Oct. 10, 2008
Consent of the Governed
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Consent of the Governed is a very thought provoking weblog. I highly recommend it. As I am becoming more and more concerned over the tide of socialism that is sweeping our nation this particular entry caught my eye: Creeping Socialism/Consent of the Governed I think it is worth a read. In the meantime, if socialism is soooo good for us, why is everyone lying about it??? Pray for America! Kim He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Sep. 14, 2008
Charlie Gibson and Gov. Sarah Palin
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Everyone seems to be making a big deal out of the interview by Charlie Gibson and with Gov. Sarah Palin. Interesting how Mr. Gibson, who was thought to be relatively fair and balanced (even I who despises main stream media thought this would be a nice, fair interview), behaved like an attack dog looking for anything Gov. Palin might say that could be considered a "gotcha moment". What. is. up. with. that? Can't the candidates stand or fall on their own without intentional attempts to cause failure? Is the media so afraid that someone's character might be genuine? and I mean either side not just McCain/Palin (I know it is obvious that I support McCain/Palin and I have good reasons why.) but Obama/Biden as well. Anyway, here is an article from the Washington Post (cut and pasted from Washingtonpost.com and unedited by me. I thought it was interesting. My advice is to watch Fox News. There no one pretends to be unbiased. If you watch the commentators/journalists/newscasters long enough, you know who they like and don't like. They don't hide it, but they ALL bring both sides into arguement. I can respect that. I may think that Alan Combs (a liberal democrat) is an talking horses patoot, but I respect his right to have his opinions and I do listen to them. Once in a blue moon he makes a good point. :-) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/12/AR2008091202457_pf.html
By Charles Krauthammer
"At times visibly nervous . . . Ms. Palin most visibly stumbled when she was asked by Mr. Gibson if she agreed with the Bush doctrine. Ms. Palin did not seem to know what he was talking about. Mr. Gibson, sounding like an impatient teacher, informed her that it meant the right of 'anticipatory self-defense.' " -- New York Times, Sept. 12 Informed her? Rubbish. The New York Times got it wrong. And Charlie Gibson got it wrong. There is no single meaning of the Bush doctrine. In fact, there have been four distinct meanings, each one succeeding another over the eight years of this administration -- and the one Charlie Gibson cited is not the one in common usage today. It is utterly different. He asked Palin, "Do you agree with the Bush doctrine?" She responded, quite sensibly to a question that is ambiguous, "In what respect, Charlie?" Sensing his "gotcha" moment, Gibson refused to tell her. After making her fish for the answer, Gibson grudgingly explained to the moose-hunting rube that the Bush doctrine "is that we have the right of anticipatory self-defense." Wrong. I know something about the subject because, as the Wikipedia entry on the Bush doctrine notes, I was the first to use the term. In the cover essay of the June 4, 2001, issue of the Weekly Standard entitled, "The Bush Doctrine: ABM, Kyoto, and the New American Unilateralism," I suggested that the Bush administration policies of unilaterally withdrawing from the ABM treaty and rejecting the Kyoto protocol, together with others, amounted to a radical change in foreign policy that should be called the Bush doctrine. Then came 9/11, and that notion was immediately superseded by the advent of the war on terror. In his address to the joint session of Congress nine days after 9/11, President Bush declared: "Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime." This "with us or against us" policy regarding terror -- first deployed against Pakistan when Secretary of State Colin Powell gave President Musharraf that seven-point ultimatum to end support for the Taliban and support our attack on Afghanistan -- became the essence of the Bush doctrine. Until Iraq. A year later, when the Iraq war was looming, Bush offered his major justification by enunciating a doctrine of preemptive war. This is the one Charlie Gibson thinks is the Bush doctrine. It's not. It's the third in a series and was superseded by the fourth and current definition of the Bush doctrine, the most sweeping formulation of the Bush approach to foreign policy and the one that most clearly and distinctively defines the Bush years: the idea that the fundamental mission of American foreign policy is to spread democracy throughout the world. It was most dramatically enunciated in Bush's second inaugural address: "The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world." This declaration of a sweeping, universal American freedom agenda was consciously meant to echo John Kennedy's pledge in his inaugural address that the United States "shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty." It draws also from the Truman doctrine of March 1947 and from Wilson's 14 points. If I were in any public foreign policy debate today, and my adversary were to raise the Bush doctrine, both I and the audience would assume -- unless my interlocutor annotated the reference otherwise -- that he was speaking about the grandly proclaimed (and widely attacked) freedom agenda of the Bush administration. Not the Gibson doctrine of preemption. Not the "with us or against us" no-neutrality-is-permitted policy of the immediate post-9/11 days. Not the unilateralism that characterized the pre-9/11 first year of the Bush administration. Presidential doctrines are inherently malleable and difficult to define. The only fixed "doctrines" in American history are the Monroe and the Truman doctrines which come out of single presidential statements during administrations where there were few other contradictory or conflicting foreign policy crosscurrents. Such is not the case with the Bush doctrine. Yes, Sarah Palin didn't know what it is. But neither does Charlie Gibson. And at least she didn't pretend to know -- while he looked down his nose and over his glasses with weary disdain, sighing and "sounding like an impatient teacher," as the Times noted. In doing so, he captured perfectly the establishment snobbery and intellectual condescension that has characterized the chattering classes' reaction to the mother of five who presumes to play on their stage. He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Sep. 1, 2008
September is here...
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Wow. So much going on!! Chris joined the US Civil Air Patrol in March and has been busy. He got his first set of stripes...he is now Cadet Airman Christopher ......... Last month, he was able to take his first flight. His instructor was wonderful (he looked like a grown up Chris---I kid you not!) and the instructor said that Chris did very well and, if we wanted to, he would be happy to be his instructor. We are praying the for money to do that. If any of you have kids between the ages of 13 and 21 who are looking for a taste of military life and enjoy physics, aeronautics, air planes, search and rescue, rocketry, etc. then I HIGHLY recommend the US Civil Air Patrol. It is the auxiliary of the US Air Force. No one has to join the military upon graduation. It is strictly volunteer. Chris is NOT that good at math and science, but he IS very good at learning by doing. He is doing very well in CAP. For more info check here: US Civil Air Patrol and look under the "Cadet" heading. Adults can join as well. Make it a family affair if you please. My niece, Shawna came to visit for 9 days. She is 10 and gets along great with Danny and Chris. They had fun going to an air show, swimming (lots of swimming), biking, walking, hiking and just your garden variety hanging out. School is back in session and Chris decided that he wanted to play varsity soccer so he has (sigh) returned to his private, Christian school. After getting straight A's doing homeschooling (lest you be fooled...he did have to work LONG hours to do this. Even at home with limited distractions, his ADHD is really something that gets in the way of his doing what he should be doing---that and the fact that he genuinely is academically lazy---oh, and bed making and room cleaning lazy, too.  My niece Amber and myself will be starting homeschooling with our toddlers. Amber's oldest son is 5 months older than Danny. They seem pretty evenly matched especially now that Danny is talking in full sentences (albeit he is still mixing up the words---does anyone else have this going on with their toddler?--eg. I want iveem (icecream) get. for I want to get ice-cream) On the plus side, other than recognizing letters and numbers, he aces all the 3-year old "what my kid should be doing" checklists...oh and the potty training thing...he will faithfully use the potty if he is naked all the time. But put pants on him (even the cloth undies that he seems to love to look at and talk about so much) and he wont use the potty without me placing him on it under diress. What is up with that?? I have a hard time having my child naked all the time and with fall coming it just doesn't seem ...well seemly. We are still looking for placement for our oldest. We have found 2 places. One is in Texas and the other in Pennsylvania. The only problem is he is either very close to the age cut off, or he is past it. I don't know what we are going to do. We want to get him help before we have to involve the police. After he threatened to do physical harm to my husband (ie. terminate his life), we are concerned that we may need police involvement sometime soon. While we don't believe he would go this far (in fact we are sure of it), he is getting more and more disruptive and destructive. We want to help him get his life on track. It is weird, he is so good with animals and kids (other than his brother) but so horrible to us. Wild! If anyone would like the websites