We stopped by the neighbors today with some of those fantastic cookies - our get-well K gift! They were so happy to us - dog and all! We shared laughs and stories and scares from THE DAY K FELL OFF THE LADDER. The good news is - there will be no more surgeries! He's healing fine - to God be the glory, who had me stop when the "owl" called my name . . .
The F.O.O.'s (Family of Origin) returned yesterday for the second girls' bake-over! We had a blast until the very end - when the girls quit frosting and Allison and I had to take over so we could go out for dinner! Best line of the day: Kennedy said to Micah, "When you open your own bakery, I'm going to come and work for you." Enjoy . . .
Sam's fifth grade team was in a meeting with their principal yesterday afternoon. The district had provided subs for each classroom so the team could discuss reading progress at their grade level. During their meeting, it came over the PA system, "Will the principal please report to Room 411 immediately?"
That's Sam's classroom. All year he's known what a challenging group they can be. They push his buttons daily. If he did not have a diligent band of prayer warriors standing in the gap for him, he would be more burnt out and exhausted then he already is.
I asked him, "What did you do?" He said, "I stayed in the meeting. They didn't call for me." My only thought was, "Good for you."
Will anything change? Doubtful. But what I find interesting is a sub given impeccable lesson plans could not last in his classroom for even a couple of hours, yet he is expected to do it day after day, week after week, month after month . . .
I actually came up with three different subtitles to go with today's post:
I Drive a Tesla! That's what I texted the kids yesterday.
I Plead the Stick! That's a play on "I Plead the Sixth". After thirty plus years of driving a stick, it made sense to me.
It's All In Your Perspective. That's the one I chose to go with because it really does depend on your perspective. Read on . . .
Thankful Thursday!
It's all in your perspective . . .
I was off to meet a girlfriend for lunch yesterday and wouldn't you know? I was running late and the garage door wouldn't shut. We've been having problems with it off and on all winter. Naturally, the day I'm running late it would be "off".
I hopped out of the car and ran into the garage and pushed the button and waited for the garage door to come completely down. Now, some of you think cars are just a hunk of metal. I tell you what - my car missed me. She was outside all alone. And she drove into the garage to find me. That's my Tesla! You thought it was a Toy, but she was self-driving yesterday and didn't notice the door was down. Obviously, after all of those years of driving a stick shift, I did not put the car into park. An honest mistake - really! I also shift at stop lights when I no longer need to.
So I ran around the house the long way - the closest fence gate is currently frozen shut, making a trail where no one's gone yet this winter! Fortunately, we don't have a lot of snow. I backed my car up. It really is fine. We're not sure if the hood may need some paint or a good buff, but my garage door is totaled. Which leads us to our title - it's all in your perspective.
Just before I was leaving to meet M for lunch, I was reading an e-mail from S. S and I were the best of friends when we worked at Eagle Lake Camp and we have maintained that friendship for over thirty years, last getting together in Texas four years ago. S just found out she has breast cancer and she is having a double mastectomy next Thursday. My car only hit our garage door.
I had lunch with M. We are former co-workers. She's going through some hard times right now, the worst being that her husband, who she thought she would spend the rest of her life with, asked her for a divorce the night before. She was crushed. My car only hit our garage door.
On this particular Thursday, I can tell you I am ever thankful, in light of my dear friends, my car only hit our garage door. It's all in your perspective . . .
Today's post is reblogged from "Ainsworths in Africa". What a simply delightful and amazing story! To God be the glory!
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” 12 year old Ulrich was asked. “I want to be tall like my friends”.
Even experienced nurses aboard the Africa Mercy had never
seen a case quite like Ulrich’s. Born with dislocated knees and a
condition known as Quadriceps Contracture, his legs had been forced to
bend severely backwards to compensate for a lack of muscle growth that
had not developed at the same rate as his bones.
His mother tried various attempts to get her son surgery, but the
amount of money this would cost along with the complexity and severity
of his condition, meant her hopes were soon crushed : “Surgeons wouldn’t
touch him” Georgette recalls, “It was hard to see him hurting. When he
hurts, I hurt”.
But despite the stares and ridicule from strangers, Ulrich had
learned to adapt to his condition. He’d walk for miles with sticks he’d
made from old branches and learned to climb trees higher than any other
boy in his village: “When they couldn’t reach the tallest Papaya, they’d
call me! I’d be able to get it!” Our videographer Caleb, giving Ulrich a piggy back ride
But this adapted lifestyle was taking its toll on Ulrich who began to
experience pain in his hands from supporting his body weight, and sore
joints when he tried to walk long distances: “I was worried that if I
was feeling such pain now, it was only going to get worse as I got
older”.
Ulrich began to find it increasingly difficult to help out around the
house, collect firewood and fetch water: “I was scared to grow up like
that, I didn’t want this to be all my life was ever going to be”. When
asked how it made him feel to be unable to help his mother, Ulrich’s
response was an answer no 12 year old should have to give to any
question…
“It broke my heart.”
While the Africa Mercy doesn’t specialize in fixing broken
hearts, its orthopedic program aimed to fix more than just his legs.
Volunteer surgeon Dr. Frank Haydon (USA), who has seen all manner of
orthopedic deformities during his eight years with Mercy Ships, was
shocked by Ulrich the day he arrived on the dock: “He moved like an
insect. Like a cricket. I’d never seen anything quite like it” said Dr.
Frank. “Just when I think I’ve seen the worst case I’ve seen in my
career, I meet the next Ulrich and it keeps me going”. Ulrich’s first operation with Dr. Frank Haydon – volunteer orthopedic surgeon
For a while this was my favourite photo of Ulrich – one leg down and
one to go! But his smile shows we were more than half way through the
transformation we would see in his life. Following several complex
surgeries on the Africa Mercy, Ulrich woke up to two straight legs in casts that he struggled to believe were his own.
His first attempts to stand on them saw him reach up high to see if
he could touch the ceiling: “The first time he walked, he was straight
into his Mother’s embrace” said volunteer nurse Kirsten Murphy (USA),
who supported Ulrich during his time onboard the ship: “It was the first
time he had been able to hug her since standing tall”.
After a long and thorough journey through rehabilitation, Ulrich
began learning to use his legs in a way he never had before. Learning to
walk correctly for the first time at 12 years old… can you even imagine
what that must have been like? I can’t.
Now, with straightened legs and a new start in life, he is finally
excited for his future which he hopes will include school to get a good
education: “Before, when I would walk in the street, people would stare
at me. They thought I was just a handicapped person and they treated me
differently. Now, they will look again”.
When the time came to say goodbye, Ulrich slowly but surely walked up
to his surgeon Dr. Frank on his straightened legs and handed him a gift
– his old walking sticks. Standing tall and able to look into the eyes
of his peers, he knew he wouldn’t be needing them anymore.
I said I needed to get out new goggles this morning, when in reality I needed to get out new contacts! I think I'm spending far too much time in the pool . . .
I met a good friend for lunch yesterday who I've known since 1982, or maybe 1983! It was good to sit down with her after all of the Christmas cards full of news of the "wonder children". You've received them - the ones where their child is going to end world hunger, bring world peace and cure cancer because they are simply amazing. And that's just one child. There are more in the family . . .
We have real life kids at our houses with real life struggles. And it's hard. But for this we are thankful:
Jesus is our only hope. With out Him, we wouldn't make it.
We have entrusted our children to God.
He is NOT willing that any should perish.
To Him be the glory!
P.S. Neighbor K came home from the hospital yesterday. I'm thankful for that, too!
I said I needed to get out new goggles this morning, when in reality I needed to get out new contacts! I think I'm spending far too much time in the pool . . .