Joyful Noise

Healing

11:24 AM, Feb. 22, 2007 .. 0 comments .. Link

When I last wrote, we'd just adopted a little puppy named Rachel. She is a joy and a delight, and yes, even quite a handful at times, just like our kids. When she was just 12 weeks old, she was diagnosed with cancer. She had a tumor in her mouth that had already grown through her jaw bone. Even the veterinary oncologist could not offer us any hope.

We decided to love our little dog as much as we could as long as could. What better lesson, I thought, for the kids--and us as parents--to realize that life is fleeting and we shouldn't take a single day for granted.

At 16 weeks, the tumor got so big her gums opened up and bled. Her eyes were bloodshot. The vet said an older dog at that stage would have about six weeks. But she didn't know about puppies. And, she reminded us, she wasn't God.

That was a good reminder, too. For our only true hope is in the Lord. So we prayed and kept on praying. We asked and kept on asking. We hoped and kept on hoping. And we noticed the tumor seemed to be shrinking. Could it be? We kept asking each other. And we kept praying and asking the Lord to heal her. And the tumor kept shrinking and shrinking until one day, it was clearly gone. A miracle!

It may seem silly, but I thank the Lord every day for the grace He has given us to show His miracle working power even in a little dog. The fact that He cares so much for His Creation, no matter how seemingly insignificant, has become more real to me. And the reality of His Sovereignty makes me bow at His feet.

During this time, my husband has been facing his own very painful, but thankfully not terminal, illness. He has been forced to grow in so many ways during this time, and so have I. We know God has the power to heal Him, but clearly this isn't His plan--at least not yet. And so we rely on our Father to see the big picture and know what we need to grow. For eternity is just a breath away and our ultimate healing has already been bought and paid. The healing that He most desires to work in us now is in our hearts.

New Family Member

4:05 PM, Jun. 19, 2006 .. 0 comments .. Link

Well, the kitties didn't pan out with our overnight feline visitor, but we have gained a new addition from our neighbor's litter of puppies. Our pup is nearing 8 weeks old. She has been at our house for the past few days (and long nights). Her name is Rachel, which is Hebrew for "little lamb", appropriate for the "runt" of the litter. She certainly is smart. She already comes to her name, plays with toys, ALMOST piddles in the right place, and seems to understand some basic commands, like "down" and "sit". When I can, I'll post a picture of our new little one.

Decisions, Decisions

4:35 PM, Jun. 7, 2006 .. 0 comments .. Link

    Our busy long weekend culminated in a momentous Tuesday. My littlest, my "baby" graduated from Kindergarten at our local Christian school. It was a very sad time for me. Part of it was, my parents couldn't make it, my kids weren't feeling up to coming, my husband was late, so I had to sit alone to cheer on my darling 5-year-old son. And part of my melancholy mood was no doubt due to the fact that my baby is definitely growing up. Another part, however, is directly related to the fact that this marks my final link to the Christian school and all the parents, teachers and kids I've come to know and love. It also means a break from my safety net, my sanity keeper, my helper with my young one so that I can be a better teacher at home.
    Ten years of homeschooling has not made me an expert. Quite the contrary. Although I am more aware of my strengths, I am also more aware of my weaknesses. Now that I have two in middle school and high school, my main weakness is giving them adequate time and guidance while my strength gets sapped by my younger two. Having my youngest in a morning Kindergarten program helped, but it didn't completely solve the issue. It did allow me to work one-on-one with my 8-year-old, who sucks out every bit of patience and energy I have, but it did not go far in allowing me adequate time with my older kids.
    I have to admit, I'm terrified about the coming school year. I suffered Chronic Fatigue Syndrome not long ago, and I still have to watch my activities very closely. Yesterday, I felt so overwhelmed by the task ahead (homeschooling all 4) that I wanted to come home, get in bed, pull the covers over my head, and hide until they're all in college! I know that isn't very spiritual of me, but my flesh certainly is weak. I greatly appreciate your prayers.

Party Season

6:49 PM, Jun. 5, 2006 .. 0 comments .. Link

    This has been a busy week. Thankfully, the sickness passed because we have had two birthdays to celebrate.
    Eight years ago, we purchased our first home and my husband was in the midst of tearing out flooring, replacing the cabinets, etc. when I came up with our 2 kids to visit him on Memorial Day weekend. Our 3rd baby was not expected for several weeks, but when signs of imminent labor set it, hubby said I was here to stay. My things were still at my parents' and in storage, but the baby wouldn't wait.
    On June 3rd, I told my eldest son, "I think I'm going to have the baby today." He said, "No, not my birthday." I reassured him that if I did have the baby that day, I'd be back home for his birthday on the 5th. And that's exactly what I did.
    After a short nap, I stood up, my water broke, and soon I was off to the hospital. Everything went well and soon the nurses were asking me when I was going home. "Not until someone cleans up the house," I told them. With our new house still in disarray, I planned to stay in the nice clean hospital (usually my least favorite place to be) as long as the insurance would allow.
    So, on June 5th, we brought little Trevor home as part of Tyler's 7th birthday celebration. Now every year at this time we have two special days to celebrate. This year Trevor turned 8 and Tyler turned 15.
    And alas, our poor "unsocialized" homeschooled kids.... Trevor had "only" about 17 friends at his party. Tyler kept his down this year to only his half-dozen closest male friends. In fact, most of them are still here now.
    It is wonderful to have these teen boys over. Last year Tyler had 8 guys sleep over. And it went really well. Afterwards, I realized what distinction all of those boys had. Every one had been homeschooled their whole lives. Maybe that's another thing to celebrate.