to the 2 places we have found, please e-mail me. I am very willing to share. On the positive side, he has held down a farm job all summer long. I worry about how he will balance school and work, but that is his worry now that he has told me his life was none of my business. It is wild that he doesn't seem to understand that his dad and I are here just waiting to be called on. We won't help him out the consequences of his poor choices, but we are here to support him thru them. I was telling him (during one of our dwindling times when he is civil) that God is also there walking along beside him just waiting to be called upon and, like us, God will not help him out of his misery but go thru it with him. It is so hard to love someone so much and see them constantly beat themselves against the rocks of life and then not see that it is they, not life, that is doing the banging. Sigh. Well, the dishes are calling me (gee, they call SO LOUD!) and I have to get out my "whip" and get Chris to pack up for tomorrow (i am in for eye rolling, sighing and the inevitable promise that it won't take him more than an hour to pack and get ready to go in the morning---can't wait to see how his commanding officer will react to that once he is in the Air Force) I can only smile and shake my head for all too soon, my teenagers will be young men. I just hope the few years we have had with them (9 for Paul and 10 for chris) are going to be enough to help them be productive members of society. Oh and, we have heard from my nephew in Afghanistan. He is doing well. If you get a chance, drop a soldier a line. Tell him or her how grateful you are for your freedoms. If you have the time and the finances, send a care package to someone who doesn't have family to send them something. A large box costs only about $10.00 to send at any weight. Send a letter in it telling them about your family and what you do at home. You will make someone's life really happy. ::stepping off the soapbox:: -Kim oh and....GO SARAH (i was not a huge McCain supporter...but now I can stand behind the McCain/Palin ticket with little reservation) He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Jul. 26, 2008
Update on Iraq that the mainstream media won't talk about
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I watch/listen to Fox News most of the time because I might be driven to such extremes of anger at other news stations (and even our local ones) that I might break something. (a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my meaning). This is from Newsbusters (well worth a bookmark or RSS feed link): A Week With No US Troop Deaths in Iraq My nephew is now in Afghanistan (a change from first staying at Ft. Hood, Tx for several months, to being stationed in Japan to finally Afghanistan). We haven't heard from him in now 3 1/2 weeks. He is Risen, Just as He said! |
May. 27, 2008
Where is the common sense in our schools??
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I was reading my Google Reader files and came across this: Kindergartner Voted Out of Class over at The Core Knowledge Blog. I made a comment there but I feel that I need to say again.... WHAT THE HECK???? I was trying to think of reasons for this behavior. Having the gift of counsel (and a BA in Psych--not only makes me slightly dangerous--haha--but...), I always have to ask what someone could be thinking. Why did they do this? What was their motivation??? I used to write curriculum and I have to further wonder what could her teaching goals have been? What could she have been thinking? Was this part of some sort of lesson plan on the harshness of humans? Was it part of a larger plan on how to socialize in a mean way vs how to socialize in a decent and humane way? Again....WHAT COULD SHE HAVE BEEN THINKING? That the boy is "in the process of being diagnosed with autism" is actually not at issue here...it just makes the whole thing nastier. This teacher should be fired. No if's and's or but's. She has no business in the classroom instructing young children (or older children either) in anything. This is yet another reason why the "kids who are homeschooled aren't properly socialized" argument holds no water. If this is the kind of socialization going on in schools...then I still want no part in it. He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Feb. 26, 2008
Comments on homeschooling
