconvenient (like when Lucy had "accidents" on the carpet that required a visit from our friendly carpet cleaner recently). But when faced with the possibility of losing them, we regain perspective and realize how important they are to us. Let's hope we can realize it more often without facing a crisis! "Love one another."

Will's First Day of School

Yesterday was Will's first day of school. He's two (which he will tell you proudly) - two and a half, really - but still a full year younger than Anna was when she started school. So I've been wondering if we are rushing things with him, though I really think he'll enjoy school. Last year he always wanted to stay at school when we dropped Anna off in the morning. He'd look up at me and say, "Bye-bye, Mommy!" with a big grin. And it's only three mornings a week... not even close to a full-time daycare scenario. So what's the harm, especially if he enjoys it?

Let me explain Will's class schedule. He is with Ms. Kristine and Ms. Shannon from 9:00 to 12:00. Then most of the other kids go home because their class ends at noon, but since Anna's class goes until 1:00, Will goes to a second room with a handful of other kids to eat lunch and play until their siblings are finished at 1:00. The transfer from one room to the other takes place before the other kids leave, which is good, but still... our little William does not appreciate transitions very much at this age. (For example, when we leave him in the church nursery, he picks one nursery attendant to be his own, and if that person leaves early for some reason, he will cry and cry just as if we'd left him again!)

So yesterday was Will's first day of school, and he toddled off with scarcely a glance back at me when I dropped him off. When I returned to pick him up at 1:00, however, it was a totally different scene. I spied on him through the one-way glass window, and saw him looking helpless and alone and completely pitiful. Then he poked his lip out and cried. Well, who can stand that?! I went over to the classroom and brought him out early (just five minutes). Of course, when I picked him up, all he did was cry "me want my Daddy!" But the teacher told me he had been fine and happy for the first three hours, and then cried the whole last hour and didn't eat any lunch at all.

So today, on the way to school, Will started out by telling me he did not want to go there today. And he cried terribly when I dropped him off - nearly bringing me to tears with him - while all the other kids played pleasantly. But when I came back this afternoon and spied on him, he was playing and chatting and smiling and interacting - all those good things you hope for. Apparently he'd been sad all morning in his first classroom, and then ate lunch and had a fine time in the second classroom. Go figure! Will was very proud of himself, too, saying "me not cry today!" with a smile, and telling me all about eating his lunch and playing and such. I'm hoping tomorrow will be a good day from beginning to end. This preschool stuff is hard on a mom!

Projects and Pets

Have you ever heard of painting an old laminate countertop? Well, that is our latest project/ experiment. Our countertop at the old house is a lovely 1960's "classic" that has seen better days for sure. So Jon found info online about painting old countertops, and we are giving it a try to see how it turns out. If it isn't wonderful, we can always defer to plan A and tear out the old and replace it anyway. So far we've primed and painted the first coat, and Jon is painting the second coat tonight. Then we have two accent colors to apply tomorrow, and then seal it with a clear finish. Just with the one coat of paint, it was already an improvement, to say the least! I'll let you know how it goes.

I think I've discovered that our boxer, Lucy, has a fly phobia. We've always known she was bothered by flies (she hides from them, whereas cocker spaniel Dixie likes to hunt them down). Tonight there was a fly in the house, and after a while, Lucy started shaking and looking around. I thought she might be having a seizure (our old dog Dakota used to have seizures - thus, I started wondering what was wrong with me that my dogs always get seizures). Then I noticed the fly buzzing around, and I got her to walk with me out to the living room and she seemed fine. Lucy wanted to go outside, so I let her out and she ran around like normal. So I guess it was just the fly getting to her. Personally, I am far more bothered by spiders (the bigger, the worse!) than pesky flies, but I will try to keep the flies away from Lucy from now on.

House For Sale

Finally our old, dear house has the "For Sale" sign in the front yard! We still have a few little fixes left to do, but it is officially on the market - yippee! So if you or someone you know is looking for a nice, solid three-bedroom brick house in the Berwick area of Savannah (Southside), let me know. It has a great fenced in backyard, bonus room/den, and good neighbors (sniffle, sniffle). If you're not interested, feel free to pray with us for the right buyer to come along quickly.

It will be so great to get back to a normal life after all this house stuff is done (or at least not so urgent anymore). Having time to go on fun outings with Anna and Will again, not having to drag them to a house so we can "work" or drop them off with kind relatives day after day, being able to take it easy on the weekend... these are some of the things I dream of lately. Three months of home renovation and improvement starts to wear on a person (at least on this person anyway).

Hello, again!

Ta da! I'm back - finally! We moved to our new home on Friday, August 1, but have not had internet or cable tv until today at long last. How can this be in today's modern high-speed world? I guess it's my fault... I wanted to keep our telephone number the same - I thought that would be easier - so Jon signed us up for some "bundle" for cable tv, internet, and phone. But, in order for Comcast to transfer our phone number to the new house, it was going to take two weeks, amazingly enough, during which time we would be without tv or internet. Our phone would remain active, though inconveniently located at our old house (where we no longer live, in case you missed that). So today was the big hook-up day... except that two days ago, Comcast called and said they had a software problem and our phone number didn't get processed in our order, so now it will be an additional five business days before the phone moves to the new house. Whatever.

In the meantime we have hosted Jon's brother Stephen and his family of four from Chicago at our new house, and Jon's sister Heidi with her family of eleven from Pittsburgh at our old house, so there's been a bit of excitement to keep us preoccupied during our "unwired" time. Everyone came into town to celebrate Jon's parents' 5oth wedding anniversary. There was a party/reception at the church last weekend, not to mention dinners out, trips to the beach, swimming at the pool, cousins playing together, etc. It was fun and exhausting.

So here I sit, in the midst of many boxes, with children sleeping (or "peeping" as Will says) and husband out buying groceries and retrieving more boxes from the old house (we're almost done - really). It is quiet - just the hum of my trusty computer and an occasional jingle of dog tags in the hall. Gradually, everything in these boxes will find its proper new place, a life rhythm will emerge once more, and we will find our new "normal."

Moving

At last, the day has finally arrived. Tomorrow we move into our new house. Sure, there are still projects to be done, but all the major things are finished, so we go forth to our new home. Tonight I must pack...

Books, Books, Books

As I pack up the things in my home, making the gradual move from old house to new, I am learning that I am a collector. You may remember my realization that Jon and I are collectors of chairs a while back. But other than that, I thought my collecting days had ended long ago with Smurfs and unicorns. Not so, it seems... I also collect books. And recipes (oddly enough - more on that later).

Yesterday, I packed up five boxes of books from one bookcase. Pulling the books off the shelves, I was easily distracted as various books beckoned me to peruse their pages... marine biology from my college days, my journal from days spent in the village of Visomboh in Cameroon, a book about the Biltmore Estate, "Visioneering" by one of the Stanleys. Other books I did not take time to open, but were packed with care and fondness... children's books given to me as a child, books in French, works of fiction from "Where the Red Fern Grows" and other classics to "The Summerhouse" which I literally found somewhere but it turned out to be a fun read, books on Christian living/apologetics/doctrine, books on sociology and anthropology. So many interesting books! And so little time to read - it's tragic (almost)! Some of the books I have, I have not even read.

