Telephone Pole Wisdom

My kids love reading flyers on telephone poles. Recently there were flyers plastered all over our neighborhood about Rufus, a cat that had gone missing. We actually met and talked to his owner one evening as she was combing the streets looking for the little beast who had managed to escape from his home. A few days later we saw more flyers expressing gratitude because Rufus had been found! We breathed a collective sigh of relief (the girls because the frisky feline had been caught...and Alex and I because we wouldn't have to hear about Rufus 24/7 any longer!). The relief was short lived though, within 10 days there was yet a third set of flyers saying Rufus (apparently the Houdini of cats) had disappeared again. Thankfully, even the girls were growing tired of the saga and lost interest in Rufus and his plight. We haven't heard anything more about the little guy...so either he is still lost or his owners have maxed out their xerox budget for the year.

One evening as we were walking around reading the Rufus flyers one of the kids commented about all of the staples on the telephone pole. As I walked by I saw them...literally thousands of staples all over the pole. I found myself wondering about all of the signs that must have decorated the pole and all of the people who put them there. Signs no doubt for missing animals, yard sales, no parking, and Penelope's baby shower. Signposts that lead us somewhere, give us direction, seek to find what is lost and on and on. Little pieces of life stuck to a wooden tower.

So the signs get ripped down to make room for new ones, but the staples remain. A little scrap of metal left to testify that Rufus was lost, found and lost again. That 65 Elm street had a "monster" yard sale with "baby items, furniture and knick knacks". That the police department says you cannot park here from midnight until noon for the community day parade. Little bits of metal that represent people's lives - left on that pole for how long? Who knows?

I wonder what sort of marks are left on my life by events and people? Of course some are quite obvious but others not so much. What sorts of things shape us and give texture to our person? Marks that transform us from a smooth wooden tower into a monument to humanity. Little bits of people and experiences that hang on after the people are gone and the experiences are over.

What are those things in your life?

Two Words: A Mazing!

I had an experience with my children this week that blew me away. On Monday Alex and some of the students from church participated in The 30 Hour Famine After sleeping over at the church Monday night they went to the World Vision Distribution Center just outside Pittsburgh to pack clothing to be sent all over the world to people in need. Alex and I decided this might be a good way for us ti introduce the idea of serving in a more global sense to our own children. It was for a short period of time and we are familiar with the setting, so we knew they would be safe.

So Tuesday morning we met up with the group at church and headed out. When we arrived and got oriented we began the process of unpacking, checking, recounting and repacking boxes of clothes to send out. We didn't assign tasks to our kids we let them check everything out and figure out where they fit best. Here are some pictures of the results.

They all found a niche and worked their hearts out. Annie put together almost all of the boxes we packed. She had the volunteer coordinator show her how to do it once and she was off. Lucy lent a hand wherever she was needed, most often cleaning up trash or breaking down boxes for recycling. And then there was Jack...he sat on the table we were all standing around and took shirts out of their bags and ripped their tags off, which had to be done before they could be repackaged. His diligence and concentration amazed me...he is 3!!! There was no complaining, there was no whining. They even pushed the rest of us to get back to work after our break time. They worked hard for three hours and had a great time doing it.

It has long been a desire of mine and Alex's to involve our children in meaningful service from a young age...I admit I didn't think that would happen for another few years. I am glad that I was wrong. We are hoping to make volunteering at World Visions Distribution Center a regular part of our lives and we're also hoping that it opens all of our eyes to the very great needs that exist all around the globe.

Houston, We Have Lost A Tooth!!!

At 8:35 this evening, when all should have been quiet on Maple Avenue, I heard two sets of feet come bounding down the steps. All of a sudden Annie thrusts a sock with a few drops of blood on it in my face with a look on her face that is a mixture of sheer excitement and terror. Seeing as the sock is white, it took me moment to catch on...okay maybe it took her yelling "I LOST MY TOOTH!!!" (are you asking yet what the sock had to do with it??? Apparently it was the first thing she found after she "helped" the tooth out...it really was barely hanging on...I've been amazed by her patience.)

The next moments seemed to move in slow motion...I grabbed the tooth, looked in her mouth to make sure all was well and then I hugged her tightly. My baby, my firstborn had lost her first tooth...this means she will be getting her adult teeth soon and that word...adult...shouldn't be used in relation to her in any way yet. She is my baby! A bittersweet moment for sure.

