It's been a really long time since my last post. Over 4 months, to be exact. Which is so sad, because I truly enjoy blogging and sharing my life, thoughts, and insights. And because I really don't journal, this is kind of my way of keeping track of those kinds of things.
At any rate, lots has changed since May 1st.
For starters, my boss, my mentor, my friend, and my work husband sold his half of the practice and left as of May 15th. So there was this big gaping hole in our clinic and everything was so strange for a while, some days it still is. We had already hired a new grad (who was supposed to be our 4th vet) and she started June 1st, but I went back to work full time until the middle of June to fill in and ease the transition. And of course, we were slammed. But we had some great vet students come through this summer, so it was kind of fun.
The biggest difficulty, as always, was juggling our schedule around again. We had just gotten Coleman used to being home a lot with me and then we had to throw him back into daycare full time for a few weeks until Nana was done with school for the year and she kept him part time. Scott was gone a lot and I was on call every other night and every other weekend for a while while we got the new vet up to speed. It was kind of crazy, but this difference this time was there was a HUGE light at the end of the tunnel come July, so there was a lot of motivation to finish each day strong.
Then towards the end of June, my mother- and sister-in-law both resigned from teaching high school here and took jobs out in a very small town in West Texas. Like, suddenly. As in, we found out from other people (via the local paper....) it happened so fast. My in-laws own the land and house that my husband's great-grandparents had, so they moved there because they needed to fix up the house and decide if they want to sell or permanently move there. Meanwhile, my FIL is going back and forth between the two places taking care of the bred heifers they are calving out and the bumper hay crop from this summer.
Our church is also going through a transition period. My father-in-law was an elder, but felt he needed to resign because he wasn't going to be here full time and didn't feel he could carry out his responsibilities well. Our preacher resigned and moved within a month. Another elder was involved in an accident with a horse and sustained major head trauma, so he has been absent as well. And our youth minister and close friend has been on sabbatical, learning what is effective at other churches our size and taking some time to slow down and seek God as he grieves the loss of his children to his ex-wife. See, not great order. But I've been impressed at our remaining two elders and deacons for stepping up. Scott is also the coordinator of fellowship and has some great ideas to bring union to our church family- so in love with that man!
As if that wasn't enough, we lost a baby on May 27th. I was seven weeks, 4 days along. In fact, we found out the day after my last post that I was expecting, and I have 4 or 5 posts written about how excited we were about our new family member that I was going to post after we told the world. I am truly at peace with the whole thing, but I don't feel that I need or want to share my feelings with the world- it's still a very personal thing, you know? I know that God was definitely with me (even though I was by myself at the time) and that He has protected me from what could have been a very negative experience. I hope that one day, I'll be able to influence another family in pain, but on an intimate, one-on-one basis.
So, besides all that, there have been a few other things thrown into the mix. Everything at work is being re-aligned (like e-medical records, ugh), my other boss's family recently experienced a loss, it's a busy time of year and we've all been gone to CE at various times, just general craziness. Scott had several trips this summer and was gone a few weeks here and there.
I'm hoping that in the next week, the madness dies down and we can get back into a normal kind of groove. I've started a few blog posts that I am excited to finish and share. I'm ready for cooler, perfect (running!) weather. I'm looking forward to the excitement of FALL- my all time favorite season. And maybe somewhere in there, I'll find time to relax. And blog. :)
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Eyes of a Child
A post on a friend's Facebook page has stayed with me for the past few weeks.
Matt: "I wish I knew her sooner."
Me: "What do you mean?"
Matt: "I mean...35 years with no Eleanor."
Her husband was talking about their 5 month old, always smiling daughter. She is their second daughter, and seems like just the happiest baby you've ever seen (at least according to Facebook pictures, but really, who takes pictures of an unhappy baby?) In the comments section, another mother posted that her husband asked their baby, "Where have you been all my life?", and several others commented on how pre-baby memories vanished soon after they arrived and how hard it is to picture going back to a life without children.