Cat Continued

2:15 PM, Jun. 2, 2006 .. 1 comments .. Link

    It has been a long week. My youngest, 5-year-old Trent, had a stomach bug that kept BOTH of us up in the wee hours several nights in a row. Of course, once he was feeling better, Mom was feeling wiped out. Isn't it always the way? Then you find yourself with an energetic little one raring to go and all your energy has got up and went.

    At least the cat has no longer been an issue. The morning after it spent the night, my DH Scott decided to introduce Kitty to our beloved dog up close and personal. Then he invited the cat to go out the front door. Of course, at that point it was no longer in any mood to stay around and have kittens in a canine-infested habitat.

    I saw the cat later at the park, still writhing and mewing and looking like she was going to have kittens right there in the grass. Several other women stopped to check her out, concerned. One said she would come back and take her home with her if she found she was still there that afternoon. The other was going to investigate a rumor of a possible owner across the street.

    I did not see the cat again for about a week. Then, the other night, we were out on a walk and saw a sleek black cat with white paws and markings that were uncannily like the one who'd visited. My husband said it couldn't be the same cat--it was too thin. But I pointed out that it would no longer have the bulges if it had given birth. We may never know what happened or what became of the kittens. We were somewhat disappointed, somewhat relieved. For the time being, we are able to console ourselves by playing with the neighbors' 7 adorable puppies.

Unproductive School Day?

8:48 PM, May. 23, 2006 .. 1 comments .. Link

Today we had what might be called an unproductive school day. We hardly cracked the books. I happened to leave my dog home when walking my daughter to her homeschool co-op class and ended up getting followed home by a cat. A stray pregnant cat, from the looks of it. She waddled behind me, mewling when I got too far ahead. When I paused to look back, she'd catch up with me, rub herself around my legs, then continue walking along behind me.

She ended up following me along the walkway that winds through the park, across the street, and down four doors to my house. The telltale smell of dog worried her a bit as she sniffed around the front yard, but lo and behold, she followed me inside when I opened the front door. After a quick perusal of our modest 1500 square foot ranch, she settled on my little boys' room at the end of the hall and made herself at home on the bottom bunk.

My 7-year-old, Trevor, was quite pleased to have a cat in his room again. When he was a baby, our cat Jasmine took to him so much that she liked to sleep beside him in the crib at night. Worried about tales of cats smothering babies in their sleep, I discouraged this behavior until one night when the baby's fussing woke me and I watched in silence as our kitten-sized declawed cat cuddled closer to my son, and he settled and slept through the night for the first time. We were so saddened a few years later when Jasmine died unexpectedly, probably poisoned by a neighbor trying to trim the feral cat population in the area. Now it seemed that one of those feral cats had come to seek refuge with us.

We did some Internet research and found out that it is not uncommon for a homeless cat to adopt people just before giving birth. Increased affection, seeking out a nesting place and wanting to lie down and rest or sleep and taking only small amounts of food are all signs of impending birth (12-24 hrs.). Our feline houseguest had them all.

When my husband Scott came home for lunch, he arrived with a bag of cat food in one hand and our digital camera in the other (to photograph our new kitty friend for her Found Cat posters). The kids, the dog and I headed back to the park. When we put up the great signs Scott made, the park maintenance worker said a woman comes around regularly asking after her black cat and he thought it might be the same one. Why did my heart suddenly sink to think of someone actually calling about this beautiful big black cat with white cheeks, bib and paws?

Scott suggested I go home, let the cat out, and see if she would make her way home. So I walked the block home, threw open our front door, swung wide my little boys' door and ushered Kitty out. But instead of bolting outside, she calmly walked around, rubbing herself on our living room furniture. She didn't make a move for the front door until I walked out, so I couldn't tell if she would have made her way out on her own or if she was just back to following me again. I walked back to the park, where the kids were waiting with a friend, but the cat didn't follow. An hour later, when I returned home, she was waiting for me in the driveway. She got up, waddled after me, and followed me into the house, again making her way to the back bedroom. So here she is still. Our guest for tonight, at least.

With all the cat capers, not much traditional school work was completed today. But then again, I don't think it will be a day any of us will soon forget. My 5-year-old learned that cats do not particularly enjoy playing with stuffed animals, they don't eat olives, and expectant mothers cannot be enticed to play with yarn. My 7-year-old learned that having a cat in the bottom bunk is more exciting than a little brother, though not as sociable. By comparison, the traditional school students filled out a lot more pages, were fed a lot more education department approved facts. But we are running a Home, not a School and hopefully living a life of learning.

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