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Last summer, I had all these high hopes about homeschooling. For instance: We will have all our work done by 1:00 pm, be out doing all sorts of extra curricular activities and my house would be spotless. May I just say, none of these things have EVER happened. Seasoned homeschoolers are laughing hysterically all over the US. I homeschool ONLY ONE KID. Why can't I achieve this? For months now, I have beat myself up over not making these goals (truth be told, on more than one occasion I am sure I have laid a guilt trip on "The Red One" as well.) In my old life (that is, before marriage, before moving here to So. Central PA and way before adoption and kids with ADHD, emotional issues and tons of baggage) I was a health care administrator. I supervised staff, did paperwork, gave lectures and prepared advertising and met with prospective clients and their families. I wore nice clothes (dresses even--shudder), high heels and maintained my Day Timer as if it was my life (come to think of it, it contained most of my life from pictures to computer discs to appointment schedules and meeting notes). Before that, I was a team leader who designed and wrote curriculum for adults with developmental disabilities. I gave seminars and speeches. I trained staff. I even wrote curriculum for my church when I was the Sunday School Admin.--I wrote the curriculum for about 250 kids from nursery to senior high. I was organized, well put together and my house was virtually spotless about 80% of the time. I exercised, socialized and made it to places ON TIME. People who know me since I have been married have never seen me in a dress much less high heels. They know me to be 'always running late' and to always have a messy house (this is the one I loathe the most) I have written numerous schedules, how-to's, plans, goals, ideas and lists of "what to do today" for my son. He resists them all. I have copied, printed, hung up, purchased incentives of all kinds, etc. all in an attempt to help him to maintain his classes. He has resisted them ALL. I feel like a failure. What have we learned? Well, first of all, Chris HATES, LOATHES and generally holds in contempt any and all hand writing. He is horrible at math (but not geometry). He loves to read and use the computer. We have been doing a combination curriculum of PACE for etymology and math and SOS for the other classes. Next year will, we will not do the PACEs. We will do more computer things. I will make him do some writing in his journal daily (i have let this go by the wayside as well). We will schedule weekly extra curricular activities even if he hasn't accomplished all of his other work. We will do only one class on the weekends (yes, we DO do work on the weekends because he doesn't accomplish everything on the weekdays!) AND, I will cut him some slack. I have also learned that I really like this kid. He is funny, smart, intelligent (frustrating, infuriating...oops...i was looking at the positives) and really fun to be around. I have seen him grow, despite how hard it is to get him to do anything on my time table...or anyone else's for that matter. Chris is a sensitive kid who has always had a hard time expressing himself. He gets mad inside because no one ever asked his opinion or what he wanted to do before being adopted by Big D and I. He had big ideas and feelings that no one took the time to get them out of him. Now, we do lots of talking and he is beginning (just beginning, mind you) to talk about how he FEELS about things. The boy is a deep well. It is amazing to me how little he understood about his adoption and how little he remembers...on the surface. If I show him pictures of his past, sometimes it triggers memories, but it is actually places and activities that seem to trigger more memories. He also learns this way, too. He is definitely a kinesthetic learner. He also retains more when he reads it AND hears it. I have been downloading his reading books so that he can retain more information about them. He can tell a story, but not write it. He can answer questions about the things he has done and read, but you have to ask lots of questions to get past eh surface answers...the one or two word answers. He CAN actually give information to put into an essay or report---but it has to be verbally with some guided questioning. He does really well that way. What teacher has time to do this in private school, much less public school? This year has not gone as I had hoped it would. It IS definitely going. He has a consistent low 90's GPA and we are on schedule to complete in early June. I am worried about our year end evaluation as I had to change the "rules" set down by the curriculum and Bridgeway Academy to fit Chris's needs. I am concerned that I will be judged "not suitable" to homeschool my son. I further worry that he will give one word answers and not remember what he has learned---who am I kidding??? he WILL do this because he is on the shy side, he gets anxious about being tested or proved. I am praying that we will be ok and that we will get more time to refine and improve our school. I also pray that when Chris looks back on this time together he finds it worthwhile and wonderful....I know, despite my complaining that I already do. He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Feb. 23, 2008
Finally, some pictures
Here are the pictures that went along with the Christmas card: Christopher, 14.5 years old with my sister-in-law's horse, Lightening.  Paul, 16  the sweet view from where I stand....  Chris: "It's not my fault. He won't sit still"(notice who is tickling whom!) He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Feb. 14, 2008
Cheating...just a bit.
