I forgot to tell an incredible little "God-incidence" about the teeth.
While the kids were having fun on the lake, Charlie and I were just working around the garage and yard. You know, normal Saturday-without-kids-at-home kind of stuff. I was moving a sprinkler across the yard when I felt God speak to my heart reminding me that my kids are out on the lake, where dangerous things can happen, and I need to pray for their safety. Somewhere recently I had heard comments about how we are sort of safety obsessed in our culture today. We pray for safety before a trip. We often take ridiculous precautions even for routine activities. We would probably bubble-wrap our kids if it were possible. (If that IS possible, please let me know, because I'm seriously considering it at this point.)
Anyway, my whispered prayer was probably less of a "Please keep them safe" and more along the lines of "Lord, I can't control what happens, and they are truly in Your hands." It wasn't 15 minutes later that the phone rang telling of the accident. Coincidence? Most definitely not! Was it my "arrow" prayer that kept Cole's injuries from being any worse? Or was God's quiet voice to my spirit about dangerous things that can happen the tool He used to prepare my heart and mind to hear the news of something gone wrong? Certainly, I can never presume the mind of God. But I do know He spoke to me in that moment, and I know He will continue to hold Cole in His hands throughout the healing process.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Please Tell Me I'm Dreaming
Not that I would swap our normal, crazy lives for something mundane and boring, but I would definitely trade away the events of this weekend. Anytime!
The bottom line is that Cole and Shelby were on a houseboat party with friends at the lake when Cole had a jet ski accident that resulted in the loss of three of his front teeth. Makes me cringe all over again just typing those words. Actually, one of the teeth is still in his mouth, but it is impacted deep into his upper gum.
GROSS FACTOR WARNING: If you are squeamish, you may want to quickly scroll to the bottom of the post and read without viewing the picture. But I realize some of you may want to see for yourself which side comes up short when mouth meets jet ski.
Let me also take this opportunity to publicly declare we LOVE our pediatric dentist, Dr. Robin Wilson. When I called her in the middle of Saturday afternoon, she quickly agreed to meet us at her office immediately for an x-ray and exam. We were so thankful to have the assurance of what exactly was the position of the remaining tooth and that there was not even a fragment remaining of the other two. One side note is that God provided a sweet friend from church as the employee who also met us at the office and did the x-ray before Dr. Robin could get there.
I'm sure other mothers can relate to this, but when there is an emergency involving one of your family members, you just sort of engage, efficiently handling the necessary actions, not hesitating or thinking twice. It was not until the next day when our family was talking about the event that we realized how perfectly God had provided for where his face hit the jet ski. Had he collided even an inch or two in another direction, he could have had yet another concussion, suffered severe facial fractures, or maybe broken his neck or worse. Thank you, Lord. Reminds me of the scripture that instructs us to "give thanks in all things." This is not something we would ever choose, but it could have been so much worse.
Many of you already saw Cole in person at church, so you know he is really taking it all in stride pretty well. But this evening as he headed to bed, he said the pain medicine wasn't doing too well at reducing the dull throbbing. Please pray we will find the right combination of things to make him comfortable. And also pray specifically that the impacted tooth will quickly re-emerge and not be damaged. Dr. Robin told us it could take a few months.
Where we are headed from this point is to first of all wait for the gums to heal. As soon as possible, a dental impression will be made and a "flipper" will be crafted with fake teeth. We are told this is what he will wear until his jaw and skull are completely finished growing. Then he will have implant surgery done where new permanent teeth will be fitted into place through a multi-step process. This last phase is a long way down the road, with many factors to consider along the way. Again, God has provided a friend from church who is a periodontist and offered to see Cole and advise us along the way, possibly being the doctor who will eventually do the implants.
Thank you all so much for your prayers!
