Write 31 Days - Seasons

What is it about a change in seasons that inspires the inner neat freak lurking somewhere within each of us?  I mean, as soon as the first fading leaf falls, or the earliest blossom pokes its head up from the perennial bed, the most eager organizers are already rearranging closets to bring the appropriate clothes within easy reach for current temperatures.

It's a change in seasons of a different kind when a family goes through the chore to clear rooms of clutter and streamline their household possessions to relocate to a new home.

I'm experiencing the beginning of a new season, a new stage in life.  College is in full swing for our youngest kids, and our home now has a very different feel.  For the first time in a long time I'm having the urge to straighten and purge and sanitize and completely reorder our home. From floor to ceiling. Wall to wall.  I'm getting the sense that no closet, cabinet, or drawer will be safe.  Think "Clean Sweep," the TLC series from about ten years back.

The only problem I see with this new desire to reorganize everything in sight is the fact that I'll have to face some feelings that are currently residing in the "denial" slot in my mental card catalog.

Take the linen closet in the hallway outside the kids' bedrooms, for example. When we moved into this house, we were knee high in laundry generated by four busy kids and their constant need to change in and out of school clothes, sports uniforms, outfits for playing dress-up, and the inevitable assortment of clean clothes that managed to find themselves back in the laundry basket instead of the dresser drawer. (Nearly every mother I've ever met claims this same phenomenon happens at her house.).

Here is how that closet looks today:

Apparently I'm in denial that three baskets for sorting never-ending loads of lights, darks, and brights are no longer necessary in this house.  At least not within a short toss from the nearby bedroom doors. No one is living in those bedrooms.  Empty bedrooms do not need convenient containers for dirty clothes.

The way I figure, the sooner I do away with this system we used with our busy family of six, the sooner I'll be able to utilize the new-found prime storage space.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I'm definitely better at denial, or at least procrastination, than I am at seizing an obvious opportunity. That's okay. Those empty bedrooms are enough of a change for now. Our uncluttered, organized spaces will come in time.

Write 31 Days - Time Too Short

It was wonderful!  Everything I had expected, yet in some ways not fully what I had hoped for.  Reassuring, but somehow still tinged with uncertainty.

My mommy heart runneth over today after a short visit home from child #3, one-half of my nineteen-year-old twins who moved out several weeks ago to two separate universities.  It was his first visit home, and it barely exceeded twenty-four hours, but it was so good to see his face in person. FaceTime and Instagram uploads are a sorry substitute for one-on-one, face-to-face interaction. 

I knew the time would seem too short.  That's the way nearly every day had felt while their senior year was gaining speed and escaping our grip.  Or was it just my grip?  Looking back now, how did we let the hours of those last few years at home be packed so full of so many things that meaningful dialog often fell victim to the merciless time squeeze?  It's on that backdrop (hints of regret, moments lost, missed opportunities) that I had hoped for one of those rare, life-defining kind of conversations this weekend.  It didn't happen.

But what did happen was the making of a great first-time-home memory.  There were relaxed moments with my son and his three new best friends, filled with covering all the usual, first-meeting subjects.  There was a thrilling win for his college's still-unbeaten football team in double OT, while we sat shivering in the bleachers because none of us planned our wardrobes very well.  There was the Sunday morning Koffee Kake fail, which all four of them consumed without hesitation, but only halfway convinced it tasted as amazing as the unadulterated version.  (Check out the recipe here, but beware: Don't try it if you're planning to use emergency-substituted buttermilk for the evaporated milk called for in the recipe!)  There was late-night Survivor watching.  There were smiles and laughs at every turn. 

After church and lunch as the kids (I'm invoking something from the Mother's Bill of Rights to still call them "kids" until they finish at least one full year of college) piled back in the car and pulled out of the driveway, I found a sense of comfort in having met his friends and sharing such a pleasant weekend.  I felt satisfied and reassured that he has made good friends this quickly.  Friends who seem to live up to their billing.  I may never fully be rid of that all-too-familiar niggling of doubt, but for now there is a peace. 

I will continue to pray for him every day.  And now I have three new names and faces in my mind's eye as I pray for his friends, too. 

Write 31 Days - a challenge for October 2014

Where to start when narrowing life down ONE topic to write on every day for THIRTY-ONE days?!