I love bookstores and libraries... so many fascinating subjects and ideas and thoughts out there. I worked in the Science and Engineering Library my fourth year in college, and it was a great job. Besides the fact that I could get some studying done and meet interesting people, I got to deal with all these books, many regarding topics I didn't even know existed. One day I would like to have a library in my home - a whole room devoted to books, with big old wooden chairs and table to sit at (just like in the old library in Clark Hall).

One book I want to track down is "Mr. Pine's Purple House." It was one of my favorites as a suburban kid in New Jersey. It's about this guy, Mr. Pine, who lives in a neighborhood where all the houses are the same. But he is unique and paints his house purple to express his individuality, but I think everyone ends up copying him and painting their houses purple, too. I've thought about Mr. Pine recently while painting the interior of our new house - our "house of many colors." I've never lived in a house that had much color on the walls, but I've just about chosen a different color for every room in this new house, though I think it flows rather nicely still. Maybe it's my artistic side coming out. Anyway, I've been meaning to get that book...

Questions in the Land of Opportunity

"This is your life.
Are you who you want to be?"
(Switchfoot)

I heard that song this morning and it stuck in my head. Who do you want to be? Is your life the way you imagined it "when the world was younger?" It's always good to evaluate and make adjustments as needed. But the question, to me, goes deeper.

I look at the world and wonder what everyone else wants, too - not just me. What do all those people crossing in front of my car on Broughton Street want from life? What about the small cluster of folks standing outside the jewelry store waiting for the keyholder or manager to arrive and let them in? Is this what they have aspired to or live with contentedly? Are they on their way to better things - or maybe just different things? Do they live in frustration?

I'm sure the answer is "yes." There is certainly a mix of degrees of satisfaction from one person to another, as well as over the course of any person's life. But what about America being the land of opportunity? What about the idea of "two Americas" - the haves and the have-nots? I think it is dangerously easy for us mere mortals to be lulled into complacency, with opportunity scattered all around us. Maybe we want more from life, but things really aren't so bad as it is, and after all, change brings uncertainty, risk, possible discomfort. So we plod along.

But I also have a suspicion that many people are content with just getting by. Not everyone has the ambition to "get ahead." So I wonder what makes the difference between those who have that ambition and motivation and those who do not. Can it be acquired or is it innate? Does it even matter? Maybe it's ok that some people are driven and attain great material wealth, while others prefer to live differently and reap different rewards from life. Maybe one of the cruelest offerings of our society is the marketing of discontentment... telling people again and again that they have no reason to be content with less wealth. And "less" and "more" are always relative, and where is "enough?"

So I wonder, do you desire riches and great wealth? If so, do you have what it takes within you to get there? Are you up for the sacrifices as well as the rewards? If not, get over it. Be content.

An Afternoon Painting... and Coloring

Today Anna and Will joined me at the new house for the afternoon. I planned on painting, and came fully prepared with a bag-o-tricks that included coloring books, dolls, stuffed animals, and trains. A good time would be had by all. I also brought a portable crib and attempted to put Will down for a nap in his new room with the dolphin pulls on the ceiling fan that he loves so much (he shows everyone the dolphins). But alas! My little one whose favorite question is "Me stay up?" would have no part in sleeping this afternoon.

So I painted the trim in the front living room, and Anna and Will set out in their play, with the occasional skirmishes requiring my referee skills. After a while they settled down to color in the other room by the fireplace, and the music from the portable radio entertained my mind and set the rhythm for my paintbrush. I was moving right along, and then I realized... it was a bit too quiet in the house. That time-tested parental notion came to mind - when things are too quiet, it's time to see what they're up to. So I casually called out, "What are you guys doing?" To which Anna replied, "Don't come in here." Not a good sign.

(Let me preface what comes next by noting that Anna and Will had been playing around the house with their shirts off, which sounds odd, but Will's shirt was a bit too big and he was bothered by it so I let him take it off; thus Anna had to do the same, which I didn't see any harm in, so there they were.) So I tiptoe around the corner and come up behind the two of them. They look up at me with big grins. Anna had used a red marker to color her whole torso and parts of her legs and hands, while Will had chosen a black marker for his personal decorating. They had also doodled on their knees with a pen. The good thing was that I had been wise enough to buy only washable markers, so clean-up wasn't too terrible (although I think even after their baths, they had a faint coloring to them).

I did manage to finish the trim in that one room, and that's all for today. One thing is true: it is certainly a thousand times easier and more productive to work on a house without small children around! But you do what you can.

House Update

Yes, we're still working on our new house. But it's good. The carpet is in; the bedrooms and hall are mostly done; new ceiling fans are up; we've tiled one bathroom, torn out the kitchen floor (to prepare for tiling), and started priming/ painting four other rooms. So progress is being made. The air conditioner sort of works - I think it's been determined that the unit is too small for the size of the house, so it can't quite hold temperature when it's really hot outside (which is precisely when one wants the a/c to be working the most). But anyway...

As I am painting over the last occupants' vision of home, transforming this new house into a uniquely "us" part of the world, I am reminded of that show on HGTV - "Moving Up," I think it's called, where they show these people moving into each other's houses and making dramatic changes that the previous owners never imagined. I've never watched a whole episode, but I've seen bits of it a couple times. So anyway, a part of me is a bit sad for the previous residents because they obviously tried to make the place look nice and they probably (hopefully) liked it the way it was. And I wonder what they would think of our improvements. But then the other part of me often comes back with "What were they thinking?!" And so goes the transformation. By the way, if anyone really loves to paint (for free) and is half-way good at it, feel free to join in the fun!

Independence Day

"We the people - in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, secure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity - do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." (Preamble to the Constitution)

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." (Declaration of Independence)

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." (Samuel Adams)

"America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." (Alexis de Tocqueville)

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty." (John F Kennedy)

"The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks. We have received them as a fair inheritance from our worthy ancestors: they purchased them for us with toil and danger and expense of treasure and blood, and transmitted them to us with care and diligence. It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or to be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men." (Samuel Adams)

Dreams of the Future

A couple days ago at the park I met a little girl, Kaitlyn, who was around eight years old. She was very chatty with me, explaining that she has a "vertical twin" (meaning fraternal) named Kaelyn (how's that for some confusion?), that she drowned once and is afraid of the water, and that she hadn't eaten breakfast yet - or anything else - at 3:30 in the afternoon. She was there with a bunch of other kids in assorted sizes - siblings and cousins - and one adult woman (her aunt?). She said someone had gone to the store to buy some food to bring to the park. As surprising and sad as her lack of food was, I was even more shocked by her proclaimed aspiration for the future. Kaitlyn asked me, "You know what I want to be when I grow up?" "What?" I asked. She answered confidently, "A single mom." When I asked her why she wanted to be a single mom, she said "because moms are so good and they take care of everybody." I tried to persuade her in a few minutes that it is far better to be a mom with a husband, that it's very hard to be a single mom, and that she has plenty of time to find the right guy.