The bottom line is that Cole and Shelby were on a houseboat party with friends at the lake when Cole had a jet ski accident that resulted in the loss of three of his front teeth. Makes me cringe all over again just typing those words. Actually, one of the teeth is still in his mouth, but it is impacted deep into his upper gum.
GROSS FACTOR WARNING: If you are squeamish, you may want to quickly scroll to the bottom of the post and read without viewing the picture. But I realize some of you may want to see for yourself which side comes up short when mouth meets jet ski.
Let me also take this opportunity to publicly declare we LOVE our pediatric dentist, Dr. Robin Wilson. When I called her in the middle of Saturday afternoon, she quickly agreed to meet us at her office immediately for an x-ray and exam. We were so thankful to have the assurance of what exactly was the position of the remaining tooth and that there was not even a fragment remaining of the other two. One side note is that God provided a sweet friend from church as the employee who also met us at the office and did the x-ray before Dr. Robin could get there.
I'm sure other mothers can relate to this, but when there is an emergency involving one of your family members, you just sort of engage, efficiently handling the necessary actions, not hesitating or thinking twice. It was not until the next day when our family was talking about the event that we realized how perfectly God had provided for where his face hit the jet ski. Had he collided even an inch or two in another direction, he could have had yet another concussion, suffered severe facial fractures, or maybe broken his neck or worse. Thank you, Lord. Reminds me of the scripture that instructs us to "give thanks in all things." This is not something we would ever choose, but it could have been so much worse.
Many of you already saw Cole in person at church, so you know he is really taking it all in stride pretty well. But this evening as he headed to bed, he said the pain medicine wasn't doing too well at reducing the dull throbbing. Please pray we will find the right combination of things to make him comfortable. And also pray specifically that the impacted tooth will quickly re-emerge and not be damaged. Dr. Robin told us it could take a few months.
Where we are headed from this point is to first of all wait for the gums to heal. As soon as possible, a dental impression will be made and a "flipper" will be crafted with fake teeth. We are told this is what he will wear until his jaw and skull are completely finished growing. Then he will have implant surgery done where new permanent teeth will be fitted into place through a multi-step process. This last phase is a long way down the road, with many factors to consider along the way. Again, God has provided a friend from church who is a periodontist and offered to see Cole and advise us along the way, possibly being the doctor who will eventually do the implants.
Thank you all so much for your prayers!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
First Impressions
We were a cobbled-together little band of six who piled into trusty "Bessie" for the weekend trip to Tuscaloosa. In various ways, we were each responding to the call to pitch in and help the people of a community still partially numb from the disaster of April 27, 2011. I suggested taking Cole on this trip, knowing it would impact his life in a way that day-to-day ordinary life in Greenville never could. Michelle also wanted to take Cassie, and at the last minute we were able to add on fellow UA-mom Ginger and nurse Catherine. Each one, hand-picked by God for this adventure.
Some of my first impressions as we got closer to our exit on I-20 included what was playing on the radio. Most stations, even nine days post-storm, had switched from their regular music or talk format to a call-in program where people offering assistance and those needing supplies or volunteers could find each other. Even 20 miles or so before reaching Tuscaloosa, there were banners and posters advertising for tornado relief collection points or simply giving residents information on how to apply for assistance or where to go for shelter. The week before I had been frustrated with the media's nonstop coverage of a royal wedding I had no relative interest in and then the OBL assassination. The news cycle seemed to have quickly and painlessly moved forward from the massive needs across several hard-hit southern states. It didn't take more than a few minutes in Alabama for out little group to be brought back to the reality that these people had thought about little else than tornado recovery for the past week and a half. And some will likely do so for weeks, months, even years to come.
It also seemed so odd that we could drive along McFarland Boulevard, and aside from relief tents in the parking lots and military vehicles in abundance, there was no sign of the storm.
Then we were at 15th Street.