Something familiar.  Something that stirs a passion.  Something others find interesting or helpful.

Two out of three ain't bad.  I know the topic, because I'm living it.  Many days, it fills my every thought.  I can only pray someone else will be blessed by what is shared here.

Numbers 3 and 4 of our kids flew away to college in August.  This leaves just my darling man and me to hold down the fort and figure out what in the world to do with ourselves.

Join me as I chronicle tidbits of what God is teaching me in this new phase of life.  There will be plenty of reflecting on what life looked like when we were so busy we couldn't see straight, as well as new joys and discoveries I don't even know to anticipate yet. 

It's day #1 ... will you journey thirty-one days with me?

Oct 2 ~ Not Easier, Just Different
Oct 5 ~ Time Too Short
Oct 6 ~ Seasons

Write 31 Days - Not Easier, Just Different

There's something about a slower, quieter routine that invites reflection.  Mixed with a reasonable dose of nostalgia. 

Today I had the blessing of a quick two-minute chat with a sweet, young mommy-to-be as we walked down the hall after Bible study.  She told me about the little discomforts, more or less the normal inconveniences, she is experiencing at this point in her pregnancy.  Her comments reminded me of something an older, wiser woman once told me.  Cue the nostalgia.

"It never really gets easier, just different." 

These words, spoken by a seasoned grandma, were in response to my weary plea for more sleep - even a blissful uninterrupted two hours would have been heavenly - during those early years when I was a new mommy.  My first born was daughter was barely fourteen months old when her sister was born.  Exhausted isn't a strong enough word. 

The sleep-deprived stage morphed into the mental challenge of patiently and truthfully answering endless "why" questions from curious preschoolers.  Then along came twins, and the real juggling act kicked in.  School-age activities for the big girls, with the twins always in tow.  Fast forward a few more years, and there's sports teams, ER visits, driving, dating, "girl drama", fashion fiascos, and the whole college-search obsession. 

Blink. 

Looking back now, remembering what it felt like to be so ready for this baby to finally get here, "so I won't be so uncomfortable," all the while nervously anticipating what kind of parents we were going to be, it does seem like it all happened in a blink.  Each age and stage held its own joys and triumphs.  Along with its unique struggles and tears. 

That older woman had been right then, and she continues to be right.  Even with four kids in college or out on their own, there are still moments when I wonder how we'll handle the crisis of the moment. 

The nature of the challenges has shifted through the years.  Things have gotten different instead of getting easier, and I think I'm glad for that.  If they were easy, I wouldn't be reminded to take each care to Jesus, asking for His guidance and provision.  And I would have missed the treasure of getting to depend on Him through it all. 

A Special Thanksgiving

I hope as you read this, you can reflect on having had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day celebration, whether it was filled with your family's annual traditions or possibly some sort of new adventure -- in a new place or with new people.  My family continues to be amazed at how God provides for us each day, although He sometimes has to adjust our "grace goggles" a bit before we can see His blessings.

This year, we had the privilege of sharing an incredible Thanksgiving meal with two other families, including a total of 14 children!  Bob & Brenda were our hosts, and the first surprise we found upon arriving to their house was that the dining room and living room had been completely rearranged in order to accomodate one humongous, long table that would seat the entire group.  (It was actually three tables, but they were arranged end-to-end so no one was relegated to "the kids' table".  I mean, who remembers feeling like they were missing out on something, even if completely imagined, because they were sitting at a tiny table in another room separated from the adults?!)

Seven of the children present around that very long table provided the most unexpected blessing.  In addition to our hosts and ourselves, the third couple are the house parents for a boys' cottage at a children's home in an adjoining county.  Of the nine boys they have under their wing, only two were able to spend the holiday with relatives away from the home.  That left seven boys, ages 7 to 13, as well as the couple's own son and daughter, to join us for turkey with all the trimmings.  What a treat!  Each of them was exceptionally well-mannered, engaging in conversation, smiling, appropriately interspersing "please", "thank you", "yes, ma'am", "no, sir", etc.  Their attitudes were so cheerful, you would never guess their prior childhood years had been anything short of ideal.  This is a tangible example of how the love of Christ can transform even a hardened, broken heart.  These children are now receiving love and encouragement every day from these house parents, and God is transforming their lives. 