The encounter left me thinking... about our society, morality, and cultural differences between whites and blacks (or European and African Americans, if you prefer). Yes, little Kaitlyn was black, apparently being raised by a single mom who struggles to put food on the table (or in the park, as it were). One little boy with her, though, did manage somehow to have five or six silver teeth right in front (he's off to a good start in life, eh?). Priorities?

Questions... have we, as a society, gone so far out of our way to eliminate the "shame" and stigma of having babies outside of marriage that single parenthood has actually become an ideal to some (wasn't there a pregnancy pact at that MA school?)? What if by trying to "help" (ie - create acceptability), we have merely aggravated the situation and made life harder for the single parents, their kids, and future generations? If kids grow up in poverty partly because their parents didn't wait to become responsible adults before bringing them into this world, and they in turn repeat the cycle, bringing more kids into the world in poverty, where will it all end? How will the cycle ever be broken? Obviously the government and welfare don't fix people, or the problem would be fixed by now. Liberals love to talk about the poor, but their policies serve mostly to trap the poor in the cycle of poverty, while (oddly enough) securing their vote. What is the solution? I don't know. Cultural re-education? I sense the solution must somehow come from within the community itself, but how can that happen? Strong leaders with vision will need to come forth to correct and inspire. Positive role models need to step up. Maybe schools could bring in inspirational / motivational speakers on a regular basis. Concerned adults could reach out to kids as mentors. Can we imagine a truly better world and the way to get there?

Life - Do Not Destroy.

The other day at work I came across a file that had been marked "life - do not destroy." Since I work at an insurance agency, this was obviously a life insurance folder (which we don't have very many of) that was needed for future use. But it struck me as profound. It's a good policy to live by actually. Life - do not destroy - in all its various forms. I can think of so many applications... from murder, to abortion, to meanness...

There is an inherent dignity to human life for believers in God (by virtue of the fact that He created us and did so in His image), which I'm not sure atheists can find so easily. For example, there's a man at Princeton University named Peter Singer, who has carried out the abortion argument to its logical (though horrifying) conclusion. Of course, at present the case for abortion largely rests on some assertion that the baby (or "fetus") is somehow not really human until a certain vague and undefined point of pregnancy (though doctors are able to sustain life at earlier and earlier stages). Anyway, Mr. Singer defines human-ness as being linked to the ability to conceptualize a future time, thus giving him leeway to "abort" children up to two years of age - yes, two years. He even suggests these little non-humans could be used as a source for harvesting organs. It sounds insane, but at least he is honest about the logical implications and conclusions of the whole abortion/ fetus/ not human argument. However, that line of thought is dangerous because it embarks on a slippery slope, a sliding scale of morality. But how does anyone know right from wrong anyway? Right? (That would be wrong - see http://www.whataboutjesus.com/ for some help with that.)

"Life - do not destroy." Life is precious. We need to nurture it, or at the very least, give it a fighting chance. Maybe we should do more to save and enhance the lives of those who would like to live on this planet, as opposed to making lives harder in a vain attempt to affect what amounts to an insignificant impact on the global climate. End abortion; fight malaria, cancer, AIDS, and a long list of others; free the market to find better solutions; feed the world. Instead of: ranting about choice (which often should have been considered earlier); socializing everything into inefficiency; burning our food for fuel while people are starving. Just some ideas...

"Life - do not destroy." I can imagine Martin Luther would expound on that (as he was so inclined to do)... Love one another. Build each other up. Don't just withhold destruction, but promote the wellbeing, wholeness, liberty, and happiness of others. Be your brother's keeper. Bear one another's burdens. Love one another.

A Storm, a Garage, and Five Gallons of Paint

So we've been painting our new house, and I needed to go to Lowe's to get more paint today after work. I swing by Grandma and Grandpa's house, pick up Anna and Will after an hour delay over this and that, and scoot on over to Lowe's. I get my five gallons of paint, look at tile and ceiling fans again, and head to the check-out. During this time, we hear some thunder which scares Anna so that she doesn't want to leave. To my relief, we exit the store and see that the storm has passed. "See the storm clouds way over there?" I say reassuringly. And they did.

It just so happened, however, that the storm clouds were heading to our new house... like us, with our five gallons of paint. On our drive to the new house Anna gets more upset at the sight of rain and clouds. It's only rain; we're fine, I say. The thunder argues against me.

We arrive at the house under a benign drizzle. I park in the driveway. I open my door and the clouds release their burden... perfect timing! So I quickly hop out, run around the van, grab Anna who is crying hysterically, carry her to the front door, and deposit her inside the house. One down, one to go. At this point it occurs to me that it is a shorter distance from the van to the garage than from the van to the front door. Ah, how clever I am! So I run to the van, hop in the driver's seat, push the garage door opener button, hop out, grab Will, and run with him into the garage. Yes, garage... two-car garage for those of you keeping track of such things. Well, I tell myself, it seems I'll have to wait for the rain to let up before I can bring in my paint cans.

I spend the next hour or so holding and comforting my two terrified children every time the thunder rumbles or lightning flashes. I even try my mom's story she used to tell me of how the thunder is just God "upstairs" bowling with the angels (of course, Anna and Will don't know what bowling is). No, nothing helps except for me to be right there with them. After the first 30 minutes or so, sitting in the empty, work-in-progress, un-air conditioned house, it occurs to me that we have a garage, and I suddenly have a revelation of how one might use a garage, like in a storm for instance. A person, such as myself, if so desired, might dare to drive their van into the garage, thus being able to exit the vehicle calmly, without unnecessary drenching of one's clothes and children. What a concept!

Anna catches on to the the idea right away, and the intrigue and novelty of it all make her forget her fears. So I scheme and eventually manage to set Will down long enough to dash out to the van and carefully drive into the garage, so I can then carry the paint cans into the house. Victory! Of course, by this time the sun is peaking through and chasing the rain and thunder away. Will tells me he's not scared anymore, we distribute the paint cans to their proper rooms, and head for home.

**Personal Disclaimer: I have never had a garage before, though it may seem obvious how one might be used. :)

Thwarted

Ok, I've been sitting here at this computer for 30 minutes now trying to write something half-way intelligent or entertaining, and this is it. Bummer. I have also been putting Will to bed... over and over and over again. I put him in, and he just keeps on coming out. He needs his blankets put on again (which would not be needed if he would stay in bed with them on), or his imaginary boo-boo hurts, or he needs bug bite medicine (he currently has no bug bites), or his eye hurts (which would be cured by going to sleep!). Anna, fortunately, is sleeping through all his commotion (they share a room). So the countless interruptions and endless calling of "Mama" have effectively jumbled all my thoughts and foiled my plans of having some peaceful time to myself this evening to write in my blog. Maybe next time...

What's New

The saga unfolds... the air conditioner is not fixed yet. We need a new coil, which, of course, had to be ordered and won't arrive until Friday. Removing wallpaper has been quite a drawn-out procedure, the worst casualty being the hall bathroom where the drywall is looking more than a little tattered. That bathroom had at least three different layers of wallpaper and multiple layers of paint that did not want to be removed. We will be victorious in the end - after repairing the drywall.

