The last couple of weeks have been exciting and fast moving. We visited a splash park twice in one week while Daddy was in Illinois with the high school youth at CIY. Shannon graciously showed us the way. (Everyone knows I am directionally challenged (o: ) Chris had an awesome week at CIY with our wonderful high schoolers that went. Robin was our female sponsor. She is awesome and they got some great pictures of her too! It went pretty fast.
There were a couple of dark clouds. My aunt Maxine went to be with the Lord last week. I KNOW she is in heaven. She loved the Lord with her whole heart and worked for His kingdom. I have so many fond memories of her and my uncle Bruce, who preceded her to Heaven this last May. Yes my family, I even remember the DX station. :0) Her funeral was yesterday. Many of our family could not attend because of the hot weather. They are getting older and cannot take the heat. I told my Mom not to fret. Aunt Maxine wasn't there anyway. She is in heaven, dancing around God's throne.
The second dark cloud.....a friend of my nephew, Ryan, lost his father last week. His funeral was also yesterday. It's hard to lose a parent at any time, but Taylor lost his dad the week before he was to begin his senior year in high school. Ryan has a hard time with this....he understands. Ryan's daddy passed away right before he turned 2 yrs old. I pray for this family. I am glad Taylor has Ryan to talk to. I think it will help them both to be able to share together.
It has been a couple of weeks full of bad news. I know we have to go through the dark times to grow, but they are so hard. I cannot imagine not having God to lean on for strength. I think God is going to use Ryan to do great things in his life, whether he realizes it or not. Can you tell I love this kid? I've always claimed he was part mine. My boys love him to pieces and he is so gentle and patient with them. Many young men his age (17) would not give my little ones the time of day, but he gets in the floor and wrestles them and plays with them. He loves from the heart with few words. I can't wait to see what he does after this, his last year in high school. I know he will make me and our whole family proud. He has that ability.
Okay.....I'll stop bragging. I have other friends from Oklahoma that are mourning this week also. It seems that many are grieving together this week. My friends, Cindy & Debbie, lost their momma too. Debbie talked to her every day just like I do with my mom. I can't imagine what they are feeling. I don't really want to know because it would break my heart to lose my Mom. I just know that God carries us through these times and teaches us to help others through our pain.
My friend Angela is expecting again. She and Mark lost their precious baby after 26 hours on June 1, 2009. She blogs about it to help other women that have experienced the loss of a child. I love her heart as it shines out to help others. She is having a little girl this time. I keep hinting for her to tell the baby to come on my birthday. She's due that week. ;o) Her blog is about their journey through the grief of Benjamin's loss and the happiness of expecting a new baby. It is wonderful! Here's the link: http://angelasreflection.blogspot.com/
Let me warn you....get out the tissues! It is so worth it to read though. God holds us through the hard times.
Thanks for letting me unload. I love my friends and family! They keep me sane and grounded.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Don't take a moment for granted.
A friend of mine posted this article on her facebook status. I thought it was wonderful. It's dramatic, but it reminds us of how far apart we can grow in a relationship if we are not working at it. Don't take a single moment for granted. Enjoy!
MARRIAGE
When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!
With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.
The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.
In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage. This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.
I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully. My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.
On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.
On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.
On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.
She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore. She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.
At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart. That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead.
My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push thru with the divorce.-- At least, in the eyes of our son--- I'm a loving husband....
The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!
A CHRIST-CENTERED MARRIAGE IS A MARRIAGE THAT IS SURE TO LAST A LIFETIME.
"So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." Matthew 19:6
MARRIAGE
When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!
With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.
The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.
In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage. This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.
I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully. My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.
On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.
On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.
On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.
She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore. She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.
At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart. That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead.
My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push thru with the divorce.-- At least, in the eyes of our son--- I'm a loving husband....
The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!
A CHRIST-CENTERED MARRIAGE IS A MARRIAGE THAT IS SURE TO LAST A LIFETIME.
"So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." Matthew 19:6
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
KCK Splash Park
Well....today was the day. Nathan has been asking when we were going to the splash park for a week. (Never mention plans early.) We packed up and left the house around 9:10 am to go meet Miss Shannon and her three youngest. The boys didn't need to be invited to jump in the water. They had so much fun. Anneliese was sipping her mama's diet Pepsi so Noah thought he needed some of mine. I've never really given him pop before so it was a totally new experience. I think I've created a monster. He loved my Pepsi. I couldn't keep it away from him, so I had to hide my cup.
After the park, we got the kids some snack packs from Culver's and headed to "Miss Shannon's" house. When we arrived, we unloaded everyone's food....except my hamburger. It was not in the bag. I called them as a courtesy before I trekked back down there to get my food. They informed me that they would have to MAIL me a coupon. I informed them that I would be down there for my food. Customer courtesy???? I did receive a coupon for a free sundae for my trouble, that is, after I spoke with the rude shift manager. I wasn't rude or mean...I just thanked the woman and left. I went home and got on their website and contacted the owner by email. I am waiting for my return phone call. We'll see if it happens. If the fault had been mine....hey, I understand. But for them to tell me I could not return for food I had already paid for....and not very courteously at that...I do not think so. I love Culver's and their
custard is out of this world, but customer service...not so much.
Sorry to rant, but customer service has declined in this country over the last few years. I try to give good customer service at our pharmacy and I expect it from people and businesses I deal with. Ask the waiters I have left a tip for. I once tipped a waitress $7.00 because she was awesome. It would have been more but I didn't have anymore to give her. I have also left no tip if their service is horrible. In these instances, I may have even spoken to the manager. I believe that if we treat others well and do our job to the best of our abilities, they will retaliate. Isn't that how we are supposed to act...Do unto others like we want to be treated?
Anyway....here are some pics from our day. Thank you Shannon for driving us...we had so much fun and you are awesome!
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| They really like each other, but I don't think they're sharing. :) |
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| I couldn't keep him out of my cup. |
custard is out of this world, but customer service...not so much.
Sorry to rant, but customer service has declined in this country over the last few years. I try to give good customer service at our pharmacy and I expect it from people and businesses I deal with. Ask the waiters I have left a tip for. I once tipped a waitress $7.00 because she was awesome. It would have been more but I didn't have anymore to give her. I have also left no tip if their service is horrible. In these instances, I may have even spoken to the manager. I believe that if we treat others well and do our job to the best of our abilities, they will retaliate. Isn't that how we are supposed to act...Do unto others like we want to be treated?
Anyway....here are some pics from our day. Thank you Shannon for driving us...we had so much fun and you are awesome!
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| Noah is in the center and Nathan's on the left running. |
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| Noah is in the back in the middle of the pic. |
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| Nathan's incredible hulk pose! |
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| She's giving out drinks to her brothers...so cute! |
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| The Pepsi Thief |
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