We are so grateful to Bob & Brenda for inviting this sweet family who has been called to give away their lives every day.  Each of us was challenged to take a closer look at how much we take for granted in our own lives and where we may be called to reach out to and give, even sacrificially, to someone else.

We would love to hear how you recognized Thanksgiving Day this year and what made it special.  If you would leave a comment below, others can also enjoy hearing about what made you grateful. 

Side note: What Thanksgiving Day recap would be complete without mention of how incredible all the food was?  Turkey prepared two ways, lots of veggies, Brenda's famous Pretzel Salad, home-baked bread, and more!  I felt just like "S" in the photo below.  Too many choices...  This pie rack only represents about half of the delectable desserts we had to choose from.  And choose, we did... more than once!  :)

What a Difference a Day Makes

God has shown His loving kindness to our family yet again today. If you're aware of the series of events our family has experienced in the past year or so, you're probably starting to catch on to the recurring theme of His faithfulness.

Our day started with the oral surgeon and his staff arriving to the office much too early on a Friday morning so he could get Cole's procedure worked into an already busy schedule. The whole surgery took only about 20 minutes and included removing one tooth, cleaning the socket of tiny fragments of fractured bone, placing synthetic bone graft material into each of the three tooth sockets, and restoring the gum tissue back to its normal anatomic position. In looking at the finished product, my untrained eyes think he did a most excellent job!

An "after" picture is included at the very end of the post, so if you are squeamish and don't want to see it, you can read the post without having to see the image. It's really such an improvement from what his mouth looked like on day one, you may want to see for yourself.

The hardest part of the day was coming off the anesthesia and driving back home. Cole was chilled and was shaking, trying to communicate with a mouthful of gauze that the pain was unbearable. A very different experience from when his big sisters had their wisdom teeth pulled. I tried to reassure him all the way home that we were almost there, but it was the longest ten-minute ride of our lives. Things have steadily improved since that point. He was able to sleep for a few hours after the first pain pill started taking effect, and he woke up with a healthy appetite and cheerful attitude.

Shelby says her biggest disappointment is that he's not funny. She was hoping he would be silly and loopy and say ridiculous things he wouldn't remember later.

To sum up: excellent surgical result, rough start to pain control, but otherwise a pretty good day. We continue to credit our heavenly Father with having protected Cole from potentially a much worse injury, for arranging the circumstances to provide him with excellent medical care, and for the prayers and encouragement of so many friends.

Another interesting thing is how many people have approached us to share their story and let us in on the secret that they are wearing one or more prosthetic teeth. Who knew?

Step One

I'll start tonight by risking to state the obvious. I'm not good at brevity. But let me take a stab at quickly summarizing today's visit to the prosthodontist and where we'll be headed from here.

After the obligatory harrassment about why he wasn't more careful on the jet ski, Dr. Andy examined Cole and said best outcome would be by extracting the one impacted tooth and then proceeding with three implants. In his opinion, we could spend a lot of time and money trying to save that one tooth, when the odds of success really aren't that great. No need to convince us further. Cole had already been saying since Saturday afternoon that's what he wanted.

We will meet with the oral surgeon for consultation tomorrow (the same guy who pulled Kalynn's and Alli's wisdom teeth) with an appointment for the extraction set for bright and early on Friday morning. We are thankful for the scheduler being so gracious and rolling out the red carpet to get us worked in at a moment's notice. After all, it's wisdom tooth season now that school's out, and their office is slammed!

Cole also had the impressions taken for his "flipper" today. We provided a couple of photographs of a grinning Cole, rather than trying to give an adequate description of what his teeth used to look like. We have high hopes the lab will do a good job to give him back his old smile, as closely as possible.

Thank you so much to those who have called to check on the pain, etc. He really is doing well with it. He is getting by with a couple doses of ibuprofen during the day and a low dose of narcotic pain reliever overnight. Just knowing the culprit tooth will be gone soon is reassuring.

We may have more news after the oral surgery consult tomorrow or you may not hear from us until after surgery on Friday. We are all looking forward to the day when we can post a picture of the boy smiling with all teeth showing! Thanks again for your continued prayers!