It's hard to imagine we will really live in the new house one day. I guess I was not called to be an interior designer, because I have trouble visualizing the make-over being completed. I am confident the house will look great when everything is done, but it can be tough to really believe it will all get done when it is such a mess right now.

In other news...

• Anna was great in her ballet recital, where she and her friends danced as little flowers - too cute!
• Jon and I enjoyed a fun evening out recently, joining my boss and his family/friends and my coworker for dinner at the new Bull Street Chophouse, which was very good.
• I caught up with my sister Laura on the phone recently, and had a great time chatting, which we hadn't really done before.
• Will has started using the potty!

So, overall, life is good... even if it's a bit messy and unpredictable.

"Like seven inches from the midday sun..."

So June has come upon us - happy hurricane season, y'all! Let me just state the obvious and say that it is hot... obscenely, ridiculously hot (as it is every summer here in the Lowcountry and Coastal Empire... "empire" sounds so regal and grand, doesn't it? That's really the name for the area around Savannah for some reason). And wouldn't you know, the air conditioner (at our new house) which apparently worked during the home inspection, and which subsequently broke when the weather turned hot, and which was supposed to be fixed last week... that air conditioner is still broken for some reason which I am finding increasingly difficult to imagine. Thus, our progress on the new house has slowed. Jon is a real trooper, though, doing as much as he can, while I - as my brother-in-law Sergio observed - am more of a union worker, refusing to work until the situation is remedied. Sorry, but the heat just sucks the life out of me. Which is why every summer Jon and I discuss how nice it would be to live somewhere else, somewhere where you could actually enjoy the summertime by spending time outside (what a novel idea) - like Maine or Pennsylvania.

And when I see first-hand how the heat affects human behavior and tends to slow things down, it causes me to wonder about latitudinal influences on human behavior (as I did previously concerning Norwegians' food habits). For example, the South is known for being slower than the North, perhaps partly out of necessity because it's so darn hot in the South that you have to slow down to survive; whereas in the North the world gets very cold and you have to run around trying to keep warm for part of the year so you get used to a faster pace of life. Also, why so many inventions, discoveries, and developments from Western nations historically, while much of Africa and other hotter climates remain in such basic conditions? European/American nations deal with very cold weather for at least part of the year, and have had to come up with ways to survive and thrive in a harsh environment that rewards moving fast (generating heat). Hotter climates require people to slow down or risk their health, thus perhaps decreasing motivation in general. (Let me make the obvious disclaimer that, of course, many other factors have been at work in history, blah, blah, blah, and surely climate is just one part of the puzzle, but it may definitely have influence). I don't know, but it would be fun to research anyway! Or maybe the heat has befuddled my brain...

New House, New Projects

Last week we closed on our new house, so now the games have begun! We have been busily pulling off layers of wallpaper and paint, and removing two bazillion nails and screws from the walls (I would love to have seen this home when the last people were still living there, as I cannot fathom how someone could have used all those nails and screws at one time!). The garage door has been repaired, but the air conditioner, which was working during the home inspection, has unfortunately stopped making cold air (which would have been quite useful this weekend with temperatures around 90). Hopefully that will be remedied tomorrow! And this week the good people from Lowe's will come measure the hall and bedrooms for new carpet. Once the walls and floors are done, we will be ready to move in and then continue to tackle various projects gradually. Funny how little issues always sneak in, though... like since we're redoing the bathroom floor, might as well replace the old little toilets, and let's widen the narrow bathroom door before we paint... all of which make sense, but add to the timeline nonetheless. It would be nice to be moved in by July 4... we'll see.

I've met two of our new neighbors, which has been encouraging. There are lots of young kids around, which is what Jon and I were looking for, and the two moms I met were very welcoming. I even learned that one little girl across the street was hoping we'd be the ones who bought the house because she had seen Anna and Will (apparently a lot of people looked at the house). So that's exciting to me to be in a more sociable, family-oriented neighborhood. Our current neighborhood is nice, but there are no other kids near us and most people keep to themselves (still it will be sad to leave, as I am terribly sentimental!).

And that's the news from our corner of the world.

The Christian Distinction

I was driving the other day, listening to music on the Christian radio station, and thinking about different religions and what makes Christianity distinctive. I realized I could sum up Christianity in two words: "love" and "life." If hard-pressed, I'd go with just "love." Sure there are lots of doctrines and teachings and such to learn, but the essence is love. "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16). The greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart... and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39).

Out of love God gave us the promise of a Savior from the very beginning (Genesis 3:15). Out of love Jesus came and lived among us, suffered the worst at the hands of men, died, and rose again, bringing life to all who would follow Him. Out of love the Holy Spirit comforts us, leads us, and prays for us.

God loves us and gives us life. "Perfect love drives out fear... we love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:18-19). In Christ we lawbreakers no longer have to fear a holy and just God (because Jesus took our punishment upon Himself), but we respond to God in love, and that love becomes our motivating factor. Other religions may offer "salvation" based on their followers' efforts, good deeds, enlightened understanding... saving themselves by their bootstraps, if you will, based essentially on their own works. Man reaching up to God. The tower of Babel.

Christianity is God reaching down to man. God loves. God seeks and saves. He knows we can't reach Him so He comes to us. Grace alone. Faith alone. Amen.

About Chairs

Today we went to a moving sale and bought a big, ultra-comfy leather chair and footstool from a British couple who is preparing to move to Italy and therefore selling essentially everything they own. We got a great deal, and somehow managed to maneuver said furniture into our minivan, kids and all. I realized two things in the midst of this purchase.

First, it is not the best idea to buy new furniture for your new and larger home prior to moving in because there may not be room in your current smaller home to put it. We promptly deposited our new chair/footstool combo in the empty office space in Jon's office building, and now I cannot even enjoy my new chair (I think there will be some debate in our home over exactly whose chair it is)! Sadness! It reminded me of our cute rocking chair in the kitchen... which brings me to my second observation.

Jon and I are collectors of chairs. It's true. I don't know why. There are just so many cool chairs out there, and ok maybe they don't quite go with any of our other furniture or we're not sure where we'll put them, but for some reason we are compelled to buy unique chairs at estate/yard sales. Before today our most recent addition was a pretty little wooden rocking chair with newly upholstered cushions, and all the money from that estate sale went to help the local Humane Society shelter (where we got Lucy), which only sweetened the deal. Yes, the rocking chair sits in the kitchen because we bought it "for the new house", of course! In the past we've also gotten a beautiful gold upholstered occasional chair in a butterfly print, which actually needs to be redone. And my parents have even given us an old wooden chair they picked up at a flea market, thus enabling our addiction! Strange indeed. I wonder if there are chair collectors support groups out there...

A New House (with Commentary on Social Ills)

So we're buying a new house. Call us crazy - with the sky falling and all - but Jon and I are snatching up a good deal that will give us much-needed extra space and the coveted "better school district" - which reminds me of the young hooligans on a school bus whom I saw throwing wadded up paper at people on the street as we were stuck in traffic downtown this afternoon... a fine reflection of our stunning public school system and strong moral society. How rude! What is wrong with people that they can not recognize the value of other human beings and have some empathy for them? Maybe it was racially motivated?... I don't think so, but... the kids were black and the people on the street were white... except I forgot that blacks can't be racist. Surely they had previously been victimized themselves - maybe in a past life - and therefore could not be held responsible for their actions, or... whatever!