Buildings with blue-tarped roofs or no roofs at all. Cars scattered every which way with broken-out windows and covered in dust & rubble. Enormous chunks of concrete haphazardly piled where the tornado had tossed the remains of businesses. Trees that had become sci-fi-like, leafless, broken sticks and stumps poking out of the ground at random angles. And a few blocks later, we were again driving in normal-world.
Hard to comprehend how something so violently destructive could leave this kind of devastation along its reckless path through a city. But life on both sides of its wake seemed untouched. We didn't yet know about the people we would meet and stories we would hear over the weekend that would dispel the illusion of life being in any way normal, even if outward appearances made it seem that way.
Some of my first impressions as we got closer to our exit on I-20 included what was playing on the radio. Most stations, even nine days post-storm, had switched from their regular music or talk format to a call-in program where people offering assistance and those needing supplies or volunteers could find each other. Even 20 miles or so before reaching Tuscaloosa, there were banners and posters advertising for tornado relief collection points or simply giving residents information on how to apply for assistance or where to go for shelter. The week before I had been frustrated with the media's nonstop coverage of a royal wedding I had no relative interest in and then the OBL assassination. The news cycle seemed to have quickly and painlessly moved forward from the massive needs across several hard-hit southern states. It didn't take more than a few minutes in Alabama for out little group to be brought back to the reality that these people had thought about little else than tornado recovery for the past week and a half. And some will likely do so for weeks, months, even years to come.
It also seemed so odd that we could drive along McFarland Boulevard, and aside from relief tents in the parking lots and military vehicles in abundance, there was no sign of the storm.
Then we were at 15th Street.
Buildings with blue-tarped roofs or no roofs at all. Cars scattered every which way with broken-out windows and covered in dust & rubble. Enormous chunks of concrete haphazardly piled where the tornado had tossed the remains of businesses. Trees that had become sci-fi-like, leafless, broken sticks and stumps poking out of the ground at random angles. And a few blocks later, we were again driving in normal-world.
Hard to comprehend how something so violently destructive could leave this kind of devastation along its reckless path through a city. But life on both sides of its wake seemed untouched. We didn't yet know about the people we would meet and stories we would hear over the weekend that would dispel the illusion of life being in any way normal, even if outward appearances made it seem that way.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Only the Tip of the Iceberg
I also wanted to share a couple of the pictures Kalynn took the day after the storm when they were able to return to their little house to retrieve some of their things. Here is what they found:
This is the front of the house, and it is one of the few that was left standing! It's incredible that Radley (the sweetest, bravest pooch I know!) survived being in the house without a scratch!
This is the view into their once-shady backyard.
Thanks again for praying us along on our journey this weekend. When I get my thoughts together to give a further update, I'm sure there will be some specific suggestions on how you might be able to personally assist in the relief and ministry that lies ahead for this city.
And HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to my own special mom and to all of you moms who are reading.
This is the front of the house, and it is one of the few that was left standing! It's incredible that Radley (the sweetest, bravest pooch I know!) survived being in the house without a scratch!
This is the view into their once-shady backyard. Thanks again for praying us along on our journey this weekend. When I get my thoughts together to give a further update, I'm sure there will be some specific suggestions on how you might be able to personally assist in the relief and ministry that lies ahead for this city.
And HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to my own special mom and to all of you moms who are reading.
Tuscaloosa Bound
I know, I know, I haven't done an update in FOREVER! And don't panic -- even though it's long overdue, this post will be brief.
Today I'm not writing to give any news about Charlie's cancer prognosis but rather to solicit your prayers on behalf of another member of our family who recently experienced a life-altering event. Our oldest daughter, Kalynn, has moved to Tuscaloosa and is making plans to reenter the University of Alabama to finish her degree in English. Unless you live under a rock, you know that an extremely powerful tornado cut a swath of destruction right through the city on April 27. Kalynn's house was in its path.
Thanks be to God, she was not at home and was kept safe!