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Wow, it has now been months since I last updated. A lot has happened. I am going to enter the text of my Christmas Card newsletter (yeah, I am one of those kind of card senders). 2007 was a rough year...especially at the end. I am going to try to write more frequently (didn't I say that before?--how does everyone here...there and everywhere DO it?? how can writing happen each day, be insightful and funny, heart warming and thoughtful?? aaaahhhhhh the pressure!) Ok, here is the Christmas card letter (sanitized with names removed/edited) We trust, as always that your year has been happy and healthy. Our year was uneventful until this fall. Seems every year we go along kind of normal and (a bit ) boring until fall comes. Paul and Chris turned 16 and 14 1/2 this fall. Daniel is now 22 months. Chris has been homeschooled this year. I now have an even greater appreciation of the hard work his teachers have done over the years. We always knew he was a bit of a dreamer, but his ADHD really does get in the way of his ability to focus on his school work. It takes him such a long time to complete an assignment...irregardless of my being with him (cracking the whip :-) ) or not. However, despite this he has achieved straight A's--even in math. Paul is back in public school. He has an A in his Agricultural class. He seems to really enjoy the variety of training he is receiving in that class. He has been spending 2 afternoons a week with his Uncle Rod and cousin, Jeremy, at Jeremy's repair shop. They have really taken him under their wing. This summer, he helped to rebuild a classic tractor. They entered it in a few tractor pulls at area fairs. They did quite well and Paul even won a monetary prize for winning some "Pulls". Daniel is growing like a weed. He loves his dog and cats, the snow ("woe"), Rachel Ray, Bindi Irwin, his cousins, Andy (and Andy's tractors), Josiah, Josh and Noah, and anything on wheels. We were very blessed on November 30th when Daniel finally became legally ours. It had been a long year waiting for that to finally come to pass. Now he is ours and we couldn't be any happier. On November 7, Dan and I celebrated 9 years as man and wife. I can hardly believe it has been that long....but then it doesn't seem that long at all. We unfortunately had to have our dog, Scooby, put to sleep. He injured himself one day while we were not at home. Our vet and his team tried for 5 days to get him back on his feet, but Scooby just couldn't do it. He was almost 10 years old. He was a great boy and we still miss him. On November 18th, my Grandpa Woodward went to be with the Lord. I can hardly believe that he is gone. He has always been such an integral part of my life that I am having a hard time processing the fact that he is no longer here. Daniel and I were blessed to be able to see him the day before he passed. We were making plans for him to come home (from the rehab home he was in) but God had different plans. Those of you that maintain a prayer list, please add my Grandma (Alberta) to your list. She and my Grandpa have been married since she was 17. This March would have marked their 70th wedding anniversary. The day before Thanksgiving, Dan suffered a gall bladder attack. The tests showed that not only does he have gall stones, but also a cyst and tumor on his kidney. We were very concerned until his appointment with the specialist. Thankfully, neither the cyst or the tumor are to be worried over. He does have some issues with his bladder though the doctor says it can be treated with medications. Dan is never sick and this really sent us for a loop. But God is faithful. We would not have known about the other issues had he not had the gall stones. He never would have had an ultrasound of his tummy without them! We are eagerly awaiting the return of the "boring" spring and summer months here at our house :-). Attached are pictures of the boys: Paul's school picture, Chris with my sister-in-law's horse, Lightening and Danny during our first snow with the first "woe ball" (snow ball) that he made himself, and a picture of Danny from my perspective. His happy little face is what I am blessed to look down upon whenever we are out walking. Wishing you all a very blessed Christmas season and a wonderful New Year--Please keep in touch. Dan and Kim, Paul, Chris and Daniel He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Nov. 11, 2007
Week in Review
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I am finding that I cannot organize myself to write daily. I had high hopes, but perhaps I am just not ready to do that much writing. So, I decided to do a 'week in review' thingy and see how that works. This past week I am incredibly grateful for my husband. We celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary on the 7th. Our meeting and marriage was truly God ordained (I still believe this--even after all these years). We met on AOL--Literally. I know that seems to happen a lot now, but it seems like it wasn't so popular then. I had been dating a lot of creeps (of course, you find that when you are on-line). I was very interested in one guy, but his plans did not line up with mine (he wasn't looking to get married--i was). So, I browsed through AOL's profile