Politics and Religion

I am not a political analyst. Politics have never be a big part of who I am. I have never been an official member of a certain party or put signs in my yard supporting people I planned to vote for. I am one of those people who will be relieved when this election is over so I can watch TV or listen to the radio and enjoy it without constant interludes that end with "and I approved this message." And I hang up on every phone call that smells like a political survey or endorsement. So when it comes to politics I choose to stay on the fence and make my decisions on a case-by-case basis instead of dedicating myself to one side or the other. The first time I was old enough to vote in a presidential election--I didn't. It is not that I am completely apathetic to the direction our country is going. And I have never had an issue with a lack of opinions. I just did not feel like I was informed and decided I would rather not vote than to vote for the wrong guy(they were all guys that time).

In the four years between the 2000 and the 2004 elections a couple of things happened. First, I starting experiencing this snowball of guilt for not executing my right as an American woman to vote. Oprah is always saying that the best place in the world for a woman to be born is America. I kept thinking about all the women who suffered to give me a voice I was not using. I felt like I was disgracing women everywhere by staying silent.

I decided if my reason for staying out of it was lack of knowledge then I could remedy that easily enough. I graduated from college and started my career in Cardiac Rehab. Ninety percent of the patients in my program are senior citizens. Most of them are involved in their local political groups and have been for many years. Most of them care about politics. And all of them like to inform others of why their political beliefs by far surpass those of their opponents. I learn a lot from my patients. They are wise about all the important things and have learned not to care too much about the things that do not matter. And these people watch the news and the weather. Every day. So I chose some of my rehabers that I trusted and I asked them to tell me why they felt so strongly about their party and/or their candidates. When opposing sides conflicted I went to the computer or the news and researched the issues. By 2004 I was no longer uninformed and I voted. And I wore my sticker all day.

Another change in me since 2000 was my decision to rededicate my life to the Lord and be baptized. My faith has become a bigger part of my life since then. I have done a lot of research for this presidential election we are facing. I watched most of the debates. I have listened to my rehabers discussing amongst themselves issue after issue. The feeling I get from people around me is that not only is this election the most important of all time but that the end result could make or break our country. People are putting so much pressure on themselves to choose wisely. People are having all kinds of anxiety over who is going to the White House and what that will mean for America. I do not share in all of that anxiety. I do not believe one man (or two men or one man and one woman) can make or break our country. Who has always been in control? After the election, Who is going to be in control? We can pray for our leaders and our country regardless of who wins this election. I don't believe our president is supposed to fix everything. It seems like people look to our leaders to fix all the wrongs in the world. It would be wonderful if they would always do the right thing. But when disaster strikes why is our government supposed to fix everything? Has it always been that way or did people use to help each other when a neighbor was in need? The President of the United States cannot single handedly change the hearts of all Americans. Is it the president's job to bring our country to Christ? Or is it our job? Shouldn't we be sharing God's Word, showing God's love, and living by God's example? If Christians everywhere were loving their neighbors and honoring their parents and preserving the sanctity of their marriages and teaching their children in the way they should go and living their lives for God would there be such large scale problems in our country? And are we supposed to be spending our time worrying about all of it or turning it over to the One who can change things?

All I am saying is that I have done my research and I will cast my vote. I am still on the fence relative to my devotion to one party or the other, but I do try my best to vote with my heart for the best candidate that I can. But I am at peace with whatever the outcome will be. I just don't understand all the anxiety all around me and I don't share in it. I believe God is in control, and after my privileged time in the voting booth it is out of my hands.

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Costume Parties and Popcorn

Our microwave died. Most families might not be affected much by this change in their household, but at my house we miss it a little bit. While I intend to do meal plans ahead of time and properly thaw my meat products in the refrigerator...many times I get home from work and throw something in the microwave to defrost to become dinner 30 minutes later. In the last few months, Kevin and the kids have also taken to microwave popcorn. With the stove installation project going on, it has been awhile since we have enjoyed popcorn and it has not gone unnoticed by the little people in our house. I decided we can survive and put the microwave on our Christmas list or get one at the crazy, in the dark, day after Thanksgiving sales and have not given it much more thought. So last night as I was arranging my canned goods on my new shelving in the pantry closet (for those of you feeling my pain about my bedroom...that means the sour kraut is out of there now!!!), Jaron came in and said, "Daddy is going to make us some popcorn!" I heard him but did not really hear him...our microwave is dead.