But the nearness to our family of the wake of devastation has urged us to get involved as a family to somehow helping with the relief efforts. Terri and Cole will be traveling to Tuscaloosa with a small band of six volunteers from Grace Church to serve this weekend. Charlie has plans in the works to go with a team of men for a week later this month. The marathon-like recovery will likely provide many future opportunities for service.
Please lift us up in prayer this weekend. None of us has ever been "boots on the ground" for disaster relief, and there will undoubtedly be things we will experience that will utterly overwhelm our hearts and minds.
I will post an update after we return as soon as possible. We each thank you in advance for lifting us before the Throne. Pray we will see the hurting community of Tuscaloosa with His eyes and that He would empower and equip us to be His hands and feet.
Today I'm not writing to give any news about Charlie's cancer prognosis but rather to solicit your prayers on behalf of another member of our family who recently experienced a life-altering event. Our oldest daughter, Kalynn, has moved to Tuscaloosa and is making plans to reenter the University of Alabama to finish her degree in English. Unless you live under a rock, you know that an extremely powerful tornado cut a swath of destruction right through the city on April 27. Kalynn's house was in its path.
Thanks be to God, she was not at home and was kept safe!
But the nearness to our family of the wake of devastation has urged us to get involved as a family to somehow helping with the relief efforts. Terri and Cole will be traveling to Tuscaloosa with a small band of six volunteers from Grace Church to serve this weekend. Charlie has plans in the works to go with a team of men for a week later this month. The marathon-like recovery will likely provide many future opportunities for service.
Please lift us up in prayer this weekend. None of us has ever been "boots on the ground" for disaster relief, and there will undoubtedly be things we will experience that will utterly overwhelm our hearts and minds.
I will post an update after we return as soon as possible. We each thank you in advance for lifting us before the Throne. Pray we will see the hurting community of Tuscaloosa with His eyes and that He would empower and equip us to be His hands and feet.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Neat Idea!
I recently added a link on the sidebar part of the blog that I want to make sure to point out, in case you're only seeing updates via email. (I think the email feature gives just the most recent post and doesn't show any of the other blog content, right?)
This is a really neat idea for prompting parents to pray for their kids at specific times of their day. I confess it's more fitting for moms with young children at home, but it isn't hard to think of modifications to come up with key prayer moments for the active lifestyles of older kids and teens.
Check out the link: Praying for My Children 7x7
I'd love to hear your ideas about incorporating this idea into the specific routine of your family. Please leave a comment so the rest of us can be inspired by your creativity.
This is a really neat idea for prompting parents to pray for their kids at specific times of their day. I confess it's more fitting for moms with young children at home, but it isn't hard to think of modifications to come up with key prayer moments for the active lifestyles of older kids and teens.
Check out the link: Praying for My Children 7x7
I'd love to hear your ideas about incorporating this idea into the specific routine of your family. Please leave a comment so the rest of us can be inspired by your creativity.
Monday, December 6, 2010
It's All Good
The long-awaited lab results have returned! ... drum roll, please ... "less than 0.1!" Yippee! So, with that little detail now behind us, we'll be about our own business until the next blood draw in about six months. What a sigh of relief it is to have it confirmed that all the prostate cells were removed at surgery, and apparently none have done a disappearing act only to rear their ugly heads at some unexpected time in the future. From this point forward, we'll begin to lengthen the time between labs until we get to an annual interval, and basically we'll check it once a year. Forever. I'd say that's a pretty good life sentence, considering the alternatives.
With that important detail duly shared, is anyone interested in how our boy did on the wrestling mat this past weekend? Will you oblige me first as I tell you that the wrestler's family was SUPERB in our various support roles? At least we were tired enough after three straight days to classify our performance as superb. Charlie was banned from standing up all day on security duty, which has been his assigned spot at this tournament for the past few years, and he was also not to do any moving of mats, tables, etc. I guess surgery does have its advantages. Shelby was a table worker and definitely cheered hard for the Eagles when she had a break from her own mat. So much so, she still has no voice two days later. Terri helped keep the Eastside boys' break room stocked with all the water, cereal, granola bars, bananas, ham & cheese wraps, etc. they needed. It was a lot of fun to be a fly on the wall and just observe some of their interactions with each other, as well as get to know some of the boys a little better.