listings for men who were: Single, Christian, interested in Children's Ministry and within a certain age range (can't remember the exact range) 7 guys came up. I wrote all of them with some kind note about what I was looking for and asking them specifically about their faith and their interest in Children's Ministry. Dan was the only guy to write back. A bit later, when we were talking more, we talked about how I found him. When I looked at his profile more closely, it didnt list him as interested in Children's Ministry. He never was interested in Children's Ministry. He repeated the search and I repeated the search. Neither of us could get his profile to come up again. We got the other 6 guys plus one different guy...from Kimberly, Idaho (of all places) Dan and I began talking sometime around his birthday in February 1998. We met face to face on June 2. We chose a place about halfway between us: Welsboro, PA. A cute, historic and quaint little town in northern PA. I went to visit his hometown on June 27th. I met some of his family (he is the youngest of 8 kids) Dan took me on a walk to look at his property and get some pretty views of his home and the town. We took a walk thru the woods and he suddenly asked me: "What's that?". From my perspective, there was a tree root and a HUGE spider web...complete with spider. In my head I am thinking, "oh great, he has brought me out here to scare me with huge spiders". He moves me over and points out a small, white box in the root of the tree. When he opened it, it was an engagement ring....with a small light on it. It was dark in the woods and the small light made the ring just sparkle in the shadows. He dropped to his knee and quoted a poem he had written for the occasion. I, of course said, YES! We were married in my home church that November 7. It hasn't been easy. I left home, family, friends and career for a small town filled with strangers. Due to distance, we hadn't spent that much time in each others presence. But, we made a commitment before God. We work it out cuz, in our minds it is that or live in strife and unhappiness. Divorce is never an option for us. Dan is a godly and patient man. He loves me no matter what. How can anything be better? He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Oct. 30, 2007
Jumping and Potty Training
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Yesterday seems to have been a day of growing for Little D. Yesterday, he grabbed his diaper (he was wearing it) said: "Momma, poop" and led me to the mudroom (where our downstairs powder room is located). Now, he isn't allowed in the mudroom without supervision as the kitty litter boxes are there...and well, temptation for a toddler...eeewwww. Anyway, when he turned 18 months the doctor suggested we get a potty chair and set it out and talk about it, etc. We did and since then, I have made a point to announce that I was 'going to the bathroom' whenever I did. He began to grab at himself and we would ask if he needed to be changed. As we changed him we would praise him and talk about what he had done, etc. Now, he is telling us when he has to go (he has finished about 70% of the time before he announces it) and the race to the potty begins. He gets a (1) M&M or York Peppermint ball (they come in a silver tin and are one of his obsessions) if he does anything resembling 'going potty'. He thinks its cool. I think it's cool too as the first time he did it, he actually did BOTH on the toilet and not in his diaper. I realize that he is very young (he is 20.5 months) and that this may be (probably is) a passing phase, but I find it really cool that he is doing it...that he self-initiated it....and that I am so laid back about it. I confess that I always considered potty training and teaching reading to be the most difficult and stress filled of milestones (until the teen years that is). I will have to remember writing this if he still isn't 100% potty trained by the time he is 4. (seriously, i will have had him to the doctors before then...or am I being too nutty about it?) Also yesterday, Little D starting jumping. No, not off things...he has unfortunately been doing that since he was about a year old (my hairdresser really likes him--and our oldest teen--both of them have been turning my hair grey.--{it isn't my age...no! it isn't} she is enjoying the money she is making coloring my hair.). Just standing in one place with his legs together bending at the knees and jumping in place. He thinks he's cool. I think he's brilliant. He jumped so much that he tired himself out. Then he started to fall over and laugh and laugh until I told him he was going to hurt himself...but no one listens to a prophet in their own home. Wouldn't you know, just as I said that and was going over to get him on to another activity, he tried to jump, fell over and knocked his head on the floor a little too hard. Ouch. We went outside for a walk to get him off the jumping thing. When we came back in The Red One asked him if he wanted to jump again (he received a stern look from me). Little D rubbed his head, pouted a bit and said, "Newwwwwwwwww" (how he says "No" right now). Good sense that one seems to have, huh? Blessings.... -k He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Oct. 27, 2007
Sigh...