Well, as of Saturday, our outdoor stove is all installed, fired up, and working beautifully! The kids' rooms and our bathroom have never been warmer! Our old system kept 2 rooms warm and the rest of the house cold, but now we have vents in every room and it has made a ginormous difference! However, I do not have all the closets put back together and the chaos conquered. I took a break from it all to do fun stuff on Sunday, so last night was my first opportunity to start moving things out of my bedroom. I put together my new shelving unit and assigned the kids to jar transportation duty. As I said, I was arranging jars in the closet by year and type of food, where Jaron could find me easily to update me on all the happenings of the house. So he came back in and said, "Daddy is making popcorn and it is popping on the floor!" Because things are a little crazy, I may be slightly overly sensitive when it comes to new messes being made in the house. I chose to stay on task and wait until later to validate Jaron's news. A few jars later, Kevin, the love of my life, stuck his head in on the way to the living room to enjoy his snack and shared, "When you cook popcorn on the stove you really need a lid." Part of me was once again astounded by the vast difference between the genders...yet part of me was too happy that they were having popcorn to care. Between Kevin having to get up in the attic and under the house and dragging all the tools in and out and me following him around with the shop vac for so long, I was just happy we are done!

Like I said, after we shared that collective sigh of relief that we have heat before winter, I decided to take a break and do some fun stuff. Mom and I put up my new border in the kitchen. After church we lounged and watched our team. Kevin went off to cut wood, and the kids and I took in the church Halloween party with the cousins(Daddy does not condone Jaron's costume, but Daddy was cutting wood, and Spiderman has a hole for me to sew before Trick-or-Treating, so we went with it, OK? He likes to pretend he is the Easter bunny!) It was great to enjoy the season and forget about home renovations. I still have a lot of sorting, purging, and organizing to do...and a baby to make room for. But we are warm and toasty and can still make time to kick back and enjoy some popcorn.

Remingtyn Update

Remingtyn has continued her therapy in Kansas City all this time following her accident. They were blessed to have family to stay with throughout it all. Her parents have been alternating daughter duty. One of them stayed home with Sheridyn, who is in first grade this year, and the other stayed in the city to oversee rehab with Remingtyn. It has been eleven weeks since they have been able to be a family all under one roof. Their family has been a wonderful testament to faith. They have been so consistent in giving all the thanks and glory to God throughout Remingtyn's recovery.


Here is a quote from Tyena in her Caring Bridge journal: "Story of the morning: She was getting out of the shower and getting dressed when she asked me "I know I have asked Grandma to make me some doll clothes to match me but would it be to much to ask her to make me a special shirt that says 'a miracle' that is pink. Then if people asked me about it I could share with them how God made me a miracle" WOW talk about a great morning. God is just simply amazing me every time I turn around. Thanks for all our blessings, Lord! WE are so blessed by each one of you with all your prayers, love and support! Make today GREAT!!"

Here is one of my favorite memories of Tyena that I posted in the guestbook to illustrate what a loving and thoughtful person she has always been and what a wonderful addition she has been to our family!
"Hello, Cousins!
I keep thinking about when Tyena was expecting Remingtyn. I cannot tell you how many times Granny talked about how Tyena invited the grandmas over (was it Mother's Day?) and if memory serves me right she made some kind of cupcakes in the shape of baby booties for everyone and I was told that when the light bulbs started going off and everyone figured out what was going on there were many tears and hugs. Granny always talked about how special it made her feel. I remember thinking I needed to try harder to make the people I care about feel that way more often! That is just one example of how Tyena has always been so loving and extraordinary herself. I was thinking about how special both of your girls have always been (oh, and you too, Wade;) and how much love has always been surrounding you all! I just wanted you to know I am still checking on you every day and love reading your wonderful updates!
"I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers" Ephesians 1:16
Kevin, Valerie, Madison, & Jaron"


Tyena is the reason I got the grandparents pink bibs for Christmas after Madison's ultrasound, and the reason I sent blue balloon bouquets to my mom and Kevin's mom the day of Jaron's ultrasound. She is not a person who just tells people she thinks they are special, she shows them. I have always been inspired by her and the way she lives her faith and her love for people. Watching her faith and attitude stay strong and positive throughout all that has happened has only made me love and admire her more! She and Wade have both been the epitome of faith and positive thinking and I could not be more proud to call them family!