Anyway...It's exciting - four bedrooms (from our three), two-car garage (from no garage), roomy attic (from our pitiful crawl-space), fenced yard for the dogs and kids, convenient to babysitting :) . The only catch is that it's a foreclosure and needs some work prior to moving in... mainly flooring and painting, but it also has some window and roof issues along with various cosmetic needs. So now we have a project!

Visitors from Afar and Thoughts on Food

A couple of Norwegians recently came to town for a few days. Ingrid and Trygve are related to Jon's mom. They stayed with Jon's parents, who gave them the abridged tour of Savannah (in three days or less). Jon, Anna, Will, and I met up with the four relatives one evening for dinner at Uncle Bubba's Oyster House, a fine sample of Lowcountry seafood. The restaurant, for those who don't know, is Paula Deen's (of Food Network fame) brother's place, and Paula has filmed her show (Paula's Party) there. Anyway... so we meet the Norwegian relatives, who were quite pleasant. I just love meeting people from other countries... with accents, different perspectives, different customs, searching for the right word in English... So the funny thing is here we are at this Southern seafood restaurant and Ingrid orders a salad and Trygve orders a hamburger. They live on an island in Norway and Trygve runs a big freight ship, so I'm guessing they eat seafood, but for some reason that's not what they ordered at Uncle Bubba's. And they ate everything with a fork and knife - chicken wings, hamburger, and all! Apparently there are no finger foods in Norway? I don't know.

It certainly gave them an air of sophistication, being all proper and tidy like that. And it made me wonder if there is a latitudinal connection relative to how involved people get with their food. Silly thought perhaps. But this couple lives way up north and they used utensils for all their eating. Americans use fingers for some foods and utensils for others. In Cameroon, West Africa, villagers ate everything with their fingers (and their foo foo) including sauces and such. Coincidence?

It also made me reflect again on how important food is to people, aside from being mere sustenance. Food is cultural. We identify with our food on a personal level. That's one reason why changing our diets can be so difficult... it is emotionally a part of who we are. I did not doubt our new friends' kindness or character for not having embraced the fine Southern cuisine to which we had brought them, or for not eating in the way that we do. But it did underscore our "differentness" and put these little ponderings in my head. Now I more fully understand why, when my colleagues and I went to stay in the village in Cameroon, we were instructed to eat whatever was given to us (as far as possible - I did manage to hide some fish I was given because my gag reflex would not let it pass!) and follow the local customs to avoid offending our hosts. Maybe one day I'll go to Norway and eat...

Nothing Much

Happy May, everyone! Can you believe it's May already? Just a couple short weeks left of school for Anna. Will is ready to start school... every morning when he and I drop off Anna at school, he says "Bye-bye, Mama" with a big grin. The kids start their morning by practicing writing their names, and Will sits at the table with Anna and colors on his paper. When he's done he knows to put his paper in Anna's cubby just like the big kids. Too cute. We've signed him up to start in the fall even though it's a year earlier than Anna started - we just think he's ready and would really enjoy it.

Lucy has recovered from her surgery and "big collar" and is back to her normal sweet self. She and Dixie are on diets and seem to be shaping up (we hope). Funny how easy it is to put a dog on a diet. We humans are much trickier.

So blah, blah, blah... not much to say, but it's been a while so I thought I should write something. I'll try to do better next time!

World Malaria Day

This Friday, April 25 is World Malaria Day (in case you didn't know). Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease that is caused by a tiny parasite and is spread by infected mosquitoes. It claims more than 1 million lives each year, mostly in Africa where there is a lack of education, mosquito nets, and access to treatment. Every 30 seconds a child dies of malaria, a preventable and treatable disease. We can make a difference. Please go to www.worldvision.org or www.compassion.com for more information on how you can help. Thanks!

Happy Earth Day

We went to an Earth Day celebration today in Savannah, which was a bit disappointing to me. Maybe we hit it at the wrong time when they were between events and interesting things. There was a stage set up for live performances, but all we were treated to was some hip hop artists (which did not quite correlate with saving the planet and going green in my mind). There were lots of informational booths and a place to bring your recyclables. And that's about all we saw. Bummer. Where were the Native American dancers, organic food booths, recycled junk art for sale, composting demonstrations, pagan/nature religion/Wiccan outreach booth, games for kids to teach them to turn off the lights when they leave a room or how to conserve water? They could have done so much... Alas! But it was a beautiful day to be outside anyway, and Anna and Will got to play on the playground and pet some dogs at the park.

Lucy's Veterinary Adventures

Last week Lucy, our adorable boxer mix, had 3 small tumors removed from different locations, and came home with stitches. That was Tuesday. By Thursday we had to return her to the vet because the stitches had come out on her back leg. The good doctor stapled her back together and bandaged her thigh so Lucy wouldn't bother it. Saturday morning found Anna, Will, Lucy, and me back at the vet's office again. Her bandage was sliding down her leg and the stitches had come out of her front leg! The vet replaced the bandage, gave me some antibacterial ointment to apply twice a day, and sent Lucy home wearing an "e-collar" so she cannot possibly get to her wounds.

Poor Lucy! Poor Will! He was afraid of the collar the first day and cried "collar off!" the whole time we were waiting to check out of the vet's office (and I couldn't pick him up because I had to hold onto Lucy who wanted to greet all the other people and dogs there!). Even now - 2 days later - Will yells "no, Lucy!" if she starts to head toward him. And I'm sure the collar is a bit intimidating to a little guy... Lucy can't maneuver it very well and gets caught on furniture and people. Eating, playing, climbing into her favorite chair... these have all become challenges to Lucy now, but at least her "boo-boos" will heal. Will even says "Poor Lucy! Poor Baby!"

American Idol Gives Back

Did you watch "American Idol Gives Back?" Yes, I admit to watching "American Idol"... I'm sure I'm not the target audience, but it's kind of my "junk food" tv. I know everyone's talking about Michael Johns today, who was unbelievably kicked off last night (yes, I was shocked and disappointed, too). But I really enjoyed the "Gives Back" show... I liked seeing a variety of performers and especially the clips of the relief work and needs around the world. It was a good reminder of what's going on "out there". I love Bono and all the good work he does to help the poor... too bad he didn't sing, though!

It was a moving show, but I was left scratching my head when it closed with the contestants singing "Shout to the Lord" with full choir. I heard the event praised by my local Christian radio station as a great testimony to God, but to me it seemed more like last-minute pandering to Christians to get their money. Call me a cynic. I'm all for praise that comes from the heart, but what is the statistical probability that all the contestants are believers? Not too good, I'm guessing. So is it appropriate for non-Christians to present praise/prayer songs, especially in such an emotional context as the "Gives Back" show, in a normally secular venue? It just didn't sit well with me. Maybe it was there because, in spite of all the harrassment Christians may take in the media, we do have a history for being generous and helpful to those in need. Regardless, to me it seemed like a last-ditch effort to tug at the heartstrings and the wallets. And in fact, I was moved to give... not to "American Idol", but to World Vision and Wycliffe Bible Translators, whose work and practices I know and trust.