My friend countered by stating that she and her hubby had made some awesome memories and taken some amazing trips, but that having kids "amplifies each experience," that everything is made fresh and exciting, and "we get to experience things with two very excited sets of eyes."
My comment was: "Love this! I agree with you that life can be just as awesome before and after kids, but the thing is, kids take everyday experiences and turn them into something magical. I will always remember taking trips with Scott, but I'm also pretty sure I'll remember the look on Coleman's face when he held a worm and a tiny frog for the first time today while we were digging in the flower bed. Everything, from going to the grocery store to hearing your child talk about Baby Moses and the "bad king" is fresh and new." This was followed by other comments about watching one's hand pop out of a sleeve and kicking a ball around the back yard and squealing with glee, and how they say that "you get the first five years of your life back" when you have kids. Pretty sure God gives us these awesome moments to make up for 2 am feedings, diaper blow-outs, and temper tantrums....
The following Monday was filled with severe thunderstorms in our neck of the woods. Finally, just before dusk, my favorite time of day when the sun shoots golden rays at the perfect angle through the trees, the sun came out and this complete double rainbow formed against a purple sky. Absolutely breathtaking. We rushed outside to take it in.
 |
| Hard to see the second one, and this pic does not do any justice to how vivid it was in real life. |
Melt. My. Heart. So many lessons in three simple, convicting, adorably misspoken sentences.
Do we recognize that He is with us always, that he "comes to our house"? When we see a rainbow, do we remember that God always keeps his promises or just admire it's beauty? And when we do, how quick are we to thank Him for simple everyday pleasures like playtime and sunshine and frogs and rainbows in a voice filled with amazement?
Going back to the discussion on Facebook. There are two huge parallels between that discussion and our Christian walk. First, as babes in Christ, there is a newness, a hope, a freshness that must be nurtured to become a mature Christian. Seeing things through a fresh set of eyes, capturing that innocence that can only be found in children, hungering for knowledge to gain an understanding of the world around you. We should be more like that in our Christian walk, seeing God in all that he has done and made for us. Joyfully thanking him for everything from our Mommy and Daddy to our trains and tracks. Singing "Jesus Loves Me" off key at the top of our lungs. Unabashedly telling people "I love you" and freely handing out hugs and kisses. In fact, Jesus rebuked his own disciples for turning children away in Luke 18:15-16.
"But Jesus called for them, saying, 'Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.Truly I say to you,whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.' "
The second parallel has to do with wiping the slate clean, erasing memories and not being able to imagine life any other way. Isn't that what Jesus does for us when we put Him on in baptism? Our past sins are forgiven, Christ no longer remembers them and we are given the go ahead to do the same. Paul talks about "forgetting what is behind and straining for what is ahead" in Philippians 3:13. There would be a void in my life if Coleman wasn't here, but there would be an even bigger one if Christ weren't in it. For those that don't have children or don't know Christ, there is no way to explain how your heart can totally overflow with love. And I can't imagine the pain if I were to ever loose him. How much greater pain would I endure if I turned away from God? Once you experience that much joy, how do you live without it?
"35 years without Eleanor."
"35 years without Christ."
While you are focused on teaching the children in your life about the world, allow those little innocent minds to teach you something about its Creator.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Church Family LOVE
The past two days, I have really felt the presence and importance of having a supportive church family. I have witnessed the amazing power of love for your brethren, not first hand, but as a participant and bystander.
Two of my very best friends went through a nasty custody hearing for their two children yesterday. We don't know the results just yet, and I'll spare you the courtroom drama, but I'll just tell you it is heartbreaking. This has been on-going since last summer when their kids decided they wanted to go live with their biological mother, and we have been praying constantly and walking this journey with them.
Monday night, one of my husband's buddies called and said they were going to meet with the husband to pray. Scott came home and TWENTY MEN had shown up, all of the elders and deacons, a former minister, their close circle of friends that recently started a "raising Godly children" Bible study. They each took turns praying over him, praying for all aspects of the hearing, from the judge to the ex-wife, to all the witnesses, to the children.