Remingtyn got to come home for good yesterday and will be joining her class at school full-time. This picture was taken last night with the people who flew her to Columbia on August 2nd. I love these cousins of mine and am so proud of them, inspired by them, and grateful that they can be a family again in their own home. Love & hugs to Wade, Tyena, Remingtyn, and Sheridyn!

Loyalty

I am a person who values loyalty. I am comforted by the loyalty that surrounds me through my friends and family. Knowing there are people standing behind me makes me feel wrapped in love. It makes me feel better. Stronger. Valued. I try to look for opportunities to be loyal to my favorite businesses and business people. I try to be loyal to my small town local businesses. It is not always a convenient part of my day to be loyal. Sometimes it is easier to get everything at Wal-Mart instead of stopping by all the little shops to get what I need. Sometimes Wal-Mart decides to discontinue what I need, such as maternity clothes, and when my old maternity pants won't fit anymore I have to make due with the big girl yoga pants instead because that's all they have but that is another post for another day. Sometimes I don't want to burn the extra gas and time to maintain my loyalty. But I do try. And I value loyalty.

My loyalty transcends into athletics. Maybe as an exercise physiologist I should be a sports fanatic just for the love of hard work, talent, and competition. But I am not really a sports fanatic. I am a team fanatic. I get invested in my team. I loved the Olympics because of Team USA. Team USA is my team. I like to watch the Cardinals, but if the Cardinals are not playing I am not interested. The Cardinals--my team. I like to watch my people participating in sports. I will root for my kids, nieces, nephews, and friends every time. I get invested in the people and the group comprised of those people. So it is not just for my appreciation of athletics that I watch. It is because I care about my people and my teams. I care about who wins. I try not to get so caught up in it that it will kill my mood for an entire day or anything when my team loses (as my husband might) but I like my teams to win.

I guess I will just come on out and tell you that my favorite professional team to watch is a football team. After last Sunday, every sportscaster on TV was labeling my team as the worst team in the NFL. It is not always easy being a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, but they are most definitely my team. My husband was so disgusted with them he was trying to rationalize why we are sticking with them at all. My husband, who has loved them as long as he can remember is on the verge of jumping ship. My husband, who is responsible for my transformation. I always liked the Chiefs, but I use to be someone who followed their win/loss record. Now I am someone who wears red and gold after church on Sundays. I do not plan anything outside of our home for that 3 hours every Sunday afternoon. I know who they are playing and if the game will be on at noon or three o'clock. I check the website to learn the status of injuries. I watch the games. I talk to Coach Herm and many of the players as though they can hear me. I admit it. I made a big fleece Chief's blanket that we snuggle under. Yes, I did. With fleece, a sewing machine, and thread. I like them to play well and be successful, but regardless of the outcome, I look at it as serious family bonding time and I love it!

I am not a fair weather fan. I will not be embarrassed by my devotion. I value loyalty. Even when they may not score a point until the 4th quarter sometimes. So I explained to Kevin that we are not Chief fans because they win the most games. We are Chief fans because they are our team. We value loyalty. This is the real thing. In good times and in bad. I explained that we will endure this season and look back on it to better appreciate when times improve. I believe the loyalty of their fans will make them better and stronger. While I think I helped Kevin with his issues, don't let my pep talk fool you. Do you really want to know where I am with this right now? The more we lose this year, the better our draft picks for next year. It is not always easy being loyal, but there is always a silver lining. Sometimes we just have to look at the bigger picture.