Freedom Rambling

It's been a while... I've been thinking about freedom. Of course, Easter is about freedom since Jesus died to set us free from the power of sin. The freedom is there for all, but we must receive it, embrace it, allow it to grow within us. And we live in the land of the free. "Live free or die!" quotes the CT license plate, honoring Patrick Henry. Our Founding Fathers' passion for freedom is what gave birth to this great nation (anyone watching "John Adams" or read the book? Wow!). We have amazing freedoms and opportunities all around us if we would just live them.

Why is it that so many people seem to be so complacent about freedom? Do we just take it for granted? Are we too lazy to really consider it? Do we prefer hand-outs and bondage because that's the known entity (I've heard that when slavery ended in the US, some former slaves just continued what they had been doing because that's what they knew and it was hard to make the mental adjustment to freedom all at once.)? Or are we just sheep?

How easily will we trade away our freedoms? Spiritually, will we trade a bit for legalism in the name of convenience (because maybe it's just easier to impose some well-planned rules than to always evaluate things)? Or maybe trade some freedom for reason so the faith doesn't sound quite so "wacky"? Economically, will we trade some freedom for some more socialism because the government does things so well (!) and has the best intentions (!) of taking care of everyone, which sounds so nice (right, comrade?)? Will we trade away a bit of freedom of speech to make sure no one feels "offended" (and we'll have no losers here, just victims apparently)?

Freedom comes at a price, but maybe someone else has paid for it so some of us don't fully appreciate its worth. Spiritual freedom, salvation, was paid for by Jesus' blood on the cross, and we receive it through faith, by grace, the end. American freedom has also been paid for by blood and sacrifice. We are born or immigrate into this American heritage - what do we contribute back as good citizens? Do our lives build upon the legacy we inherit, to strengthen it, to further "secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity"?

Or do we keep making trades of convenience? Reminds me of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here"... "Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?... a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage." When we're finished trading, what will be left?

Easter

He's alive!

Pinckney Island Adventure

It was a perfect day for an outing - not too hot, not too cold, not too buggy, and with a light breeze blowing - as Jon, Anna, Will, and I set out by foot and stroller for a jaunt on Pinckney Island Wildlife Refuge on Friday afternoon, celebrating St Patrick and a day off from work. The island has a gravel road that leads through maritime forest, alongside marshlands, and beyond Ibis Pond. I think there's an old house there somewhere, but I've never made it that far.

Anna and Will alternated rides in our much-loved All Terrain Stroller. We forayed into the marsh, counting periwinkle shells, following deer tracks, trying to peek into fiddler crab "houses" (holes), and discovering a long-lost fiddler crab claw that had been bleached by the sun. The four of us made the loop around Ibis Pond on the easy grass trail (much nicer than the overgrown trail from the last time I was there). The fresh spring green of new leaves graced the trees around the pond, where we greeted coots, grebes, and wood storks. We even spotted a young alligator lazing on the grassy reeds at water's edge (about 15 feet from us).

Finally we went in search of "my" big tree... a huge old live oak tree that has been losing ground to the river for years. It used to be a special place for me to go by myself to be close to God and nature in my pre-family days. The path was much overgrown, but my tree was there, though it has lost more ground. It hangs out over the sandy beach area that is flooded at high tide by the greedy river. Unfortunately Anna and Will are too little yet to appreciate the climbing adventure of my tree with all its curves and twistyness. But we walked along the beach, sheltered by numerous other stretching oaks that cling to the land as the water would carve it from around them. One tree even had an old rope swing of sorts tied to a branch for us to swing upon.

As we walked back to our van, happily tired and hungry from our explorations, the wind blew us along, refreshing my soul once more. It was a perfect outing for a day.

The Picking Of Flowers

The flowers are blooming; the pollen is blowing. Spring has sprung! I love all the flowers of springtime... cheerful colors to punctuate any excursion. Flowers make me smile (maybe someone could tell my husband this?). I like to think of flowers as small reminders to us of the great love that God has for us; He has filled our world with beauty.

It seems Anna and Will love flowers, too. They love to comment on the colors of the flowers, smell the flowers, and, yes, pick the flowers. No flower is safe when my children are around... little flowers, big flowers, wildflowers, neighbors' flowers, flowers at church... you get the idea. Those of you who knew me in college may sense the supreme irony of this situation. I - the one who wanted all flowers to be free, and finally, begrudgingly, picked the tiny yellow flowers from our lawn at the 514 house to preserve their beauty because "Nancy's gonna kill them with the lawnmower anyway" - I now can hardly stop my kids from cutting short the lives of these happy, innocent flowers! And so, because of my love for flowers, I find I cannot toss out even the lowliest little weed that comes into our house, but instead feel obligated to stick it in some water. Currently I have 2 little bowls and 2 little jars crammed with flowers that Anna and Will have picked - plus 1 large bowl that I had to bring out today because of all the azalea blooms Anna collected this afternoon.

Where will it all end? I try my powers of persuasion, appealing to social courtesy (it's not nice to pick the neighbors' flowers), the plight of poor hummingbirds and butterflies with nothing to eat, concern for others (other people want to see the pretty flowers, too), and parental authority (because I said so). And then the sweet little face looks up at me and says with a smile, "I picked these for you, Mommy" (or Will's abridged version of that statement). And I manage to squeeze more flowers into a little jar on the kitchen table.

Rainy Day Story

The other day it was raining when Will and I took Anna to preschool, so we had our umbrellas with us (Anna has a pink Disney princess umbrella, of course!). Coming out of the school, just Will and me, Will wanted to carry Anna's umbrella so, guessing he wouldn't be scarred for life, I let him. He was cute, toddling along under the little umbrella. From my vantage point next to him, all I could really see was the top of the umbrella and his legs. And then I had an epiphany as I realized I was witnessing what must have been Steven Spielberg's inspiration for the movements of E.T. Will's movements were just like E.T.'s - kind of plodding along, carefully holding the umbrella. I've heard before that George Lucas got the R2D2 language sounds from the babblings of a baby. Sure, different movie, but same idea. Hmmm... what other inspiration might come from our little ones?

Hope From My Pocket or "Go Away" - Part 2

And the Matchbox 20 quote (see previous post) also plays on a deeper level, reminiscent of Paul (the apostle). It's the idea of doing what you don't want to do and failing to do what you want to or should do... being your own worst enemy again. In Romans 7 Paul calls himself a "wretched man" and asks who will save him from himself. It's the struggle between our conscience and our sin nature. We know what is good and right and true to a certain extent, and yet we fall so short time and time again. We fail to live up to the standard of holy and righteous and perfect that is somehow (how could that be?) known in our hearts.

But wait, here it comes... enter grace! Paul answers himself in the very next line - "thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord." God knows our failure, our hostility, our sin... and He loves us anyway and makes the way for us to be with Him through the work of Jesus. That's the hope from my pocket - life and peace through Jesus for all who believe. We can't make ourselves go away, but God can make us new.