So we had the ceremonial swishing of salt water around the mouth to rid it of anything evil and potentially harmful. Does that even work? I don't know but the first thing my mom asked when Annie called to tell her the big news was "did you rinse your mouth out with salt water?"...so I come by it naturally. And then we got the camera out. Alex seemed to think this could maybe wait until morning...oh no I corrected him...this was a kodak moment if there ever had been one...find that darn camera! Here are some pics from just a little while ago. First is a close-up of the space formerly occupied by the tooth. Next is Annie trying to show the new hole in her smile holding the tooth fairy pillow with the tooth inside. And finally a close up of the tooth fairy pillow I blogged about a few weeks ago that I made out of an old maternity dress.




Another threshold crossed in the land of motherhood. I never though I would be so excited about my daughter losing something. It's a rite of passage for sure and I can't wait to creep into her room and replace the tooth with a letter of congratulations from the tooth fairy (only for the first tooth) and $1 (also only for the first tooth). From here on out it's 25 cents and a wink as I leave the room!

Funnies on Friday!

I saw this video and I was laughing SO hard...here's hoping it gives you a giggle too!

Update on Life with Us!

It has been a while since I posted a general update on life with my family...so I thought I would take a few moments to do so. Bear with me, it probably won't be the most exciting thing in the world.

At this point mid-summer we are all working on some seriously nice tans because we are at the pool everyday that the weather permits. The kids are just loving it and their swimming skills are improving tremendously. Annie is mostly independent in the pool though she is hesitating on taking her deep water test so she still has to stay in the shallow end. Lucy would be more independent if she were taller!!! She can swim but she gets nervous when she cannot stand and she can only stand comfortable in a little more than 3 feet. She is three and a half feet tall but her head is a good 6 inches of that! I do think she is having a growth spurt though so hopefully by the summer's end she will have gained a bit more height and confidence!!! we have nicknamed Jack "barnacle boy" because he clings to me the entire time we are in the pool! :) Actually he is slowly taking some strides towards swimming and I will have him take lessons this winter with the girls so that next summer he can do more. We love the pool and are so grateful for our time there. I have even reconnected with a woman I went to high school with which has been a nice surprise.

Annie has her first loose tooth! She noticed it just before we left for Virginia and it is really wiggly as of today! She is just thrilled because all of her friends have been losing their teeth for a long time now. Annie didn't get her first tooth until just after her first birthday so it has taken her longer to lose them. I can't believe how excited I am for her. I loved losing teeth and the whole tooth fairy thing as a kid and I can't wait for the darn thing to fall out!!! Last night I finished making a tooth fairy pillow for the kids. I will post pics when I remember! I used an old maternity dress to make it so it has some sentimental meaning behind it. I'll keep you posted on the tooth!

Alex is still busy at work - this week he is working with 7 students building guitars. Music is a big part of his ministry and I have seen so many great relationships built through classes like these that he offers. It's wonderful. I'm still volunteering with Student Ministries and loving it.

Lucy is getting geared up for Kindergarten - of course it is in a different way since my kids are home schooled - but she is excited none the less. She is really anxious to read and I hope she isn't frustrated at what she has to learn before that will happen!

Annie and Lucy attend a day camp at a local church and they LOVE it! This year's theme is nature and yesterday they went on a bug hunt at a local nature conservancy. I was amazed when they told me what they caught...Japanese beetles, daddy long legs, potato bugs! My girls are terrified of bugs! Last night there was a ladybug in my room and they were freaked...but just earlier in the day one of their friends caught a snake and they said it was "cool". Oh well!

Jack is amazing...he has been potty trained for months now and he is talking so well after graduating from speech therapy in March. I feel so good about our decision to have him do the therapy...he is communicating with people all of the time and I can tell his confidence is skyrocketing because of it!

Well that is all I have time for now...but it brings you up to speed with us for the most part. I owe some pictures of the kids and I'll add one now.

Placing My Eggs In A Basket

I have decided to support Barack Obama in his bid for the presidency. I have joined his website and started a blog there. Here is a copy of my first post.

(I know politics can be a polarizing issue - please know these are my views and I respect the right of everyone to have their own views. I welcome your views even if they diverge from mine - I love the chance to learn from others and to have my stances challenged.)

It isn't without some fear that I enter into the unknown (to me) world of the Democratic party. For all of the 19 years I have been a registered voter it has been as a Republican (and truth be told I haven't officially changed yet...but I have decided to). As that naive 18 year old I didn't bother to ask myself why I chose that party. It was the party of my parents, and on the "hot button" topics I fell down on the conservative side.

Back then I was willing to be a single issue voter - I was young and idealistic - and I didn't realize that voting on one issue alone was incredibly short sighted and hypocritical. So I voted for someone who was against abortion - but they were also against legislation that helped the poor. How could I be so concerned with only the unborn...to the exclusion of the living? Viewing the world through the eyes of a college freshman, I couldn't see the disparity in my thinking...or maybe I just didn't want to.

