Phew!! Where does the time go? I cannot believe it is Sunday night already.
Since my mother arrived there has been a flurry of activity. The boys are loving her being here and she is loving it right back! Yesterday we had a birthday party to attend for one of the boys' friends. It was a bowling party and we had a blast!! John bowled 3 spares, Jeremy 2 spares and I bowled 3 strikes. It was funny for the boys to see me bowl. Jeremy said, "Mommy, you know how to bowl?" He is always surprised at the things I am able to do or the things I know. He was amazed that I actually knew who Shaquil O'Neill is. He asked me how I know who he is and I told him that I used to watch basketball. He thought for a minute and said," Oh, from when you used to be a girl?" He's funny.
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Last week in church we received some very sad news. A man in our fellowship, who has been suffering with cancer, has only been given a short time to live. The news hit me hard. Very hard. I started to cry and everytime I thought of them this week, I was overcome with emotion. They have a son who is John's age and in the same Cub Scout group. Last summer Kevin did some tree work for them because M has been unable to do much around the house. They were so blessed by his help but I know for a fact it was Kevin who received the bigger blessing at being able to help them. They have expressed their wishes to not have a stream of visitors during this time and I believe the folks at church are respecting those wishes as much as they can. I sent Mrs.M a letter this past week offering my prayers and hopefully a little encouragement, but really, what can I say to her? I'm sorry seems so inadequate and devoid of the full weight of my sadness for her. The best I can do is to continue to pray for them. If you are so inclined, please pray for them.
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I once read a post by a homeschool mom on The Well Trained Mind message boards. It was more of a lament about how her children do not enjoy museums. Someone posted in response, "If you want your children to enjoy museums, take them to museums. If you want your children to enjoy plays, take them to plays." That statement made a lot of sense to me. It made me think about what I want for my children. It made me think about the things that I hope my children will enjoy. I want all of their learning experiences to be exciting and memorable. I want them to connect with art and literature and music. I want learning to be an integral part of their lives. So tomorrow we are headed to The Museum of Natural History. When I told the boys where we were going, their eyes lit up and they began speculating as to what they might see. I felt a real sense of pride in them for recognizing the value (or fun) associated with a trip to the museum. I felt humbled to be the mother to such awesome children. But most of all I felt excited to see the museum through their eyes. I will be sure to let you know what we see!
April 24, 2005
Time Flies
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3 comments:
So glad you posted - I missed you~
Have a great time at the museum. I can't wait to hear about it. I will keep your friend in my prayers.
Laney,
Your friend will be in my prayers. My brother died this past November after battling Non-Hodgkins Type B Large Diffused Cell Lymphoma for the past 6 years. I know how hard this is for his family & friends. There is nothing you can say. I'm sorry is fine. I was always grateful for that. Also, I learned if someone asks what they can do-tell them. That was hard because I am so independent & wanted to do it all. You can't. Take by a casserole, a meal, paper plates, disposable flatware, plastic cups. You would be surprised how much not having to do dishes helped. Also, sometimes there just is not time to cook, but you have to fix a meal. Dropping off a meal is easy & you don't have to even go inside so you wouldn't feel like you were imposing. I know they want time to just be together-we got that way toward the end. One of the things we appreciated the most was a friend who ordered food from a local restaurant & had it delivered. Just go over & mow the grass. The little things are what touched us the most.
Don't feel bad about not knowing what to say. I never expected anyone to say anything. It is a horrible disease & no words can take away how it feels or, in all honesty, offer any hope, sympathy, etc (Dave's cancer was incurable & we had always know this). There just are no words. Just being there, saying prayers & offering emotional support, being an ear to listen is the best thing. Because sometimes we need to vent how we feel. That really helps. So just let the family know you are there on the other end of the phone anytime just to listen. Also, we always appreciated when someone acknowledged what a hard blow Dave's illness was, how he deserved better. But most of all the outpouring of love, prayers, & support.
Don't worry, God will give you the right words at the right time.
Blessings...
So sad for your friends. God will lead you in knowing what to say and when to say it!
I have a good friend whose baby died a few years ago. It was such a blessing to walk through that difficult time with her-even though I felt VERY afraid!
I will add them to my prayer list-I will pray for you too, Laney!
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