The most exciting part of the tournament was the team duals on Thursday night. As a freshman, Cole had only wrestled JV these past two years. It turns out he has the most experience at his weight class (103 lbs), so at least for now he is the varsity starter at that weight. Eastside had three duals that night, and Cole led off each dual with six points for the team by pinning each of his opponents in the first period! Talk about getting a great start on the season!
The really tough competitors showed up for the individual part of the tournament on Friday and Saturday. Cole won his first-round bout, then lost in round 2 to a boy from Archer High in Georgia who would go on to win the weight class. He had one more match that night and won by a technical fall, which comes by gaining a 15-point lead on the opponent. His score was 16-1. At that point, he was still in the consolation bracket and could have placed as high as third, but his next match was against a boy he has faced several times during middle school. For some reason, Cole just seems to never be at his best against this kid, and that was the case again this time. So, with two losses, he was out. 1st through 8th places were awarded a medal or plaque, and we think 9th and below were calculated based on points earned during the individual matches. So, without having the final scores in hand, we don't know how he finished individually, but it was somewhere between 9th and 16th. Not bad for his first varsity tournament.
Although continuing to make weight at 103 for the whole season may be a story unto itself. Let's just say he's not fond of the choices in the category for "low-calorie, nutrient-dense" foods. Suggestions welcome. Please leave a comment if you have experience in sports psychology, nutrition, or personal history as a wrestler. :)
With that important detail duly shared, is anyone interested in how our boy did on the wrestling mat this past weekend? Will you oblige me first as I tell you that the wrestler's family was SUPERB in our various support roles? At least we were tired enough after three straight days to classify our performance as superb. Charlie was banned from standing up all day on security duty, which has been his assigned spot at this tournament for the past few years, and he was also not to do any moving of mats, tables, etc. I guess surgery does have its advantages. Shelby was a table worker and definitely cheered hard for the Eagles when she had a break from her own mat. So much so, she still has no voice two days later. Terri helped keep the Eastside boys' break room stocked with all the water, cereal, granola bars, bananas, ham & cheese wraps, etc. they needed. It was a lot of fun to be a fly on the wall and just observe some of their interactions with each other, as well as get to know some of the boys a little better.
The most exciting part of the tournament was the team duals on Thursday night. As a freshman, Cole had only wrestled JV these past two years. It turns out he has the most experience at his weight class (103 lbs), so at least for now he is the varsity starter at that weight. Eastside had three duals that night, and Cole led off each dual with six points for the team by pinning each of his opponents in the first period! Talk about getting a great start on the season!
The really tough competitors showed up for the individual part of the tournament on Friday and Saturday. Cole won his first-round bout, then lost in round 2 to a boy from Archer High in Georgia who would go on to win the weight class. He had one more match that night and won by a technical fall, which comes by gaining a 15-point lead on the opponent. His score was 16-1. At that point, he was still in the consolation bracket and could have placed as high as third, but his next match was against a boy he has faced several times during middle school. For some reason, Cole just seems to never be at his best against this kid, and that was the case again this time. So, with two losses, he was out. 1st through 8th places were awarded a medal or plaque, and we think 9th and below were calculated based on points earned during the individual matches. So, without having the final scores in hand, we don't know how he finished individually, but it was somewhere between 9th and 16th. Not bad for his first varsity tournament.
Although continuing to make weight at 103 for the whole season may be a story unto itself. Let's just say he's not fond of the choices in the category for "low-calorie, nutrient-dense" foods. Suggestions welcome. Please leave a comment if you have experience in sports psychology, nutrition, or personal history as a wrestler. :)
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