Whew, what a day we had yesterday!  We had chapel for our umbrella school in the morning, and then went to the park for lunch.  It was *beautiful* weather, a smidge warmer than we'd have liked, but tolerable for playing, anyway.  About an hour and a half into our playtime, my youngest son came running up with blood pouring down the side of his head.  NOT a good thing!  He'd somehow jumped up *INTO* a steel bar, whacked his head on it, and come down thinking all was fine until he noticed the blood.  ;-(  Poor guy!  One of our dear little friends held ice to his head and I sent my other kids home with another mom while yet another drove us to the nearest Urgent Care place.  I've never had a real head injury before other than goose eggs, and this stopped bleeding right away (we prayed for him as soon as we saw the cut!) but I wanted to make sure he didn't need stitches.  The doctor was kind and said that while it didn't look too bad, head injuries are infamous for re-opening and bleeding, and that I'd end up having to go to the emergency room if that happened since this was a weekend.  SO . . .three stitches to the head!  I am quite proud to say that I made it through two of them sitting next to him and holding his hands as he lay on the table, before sensing myself sweating and feeling like I was going to pass out!  There is something terribly unnatural about watching someone sew your child's head . . . ugh!  Even if you aren't exactly WATCHING. 

So we made it through.  He stopped screaming the minute the last stitch was tied, and everything looks good.  Whew!  Our first adventure with stitches is over. 

In happier news, I pulled an old favorite off the shelf the other day and have just loved getting into it again.  It's called How to Raise Your Children for Christ and was written by Andrew Murray.  Great book!  Here's what jumped out at me today (exclamations of dismay are my own) . . .

The remembrance that their children have inherited their evil natures from themselves (the parents) ought to humble them, make them very patient and gentle, as well as very earnest and wise, in dealing with the offenders, and lead them to seek what alone can cure and conquer this evil power--the grace and the life that comes from above!  The root of all sin is selfishness . . .let them watch over every manifestation of a selfish or unloving spirit as a seed of the tree that bore such bitter fruit in Cain, and count no care or prayer too great to have it banished.  Let them not be content, even though there are no striking outbreaks of the evil; let them fear and root out the seeds which often ripen so terribly in later life.  Let them make it their aim that grace should restore their family life to what God created it to be-- a mirror and a foretaste of the love of heaven . . .

Let parents be what they want their children to be.  (Ouch!)

Let father and mother lead a life marked by love to God and man; this is the atmosphere in which loving children can be trained.  Let all the dealings with the children be in holy love.  Cross words, sharp reproof, impatient answers are infectious.  (Ouch, again!)  Love demands and fears not self-sacrifice; time and thoughtful attention and patient perseverance are needed to train our children aright.  When our children hear us speak of others, of friends or enemies, of the low, the vulgar, the wicked, let the impression be the love of Christ we seek to show.  In all the communication of father and mother with each other, let mutual esteem and respect, tender considerateness and willing self-forgetfulness prove to the children that love is possible and blessed.

Okay.  Well, I for one am undone, and have my assignment to work on for the next, mmm, millenium!