Looking back, I can see that the transformation has been slow and deliberate. Different circumstances coming together to open my eyes to issues at home and abroad that challenged my views. Relationships with real people who were being oppressed by the policies in place. Realizing that the "American Dream" was reserved for the few rather than the many. All of these things plus more helped to lift the veil from my eyes so I could see that I was now in the wrong place.

Compassion matters...and the whole compassionate conservative thing has never really taken flight. People matter...and I can no longer align myself with a political party that seems to value the wealthy above the poor and executive privilege above openness and honesty in leadership. Peace matters...and as the most powerful nation in the world we must have peace as a core value...it cannot be optional.

So why Barack Obama you may ask? Because when I looked at his Issues page ( Link ) I knew he was someone who I could believe in. I believe he will be honest...even when he has to do hard things. I believe he cares about America and it's people and I believe he will do what he can to help the marginalized, oppressed, and downtrodden. That's why Barack Obama gets my support...his policies and points of view have earned it.

Happy 4th of July

What I learned on My Summer Vacation

Whew! It is hard to believe that this time last week my mom, the kids and I were driving through Washington DC trying to catch a glimpse of the White House. Post 9-11, you cannot get near the place in a car and the kids are a little too young for the complete walking tour. But we caught the most popular view from Constitution Avenue and Annie was satisfied. We also say the Capitol and the Washington Monumnet. I'm so lucky that I grew up there and got to see all of those things and all of the great museums as a kid.

We had a wonderful trip. We visited with old friends in Bethesda, MD and then with family in Fredricksburg and Williamsburg, VA. All in all it was a good time and fun was had by all. I thought I would share with you some lessons I learned on the journey.

1. The south is HOT...sweltering...sticky...inhumane...and I am a wussy northener. I couldn't believe how hot it was. When it is 103 with 95% humidity...I'm calling it a day. Give me some AC or a cool pool and it's all good but other than that I'm melting and so are my kids. No sir, I was not created for that kind of heat.

2. The beginnings of our country were both heroic and tragic. We had a chance to visit both Colonial Williamsburg and the Jamestown Settlement and we all loved it. It was so wonderful for the kids and me to see so much about how people lived back in those days...it was a simpler time without many of the things that distract us today (you know blogs and whatnot). The Jamestown settlers came over to this country as a business venture...not seeking freedom of any sort. They made a heroic journey under troubling conditions and really helped to form the basis for our government and rule of law. Unfortunately, in the process they also disenfranchised the native Americans and introduced slavery...two of the most tragic outcomes possible from their arrival.

3. Parenting styles are as unique as the individual. I spent time with several different mamas on my trip and each of them are wonderful and very different. Some are high strung, some are laid back...some are controllers, some are go with the flow types...some are into a lot of structure and some aren't. It's hard when your kids are used to one style of life...and you throw them into another one. And I think it is harder if, like my kids, they are used to a more free and laid back lifestyle and they enter into a more structured one. My kids did alright, I think...and I know it is crucial for them to be exposed to all different kinds of life.

4. There is a security in family that is unmatched. We visited with my cousin Norman and his awesome wife Carolyn. Carolyn and I were pregnant together (I with my first and she with her last) and we have been close ever since. Norman is in the military and they have lived all over the world...but now they are back in the states and we have gotten to see them for extended periods the last 2 summers. It felt like an extended version of home being with them...it was easy to talk and just hang out and be myself. Though she and I are very different - I wasn't worried about the differences becasue I love her and I knew that I would be welcomed and accepted.

5. Single parents are amazing. Now technically I wasn't really single parenting becasue there were always others around to lend a hand. But all of the care for the three kiddos was on me and it was tiring and draining emotionally. I cannot imagine living that life full time and not having anyone around to help out.

6. My kids are awesome. They behaved so well (for the most part) and got along well with all of the other kids they encountered. The girls were really interested in Jamestown and loved the tour my aunt gave them (she works there) - even though it was a million degrees...did I mention the heat? :) I had so much fun being with them and we laughed a lot!

7. I missed my man like MAD! Alex goes away for a few weeks each year but usually for shorter durations. This was the longest I have been away from him in 6 years and I really missed him. Because of time differences and his schedule we really didn't get to talk for any good length of time. We touched base several times a day but never had a conversation that amounted to more than the basics. I am aching for him to be home (he should be here in about an hour!!!) and in my arms again.

8. God is good. I had a lot of anxiety about this trip. I wanted everyone to be safe and happy. I thrive on my routine and I knew that would be interrupted completely on this trip. But God is faithful and unchanging and He walked with me each step of the way.

It's always so good to come home and be able to look back on a time away with a smile and good memories. I'm grateful for what an amazing opportunity this trip was...and I'm glad to be home again.