Important Lessons

I am so happy that our previous preschool director, Mrs. Amanda, took it upon herself to fill our need for a teacher until Mrs. Natisha comes back from her bed rest and maternity leave. You may remember the blog where Jaron was crying and did not want to stay there and I was heartbroken and had to pull him out. Well, I want to be careful not to complain on my blog and then forget to mention when things are going great. Not only is Mrs. Amanda wonderful, but they have hired a new afternoon lady as well, Miss Edna, who all the kids absolutely love! During the bad times I stopped by at nap time one day to get Jaron and the part-time girl was sleeping! Not a dozing, head-bobbing kind of sleeping. A deep snoring sleeping that I had to waken her from to take him with me. There were three kids awake on their cots at the time! Well, not only is Miss Edna awake every day when I get there, but she is always interacting with the kids. Not just sitting back and supervising, but interacting. Reading them a book. Helping them with getting dress up clothes on. Pushing them on the swing. One day I caught her kissing a boo boo that could not be seen by the naked eye. Jaron has come so far around in his devotion to the school that on Monday afternoon when I got there he said, "Oh, Mom! Why do you have to come and pick me up?"

There was another issue I was struggling with before. I asked him many questions back then about what he had learned at school and could never get any answers. Just in the last month, he has explained in detail the importance of bike safety. He talks about wearing your helmet, never riding in the street, always watching for cars. I wrote a blog about our field trip to the apple orchard and the song they learned about apples. They did some work on fire safety. A fire truck came to school and they made their own glitterful fire helmets. They got to squirt the hose and "ring the bell." He brings home artwork masterpieces almost every day. He is so excited to share his adventures when he gets home. He is so proud to have important lessons from his school to share with Mom and Dad just like Madison does from her "big" school.

Preschool kids are like little sponges. They have been so busy learning that I have gotten into the habit of asking Jaron every day what he learned at school. So last night at the dinner table Jaron says, "Guess what? Today we did not learn about fire fighting."

I said, "Oh? What did you learn about?"

He said, "We learned about GERMS. And you know what? We wash our hands with soap and we do NOT pick our boogers. You know why? Boogers have GERMS!"

So while that may not be the best dinner conversation topic, I continue to be proud of how much better things are and how much they are working with the kids at preschool. These are all important lessons, right? I am so happy that God cares so much about taking care of a little family in Podunk. I think sometimes I am trying so hard to fix things that I miss important lessons of my own. Lessons about turning everything over to Him and trusting Him to work it out instead of letting myself get all worked up about it and trying to find my own solutions. We all know Proverbs 3:5. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding." So it occurred to me that I should relax about the whole finding a babysitter for the baby thing. I am sure He has it all worked out.

even when I am grouchy

I have been grouchy. I feel like I am admitting to alcoholism or something but I have been grouchy. We have spent several evenings and some weekends preparing for and working on this outdoor wood furnace installation project. It sounds fairly straight forward, right? We had to run a big tube from under the house to the stove. Outdoors there was a cement pad to be poured and a trench to be dug for that tube. I hate how simple that one sentence sounds when the actual work involved took days. Kevin broke two spade handles. I was not the one with the shovel. I was not the one who built the form for the cement. I was the girl who handed stuff to that guy. And got him big glasses of ice water. And tried to prevent the kids from undoing any of his hard work.

Inside we have gutted my huge, centrally located, hall closet off of the kitchen. This is where the "air handler" will go that will send this glorious heat everywhere in our house. This is the closet that houses all my hundreds of jars of canned goods. I'm not kidding. Green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, sour kraut, and pickles from the garden. I have a domestic side. Along with that are my canning supplies and canners. Also in there are my large kitchen appliances. My cake pans and roasting pans. Oh, and about 4 bins of Kevin's hunting stuff. I don't know why. So while this closet is gutted and we are in complete project mode...all of those previously mentioned things are in the corner of my bedroom. Whether we are working in the closet or outside in the dirt or under the house the kids have been on standby--ready to offer their helpful services. They think this is all a grand adventure. But at the end of the day I am sleeping next to sour kraut and I think it is driving me crazy.

I should mention while Kevin has done most of the labor...he spends his days as a union carpenter. So he does his job and moves on. They have these laborers that follow along behind them and clean up their mess when they are done. That is me also. So throughout this whole process, I have been the clean up crew. I have fed my family excessive amounts of hamburger helper and frozen pizza.

I understand the beauty of heat without a propane bill. I grew up with wood heat and I love it. I have missed it. I am appreciative of the fresh, new paint and linoleum and new shelving we are planning in the big closet and can envision everything in all of its completed glory. But right now my house is in total chaos. I feel like I am barely keeping things together, and I have been grouchy.