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How do you give comfort to a dear friend when her husband is suddenly killed in a car accident? What do you say to comfort her when she is living your worst nightmare? My friend lives back in Rochester (near where I am from). I have only corresponded with her occasionally....like all my friends back home. I am a horrible pen pal. Good intentions but no follow thru. I am even shocked that I have logged into my blog as much as I have. Now, she is a widow and I can't be there for her. I know she has her children and grandkids. I know she has her sister and many, many friends. But I, too, want to be there for her. I have no wonderful words of comfort. I asked my sister in law, who has been a widow for some almost 4 years now (is that possible??) She too, lost her husband suddenly and without any kind of warning. She kissed him good-bye and next thing she knew, she got a phone call that he had had an aneurism. We were not in town when it happened. I think she got to the hospital, but he was gone already. The same thing for my friend. Would it be any better or less traumatic if they had had a warning? I just don't know. I don't want to find out. My friend's husband loved her dearly. He loved his children and his grandbabies. I know that he loved her because I saw how he looked at her when she wasn't looking at him. I only met him a few times, but I saw the look...longing, love, devotion, tenderness all wrapped up in a gaze that he would give her as he looked upon her. He was devoted and caring, loving and funny, intelligent and creative. He indulged her and took care of her. They were married for almost 40 years. He was the love of her youth and they were just settling in to, what I think, was their favorite time of life...retirement and grandparenthood. My heart is just sick. I know that God is there for her. That He grieves with her and that He is there to hold her and fill the incredible void left in her life. Keep the widows and widowers in prayer. Listen to them tell you of their loved one...over and over if you have to. Remember them long after the funeral has passed, the funeral meal is eaten and the flowers have wilted. They need the love and comfort of others. "Behold, I with you always...." He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Oct. 27, 2007
Kissing
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Last night, Little D gave me his first real kiss. And I didn't even ask for it. Not a lick, not an open mouthed drool gift but a real-pucker-up -and- make- the- smacking- noise-genuine kiss. I cried. My baby is growing up. Sniff. Smile. Sniff. He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Oct. 22, 2007
Rachel Ray
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Add Rachel Ray to the list of obsessions. Little D loves to watch cooking shows. Rachel Ray is his favorite. He doesn't exactly say "Rachel" so that others can understand him, but he does say it in the proper inflection with the proper syllables. No other TV cook will do...only Rachel. He's a riot. He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Oct. 19, 2007
SIck soldier-in-training
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My nephew came home yesterday. Yep, only 5 weeks into basic training. Seems he collapsed with a 105 degree temperature. He was diagnosed with Mono. The Army sent him home to rest and recuperate. Apparently he has been sick for a while, but didn't let anyone know. He was still doing very well and was ranking high (not sure where exactly as I haven't talked to him personally yet) even while so ill. He came home and went promptly to his family doctor. They ran several tests to find that not only does he have Mono, but he also has pneumonia and bronchitis as well. My poor Sweet Button! Apparently he cannot wait to return to training and "see how good (he) can do when not sick". Yep, I am so proud of him...but I do hope that he notifies his Sergent if he gets sick again well before collapsing. Illness like that can be deadly. He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Oct. 19, 2007
More obsessions
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Eggs (touching them, talking about them and taking them from the refrigerator --not eating them) Candles (we have to light a candle at each meal---I have limited this to dinner time as we won't have any candles to light if they were on all day) York Peppermint candies in the small tin. (York has these nice little Peppermint Patty balls in a cute blue and silver tin. For me, having had gastric bypass surgery, 2 of these tiny candies help me to not feel deprived and still not make myself sick. One usually does it, 2 is enough and 3make me sick.) Little D saw me eating them and wanted one.....he wants one every time he is in the car. Lest anyone fear, please understand that we don't indulge Little D's obsessions unless they are appropriate and healthy for him. I have no problem with kids having candy and learning proper limits for them (something I didn't seem to learn as a child/teen/adult) so he does eat candy, just not daily and sometimes not even weekly. He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Oct. 17, 2007