"Can't Get Myself to Go Away"

"Reach down your hand in your pocket; pull out some hope for me. It's been a long day... and I can't get myself to go away." So sings the band Matchboz 20 in one of their songs. I think that is rather insightful into the human condition. Sometimes we realize we're our own worst problem, but we can't get ourselves to go away. Sometimes I get tired of thinking my own thoughts. I just want my thoughts to be silent (no, I'm not talking about hearing voices!) or to be new and different or to have different issues to think about. It would be fun to trade minds with someone else once in a while, to see what it's like to think completely differently and to deal in a different reality. Maybe trade minds with a great artist or musician, an engineer, a bizillionaire, a pauper, a leader in a different religion, a leader in a different political party, someone on the other side of the world. What would it be like to really experience someone else's thoughts? Refreshing? Terrifying? Humbling? Inspiring? Maybe that's partly why people read books... to get some fresh thoughts on things. Or do we mostly just read what confirms our own viewpoints anyway? Maybe I need a new book.

Living by Faith

Everyone lives by faith in something - whether we are theist, agnostic, atheist, whatever. Some of us look at the world around us - the majesty of the mountains, the complex interconnectedness of the estuaries, the amazing intricacies and complexities of our own human bodies - and put our faith in a Creator God who designed it all in His great wisdom. Others of us look at the same phenomena and put their faith in chance - the great cosmic accident that brought us to this place. Either way, it's a step of faith. Science, at its core, is about theories, hypotheses, experiments, and observable results. How the world and everything came to be is beyond the scope of science; it cannot be proven or duplicated or even verified. There are theories about the universe that appeal to different people depending on their presuppositions. Let's not make the foolish mistake of claiming that intelligent, thinking people can only reach one conclusion (as Bill Maher would likely say). There are brilliant and foolish minds in every camp. It seems faith is not so much a matter of reason as it is a matter of the heart... can you dare admit there may be someone so much greater than yourself, someone you owe your very existence to? We all have faith - faith in God, faith in chance, faith in our own efforts and cleverness. Where is your faith?

Remember the World

Last night I took Anna and Will to a concert by the Children of the World International Children's Choir, which represents the work of World Help (www.worldhelp.net). The kids in the choir were from various regions of the world... Africa, Indonesia, South America, Asia... all from poverty, most orphaned (either by AIDS or warfare), all joyous in singing praise to God. You could see the deep joy in their eyes and in their smiles as they poured out their energy in song and dance. They are part of World Help's child sponsorship program, which helps care for them and provide them with basic needs as well as the hope of the gospel. It was a powerful reminder to me of the bigger world out there... the world that I have seen, but that is still hard to remember sometimes in my microcosm of Savannah. There is such great need and suffering and pain out there (everywhere), and yet there is an even greater hope and blessing in Christ, and we can be a part of it in one way or another.

What Do You Know?

This past weekend we had Anna and Will's joint birthday party... complete with pizza, cake, and more Barbies and trucks than you could shake a stick at (there's a fun idiom!)!

Thinking thoughts lately... trying to determine a niche about which I know a lot and could possibly generate some dollars from... and I'm realizing, much to my dismay, that I have mostly a superficial knowledge of things. Knowing a little about a lot - a sort of Renaissance woman - which can be a good thing in certain contexts. But where does all that information go that I've learned over the years? Sigh! Like all those environmental science classes that earned me my degree so long ago? Was it all for naught? Sure the college experience is a valuable lesson in and of itself and I wouldn't trade my college years for anything, but maybe I could have majored in something more lucrative, like economics (which I considered at the time) or whatever, that I could have used more directly to generate income along the path of life. Of course, moving back home after college was not exactly the best strategery for pursuing a career as the job market here was/is rather limited. But alas! I digress! Blah, blah, blah... what do you know deeply and well? Hmmm...

Well, I'm out of time for tonight, so more thoughts will have to wait til next time...

a poem

in the busy of my life...
sounds of happy, sounds of strife.

anna's singing over there,
will is climbing on a chair,
lucy barks at passersby,
dixie, too, not knowing why.

now around the table they go,
anna first with will in tow.
pushing trucks or pulling toys -
some of childhood's many joys.

happy times are here to stay
'til one takes the other's toy away.
then the tears will surely fall
with yelling or hitting - not nice at all!

sometimes we laugh, sometimes we cry.
days may be long, but the years do fly.
see them run and color and hold the cup?
there they go, growing up.

Marketing Beauty

Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. Today my neighborhood Mary Kay consultant came over and gave me a make-over, which was fun and, technically, free. I like Mary Kay products, and used to use them (until I opted for lower-cost alternatives). I was determined not to buy anything today, not to get drawn in by the marketing ploy for my hard-earned cash. Of course Ms. Kay says her product is the best and really a great value when you consider how long it lasts, etc. Yes, my skin felt lovely and looked oh-so-smooth and I learned some make-up how-to's tailored for my features. And who wants those tiny lines to turn ugly or to have uneven skin tone or dry lips? Why not firm up those eyes and keep your hands feeling like satin? Who wouldn't want to protect their skin from free radicals in the air that continually bombard it? Things I hadn't previously considered have now become my new worries. What will I look like if I continue with my present beauty routine? And how much better would I look if I make the switch?

Well, I managed to escape today with just a small purchase and a promise to consider all these things and get back to Ms. Kay later. Will I go for the $200 bargain special introductory deal with lovely carrying case? Tempting as it may be, I'm thinking no. It's funny, my Ms. Kay is a Christian and told me how God had blessed her earlier today with a big sale... I wonder if she feels God let her down at my house, while at the same time I'm thanking Him for keeping me strong in the face of temptation!

Political Pondering

With all the presidential primary chatter in the news these days, with political headlines on par with the tabloids and soap operas, I've been thinking... Why is it that ordinary Americans generally don't discuss politics except with others who are of a similar mindset as themselves? There's the old advice not to discuss politics or religion, but really, aren't those topics rather interesting and worthy of discussion? Better than the latest sensationalized tragedy or the weather at least. How will we ever find solutions and unity without discussion? And why do we allow the media and extremists to do all the discussing and foster division among us? Perhaps they don't want true dialogue because the more they can stir things up, the more we feel compelled to watch them to find out the latest scoop or allegations or scandal. Who brought racism into the Hillary/Obama race if not the media? Can we take a few steps back and examine ideas and policies with all their implications instead of just what sounds good, is likely to be popular, and panders to the right groups? Can we consider what's best for our country for the long-term even if it means making some painful changes of course in the present (like perhaps the Fair Tax or a flat tax or evaluating the socioeconomic effects of welfare or an overhaul of the social security system)? Can we discuss without name-calling, insulting, belittling those who disagree so maybe we can understand each other? Children are scolded for such behavior, yet some adults justify it in the name of humor or entitlement.

I fear for this country because I see a lack of wise, strong leadership in the presidential candidates and in politicians in general; but also because I see Americans who have grown discouraged with the process and the games, who feel powerless and apathetic. "We the people" started this country; somehow we need to take it back. Otherwise, God help us.

Little Things

It's the little things in life, right?