.

Last night, after putting the kids to bed, laying linoleum, and cleaning up the tools involved, I was cleaning up the kitchen. I considered how much more paint I should buy to paint the kitchen because I have been putting that off for years. If I am painting the pantry closet I might as well paint it and the kitchen to match the border I bought off of eBay last year. I had just turned my focus to how to get myself to bed as soon as possible when my refrigerator door caught my eye. Just look at that. I wanted to cry. I climbed into Madison's bed with her. I told her what a sweet and thoughtful little girl she is. I told her how proud I am of her. I told her I am so thankful that out of all the little girls in the whole world, God gave me Madison Rose. I love how my kids always seem to save me from myself. Yes, we are exhausted. Yes, our house is a crazy, hectic mess. But wait! Here comes my epiphany. It really doesn't matter. The same people are still in my house and I love them beyond measure. And they love me. Even when I am grouchy.

the apple trip

I went with Jaron's preschool on a field trip to the West Apple Orchard north of Macon. The kids learned the most adorable little poem that they performed with actions for the owners.

"Way up high in the apple tree

two red apples smiled at me

So I shook that tree as hard as I could

and down came the apples, mmm were they good!"

We enjoyed a tour of the orchard. Every child got their own bag to fill with apples they picked themselves. We topped it off with a picnic in the shade. I love celebrating the seasons with the kids and enjoying these experiences through their eyes. Their wine looked enticing also but we grownups agreed that would have to be another field trip for another day!

This is the class with their teacher Miss Amanda. She use to be the director until she chose to stay home with her baby girl last year. Soon after I pulled Jaron out of preschool, she found out they were having difficulty with their part-time staffing. She decided to come back to fill in the gap until their present teacher gets back from maternity leave in November. (Thank you for your prayers regarding Jaron's preschool after my crazy mini-meltdown blog back in August!)

Mmm...were they good!

self-inflicted haircuts

Right before the Christmas of 2005 I was wrapping Christmas gifts, with Madison's supervision, on my bed on a Sunday afternoon. She was three. I left the room to get another roll of tape. I walked back to the bed to resume wrapping when I noticed I was stepping on a clump of hair. It was dark and straight, and moving the dust ruffle revealed that it was about 5 inches long...and there were more clumps to be found hiding under the bed. Looking back I realize it was probably not a good idea to leave the gift wrapping scissors on the bed during my little errand. Madison was sitting in my bedroom glider not looking at me. Most of her hair was most of the way down her back. Except for her bangs. And the one side she had cut off before ditching all evidence prior to my return. I did not treat this situation as a tragedy...however it was Sunday afternoon. Monday night was the preschool program. So I rushed her to the Wal-Mart Supercenter to get the damage repaired in their little beauty shop. I may have lectured her all the way to Kirksville (and all the way back home) about the proper uses for scissors. This picture was taken after Santa gave her an apple at the program. It could have been much worse. She was not bald or injured, right?

While it would be lovely to learn from our mistakes and prevent the same mishaps from recurring in our lives, reality is not always conducive to lovely. So over the weekend I rearranged the "learning center" I have set up in the hallway. I spent the evening sorting the supplies. I can still hear my contented sigh and feel that sense of accomplishment as I looked over my work. At the end of the hall is a small school desk and two disc chairs for the kids to read in. The book case has one complete shelf of hard back children's books and one complete shelf of soft back children's books. On the third shelf are three baskets. One for flashcards, one for Beginning Reader and Phonics books, and one for the kids' favorite books that they most often request at bedtime. Did I tell you about the top shelf? On one end you will see a stack of activity books. Coloring books, work books, puzzle books, etc. On the other end you will find the fourth and final basket. I rightfully named it the "school box basket." This basket contains items you may expect. Pencils, crayons, markers, colored pencils, erasers, glue sticks, pencil sharpeners, and scissors. You know the little scissors with the plastic handles and blunt ends? Yes. I was excited about the learning center. I can't say that I even got upset with Jaron's self-inflicted haircut. You can tell he didn't lose much sleep either. I trimmed his bangs a little (after this picture) and took him to school. I think I mentioned something about scissors being for paper. Hey, boys can wear hats, right?