Teething
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Yikes! Little D is teething. Little D is grumpy. Little D is very out of sorts...and has been for the last 3 days now. He came to us with 4 teeth at 9 months old. He then proceeded to get his teeth two at a time with sometimes a fever and a little bit of "messy diaper" action going on. He didn't get grumpy, just kind of clingy. This tooth (he has two left to get in....this one and its twin on the other side) is the canine and not only is it coming in alone, but it is coming in slowly and very painfully. Poor baby. Another traumatic event: he had a bout of vomiting yesterday and got his BoBo messy (along with mommy, the chair, the comforter he was wrapped in, his outfit and anything else that was in the vicinity.) Soooo....BoBo had to be washed. Well, he (Little D, not BoBo--not sure what BoBo was doing...probably enjoying his run thru the wash) moped around periodically asking for BoBo, going to the cellar door and pointing and asking for BoBo, wailing for BoBo and generally not napping or sleeping (I really can't complain. He has never given us any problems at nite) yesterday and last nite. BoBo is all clean and fresh. He is now clasped tightly (very tightly) in Little D's arms and they are both sound asleep. Ahhhhh......to have things fixed that easily for us, huh? He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Oct. 13, 2007
Bubleeyea!
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That is what I was greeted with this morning. I went up to get little D up (at his usual time of 6:00am) and was greeted with: "Bub-lee-yea, mamma". I have no idea what that means, but I know he was mumbling up there before I got to him. It is really neat to hear him practicing his talking in his room. He chats on and on to his stuffed animals (his crib collection has grown from just BoBo to a moose, a kitty, a large bear, and a prayer bear that he calls "Ollie"). I love this age. He has something new for me every morning. I find myself no longer dreading getting up in the morning . After 9 years of being a "domestic goddess", I was getting in a rut of routine and again missing my career and the friends, etc. but now with little D I cannot wait to see him and see whats new. He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Oct. 9, 2007
Global Warming update
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In my continuing quest to keep the media and Hollywood honest, here is a dandy little piece from one of my favorite news blogs: Newsbusters.org (in case i goofed this up, the article is called: Court identifies 11 inaccuracies in Al Gore's "Inconvenient Truth".) I am excited that England took this on. I hope you will all give a read and thus be better informed. Have a great day!!! kim He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Oct. 3, 2007
Silly, Silly boy
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Little D's sense of humor has really been kicking in lately. He is very into "BOO!" No matter how bad the actor is (when they act "scared") he laughs hysterically over and over......AND OVER again. Tonite, while I was rocking him (yeah, i know...he's 19 months old and i still rock him---its for me, too, that i still rock him) he kept gazing up at me and then looking down, burying his face in BoBo and laughing. He couldn't get himself to stop laughing. He kept this up for a good 20 minutes before finally falling off into a deep sleep. I have been trying to just get him to the drowsy point and then take him to bed. Oh well, tomorrow nite is another chance to do that. He is such a silly little monkey. (oh, and by the way, THAT makes him laugh too) He is Risen, Just as He said! |
Oct. 1, 2007
No more binkie
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The doctor was right. It only took two days of "cold turkey" no binkie. He still talks about it when he goes to take a nap, but he doesn't fuss. He actually didn't fuss at all. I think he was really ready. I do catch him sucking his thumb before he falls asleep, but not for long. He is really trying to talk more. I notice that his inflection is getting much better as is the number of 'syllables' he is uttering. He is still having trouble annunciating, but hey, he's only 19 months old. He is Risen, Just as He said! |