Like the other day Will grabbed a pack of new dark chocolate peanut M&M's in the check-out line at Target and, seeing his excellent taste, I decided to buy them. Yum! What a stroke of genius, although it makes me wonder why it took so long for someone to come up with the idea. But really, dark chocolate makes everything better.

Or like listening to certain music. John Denver's greatest hits CD makes me happy (like sunshine on my shoulders). Or some music from my formative years in the 80's... like Wham (what? they're gay??), John Mellencamp (remember when he was John Cougar?), or even the Beastie Boys (we heard their song "Brass Monkey" tonight on the radio for some unknown reason and wouldn't you know the tune is stuck in my head now? Oddly enough, after the song was over, the dj announced we were listening to "today's biggest hits"! I've got news for him...). I read part of a book at Books-a-million about the strong impact that music has on our brains - physiologically, emotionally, etc. As you might guess, the author found that we bond especially with music we hear during the teen years because that is when the brain is maturing so rapidly, we are defining ourselves, etc. I think the book was called "This is your brain on music" or something to that effect.

Other little things worth mentioning... happy greetings from happy dogs, how the afternoon sky looks when the sun comes out after a rain with the gray clouds off in the distance, finding the perfect parking space, happy greetings from happy kids...

Quick Update

On Saturday Jon and I took Anna and Will for their first official haircuts. We went to a place that specializes in kids - they got to sit in a jeep, watch kid videos, and eat lollipops while getting their hair cut. Sure it was a bit frivolous, but we thought it was worth it for the special occasion. Anna had a couple inches taken off, and amazingly didn't cry or fuss about it. And Will... my baby is a little boy now! He looks so different! He cried through the entire haircutting process, and I had to hold on to him to keep him from getting up, but Tanisha (haircutter extraordinaire) said he was really good compared with those kids who kick, scream, and bite!

Anna started a new preschool today at Savannah Christian Church where I used to be a member. We liked her other preschool, but it was new and it turned out they will not be adding a 4-year-old class next year, which we were hoping they would. So we started looking into schools for next year, attended an open house at SCC, and discovered they had openings for this year, which in turn gives us an advantage for next year's registration. Plus, we were impressed with their curriculum (next week Anna's class will go on a field trip to a fire station as they've been learning about fire stations, etc), and we liked the fact that school is four mornings a week instead of one. Jon and I think Anna will benefit from more frequent and more consistent school time both academically and socially (perhaps more important at this age to us, as Anna is quite socially reserved with peers and has not really made any good friends yet). So anyway, she said she had a good time today at school like it was no big deal (I think it was a bigger deal to me than to her). The teacher said the only thing Anna said the whole time was to ask for more snack at snack time (that's my girl!). But she'll get more comfortable as time goes on.

So that's our news for today. That, and I had a birthday! Happy Birthday to me! I went out to eat on three different occasions with various combinations of people... and one more birthday meal to come this weekend! It's fun to prolong the celebration!

The Sound of Music

"The hills are alive with the sound of music!" When was the last time you watched "The Sound of Music?" We watched it today as a matter of fact. And we listen to the soundtrack almost every time we get into our minivan to go somewhere. It is without a doubt Anna's favorite movie/music. She pretty much knows all the words to the songs (or her versions of the words at least... "Bee - a name I call myself"). Imagine riding along with an almost-four-year-old singing "I have confidence they'll put me to the test; besides which you see, I have confidence in me!" It is entertaining for sure!

Catalog People

Today I took Anna and Will to the mall to hang out. While we were looking at the fish in the aquarium at Bass Pro Shop, another mom approached with her two little ones. This wasn't just any ol' mom, though. She looked like she had stepped out of the pages of an L L Bean catalog. Now I have seen these catalog people types before, but what was so impressive today was that she had little L L Bean kids, too! Her little boy was maybe 3 years old, wearing his jeans and sweater, and donning a courduroy ivy cap (I had to look that up) with his neat little ponytail peaking out the back. The little girl was also perfectly dressed (less than a year old) with a cute little hat, and being carried in her mother's arms ever-so-nicely without wiggling or squirming or fussing at all. The woman didn't even have a stroller with her! I, of course, had our stroller along so Anna could ride and Will could push, with the added bonus that I can put stuff in the bottom basket. We were the perfect picture of all-American casual - more practical than stylish (but cute nonetheless!).

Really I only saw this woman maintain her picture perfection for all of 5 minutes, so who knows what really goes on... maybe 15 minutes later hats were thrown on the floor, the boy was whining for some candy, and the baby was crying with a leaky diaper. But I doubt it (the lack of stroller tells me this woman was not accustomed to such chaos). So hats off to catalog people (did I mention we didn't have any hats?)! Thanks for giving me something to puzzle over.

Pirates in the Square

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood... mid-70's with a slight breeze, pouffy clouds across the sky, and pirates in the square. Yes, pirates in the square. I was walking to my minivan after work this afternoon, strolling through one of the squares downtown where my office is located, and there in my path stood two pirates chatting. They were friendly enough (one never knows what to expect of pirates after all), greeting me with "Ahoy!" One of them commented that no one takes him seriously after I chuckled. Must be tough being a pirate these days. I'm not sure where these pirates came from, as I have never seen pirates around there before. Maybe they had strayed away from the Pirates' House Restaurant or maybe they hopped off a ship down at the river. It was fun to see them anyway!

Cows and Lost Stuff

Do you have an uncontrollable urge to moo when you drive past a bunch of cows in a field? Just wondering. Almost every time our family drives past cows, we all feel the need to moo... and in various pitches. Will has even begun to join in now that he understands the game. I've always had a fondness for cows - simple, peaceful creatures that they are. They have no pretenses. What you see is what you get.

Don't you hate it when things get lost? I hate that. Like when Anna loses a favorite little ring outside in the backyard. You know it's there somewhere, but you just can't find it. Or lost opportunities... things you could have, should have said or done, but now the moment is gone. Or lost people... through death or distance or circumstance... those who were or should be close to you are now out of reach, lost to you. All is not right with the world. No wonder Jesus came to seek and to save what was lost; lostness must tear at God's heart, too.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! Have you made any resolutions? I haven't had a chance to sit down and reflect on life yet to see what I want to do differently this year. But I do want to do something differently, or different. Maybe Jon and I will conquer some home improvements; maybe I'll take up a new hobby; maybe we'll actually take a vacation! Pretty exciting stuff there! Maybe I'll discover a secret method for getting your three-year-old to stop whining for good, market it to the world, and make millions! Hmm... I'd better get busy on that one.

Anyway, our Christmas was lovely, if a bit busy. Jon has family in town visiting so we've been spending lots of time with them, which is nice. Anna is very sad to see that some people are taking down their Christmas lights already ("but they're so pretty!"). Will is happy to play with his trains and trucks... and flashlight. Jon gave Anna and Will each a flashlight, and they love them! Will is funny because he hasn't mastered the idea that he controls where that circle of light shows up. The light will be pointed at the floor and he'll try to step on the circle, but then he inadvertently moves it and he can't figure out where it went, and then it mysteriously appears again. Quite comical!