Tuesday morning, nearly 40 church members showed up for the hearing. Most stayed until it was over (originally scheduled for 9 am, it got bumped back to 1:30 and wasn't over until 4:30). 40 members, somewhere between 1/4 -1/5 of the regular Sunday morning crowd. I wasn't able to attend, but it still overwhelms my heart that so many people care so much about this family that they would sit in an uncomfortable courtroom and stand in the gap for one of our own.
I took my friend "to get a coke" (Texas code for: "go to Sonic, get any kind of beverage and talk things through") later yesterday evening. Neither one of us had too much to say- the whole situation is just too raw and overwhelming to hash it out too much. But she kept listing off all the people that were there and the supportive comments they had made, the testimony on his behalf that had been given, the meal someone provided. All seemed like small gestures, but as a whole, they meant the world to my friends.
I keep thinking, "THAT is what it means to be a member of a church family." Showing that kind of love for your fellow church member, being there at their darkest hour, providing what they didn't even know they really needed. After seeing my church at work this week, I am 100% convicted that being a member of this church (or a church) is paramount to my Christian walk. Christ "laid down his life for his friends," (John 15:13) and I am convinced that to see this kind of out-pouring is the closest thing we can see in this world that even mimics Christ standing in the gap and dying on the cross for our sins.
These 40 people and 20 men didn't just show up and sit. Their presence conveyed a much deeper message to this family. It meant they have been praying over this situation for months. It meant they love all those involved. Maybe more importantly, it meant they will be there for this family no matter what the judge decides. Our friends have an army of people they can count on, and there were many more that would have been there if they could. I feel so honored and blessed to be a part of this family.
Two of my very best friends went through a nasty custody hearing for their two children yesterday. We don't know the results just yet, and I'll spare you the courtroom drama, but I'll just tell you it is heartbreaking. This has been on-going since last summer when their kids decided they wanted to go live with their biological mother, and we have been praying constantly and walking this journey with them.
Monday night, one of my husband's buddies called and said they were going to meet with the husband to pray. Scott came home and TWENTY MEN had shown up, all of the elders and deacons, a former minister, their close circle of friends that recently started a "raising Godly children" Bible study. They each took turns praying over him, praying for all aspects of the hearing, from the judge to the ex-wife, to all the witnesses, to the children.
Tuesday morning, nearly 40 church members showed up for the hearing. Most stayed until it was over (originally scheduled for 9 am, it got bumped back to 1:30 and wasn't over until 4:30). 40 members, somewhere between 1/4 -1/5 of the regular Sunday morning crowd. I wasn't able to attend, but it still overwhelms my heart that so many people care so much about this family that they would sit in an uncomfortable courtroom and stand in the gap for one of our own.
I took my friend "to get a coke" (Texas code for: "go to Sonic, get any kind of beverage and talk things through") later yesterday evening. Neither one of us had too much to say- the whole situation is just too raw and overwhelming to hash it out too much. But she kept listing off all the people that were there and the supportive comments they had made, the testimony on his behalf that had been given, the meal someone provided. All seemed like small gestures, but as a whole, they meant the world to my friends.
I keep thinking, "THAT is what it means to be a member of a church family." Showing that kind of love for your fellow church member, being there at their darkest hour, providing what they didn't even know they really needed. After seeing my church at work this week, I am 100% convicted that being a member of this church (or a church) is paramount to my Christian walk. Christ "laid down his life for his friends," (John 15:13) and I am convinced that to see this kind of out-pouring is the closest thing we can see in this world that even mimics Christ standing in the gap and dying on the cross for our sins.
These 40 people and 20 men didn't just show up and sit. Their presence conveyed a much deeper message to this family. It meant they have been praying over this situation for months. It meant they love all those involved. Maybe more importantly, it meant they will be there for this family no matter what the judge decides. Our friends have an army of people they can count on, and there were many more that would have been there if they could. I feel so honored and blessed to be a part of this family.
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