The Shopping List

Yesterday my household experienced a monumental crisis: we were out of cheese. Actually, we still had shredded mozzarella, crumbled feta, and grated parmesan, but to quote Huritt, we were out of “sandwich cheese.” Whatever is a family without sandwich cheese to do?

Huritt and Kateri conspired together to write a shopping list for me. Their demands went something like this:

cheese
cereal
milk
cereal
new dog
cereal
maid/slave
cereal
cheese
x-box 360
cereal
toys
cereal
new brother (Tocho’s always getting broken)
cereal

I’m glad to see they have realistic expectations.

Esscie

In Spring, I Am

In spring, I am joyous, free.
I wonder when my cherry tree will grow plump cherries.
I hear obnoxious preschoolers.
I see an immense golden finch.
I want to soar through the sky.
In spring, I am joyous, free.

In spring, I pretend it’s already summer.
I feel spongy.
I feel uneven bark.
I worry that wasps will nip me.
I laugh at the relaxing warmth.
In spring, I am joyous, free.

In spring, I understand how beautiful plants are.
I believe that winter has vanished eternally.
I dream about unsullied grapes.
I try to imagine winter will never return.
I hope my pear tree will cultivate luscious pears.
In spring, I am joyous, free.

By Kuruk, age 10

A Stunning Realization

I dropped my bread in the toaster this morning, then realized one slice was upside down. I started to fix it, then thought to myself, “How stupid is that?” I realized I’d probably never toasted my bread upside down before, but wondered why it mattered that the flat side always be on the bottom. I left it alone, but it almost killed me. Even while congratulating myself on my victory over perfectionism it really irked me the whole time it was in the toaster. And guess what? Both slices toasted exactly the same. I can’t even tell which is which.

It left me wondering how often I let my perfectionism morph into something irrational and fuss over details that don’t really matter.

Esscie

Making Memories

Saturday night was the last performance of our Easter musical. We sang songs titled, “True Love,” “This is the Day,” and “I Will Rise” while following the story of redemption through Christ. It was deeply moving.

Naturally, on the way home our conversation centered on profound spiritual matters, right? Not exactly.

Kateri discovered an old CD that belonged to my dad and put it in the CD player. I swear I have never listened to it before. The kids listened quietly until we reached the refrain of the fourth song, and then the back seat started rocking.

Literally.

The lyrics that got them so excited?

It feels so good to get
buck naked, that aint no sin
buck naked, wear my skinny skin skin
buck naked in my birthday suit
buck naked an I don’t give a hoot
buck naked like a century of old
buck naked is the way to go

I wonder what they’ll remember most about the evening.

Esscie

Wow- God is Good!

I was on the phone with my sister-in-law about two hours ago when the line suddenly went dead. She eventually called back to say that my brother was fixing the brakes on his van when the jack broke and the van fell, crushing his hand and leg under the brake drum. The first responders said there was no question that the leg and hand were both broken. He was taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital.

Meanwhile the warriors went to work, lifting up prayers for his healing and well being. We just received word from the hospital that while he is badly cut up and swollen there is nothing broken. I believe firmly that this was a miracle, as it defies all human logic.

If the Lord leads you to do so, please lift up a prayer of thanksgiving along with prayers for my brother’s continued healing. Also, please pray for God’s financial provision while he heals, as he has five children and this past Friday his employer lost a major contract and laid off all employees except him.

Esscie

The World May Now Resume Spinning on Its Normal Axis

On Monday:
The chief went on a business trip to Los Angeles,
My refrigerator broke, and
My washing machine broke.

On Tuesday:
I hit a rock and bent the rim of my front wheel.

On Wednesday:
Tocho hurt his back.
(Soon they’ll have to name a wing of the hospital after him.)

On Thursday:
My new refrigerator was finally delivered and
The chief came home safely.

Today:
Tocho’s x-ray came back normal,
He started physical therapy, and
My wheel was finally fixed.

Things are finally looking better. The world may now resume spinning on its normal axis. Amen.

Esscie

And We Give Thanks

There were little signs we missed that would have told us Tocho was sick: when he lost weight we thought he was taking my diet too seriously; when he was thirsty we marveled that he seemed to really like lemon zinger tea; when he vomited we thought he had a stomach bug. When he collapsed and had difficulty breathing we finally knew we were dealing with something much, much greater.

He looked like this and we were scared.

Tocho almost died that night. When he arrived at the hospital via ambulance he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and we learned that he had developed diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition in which in the body’s quest for fuel it burns off every single molecule of fat and muscle it possibly can, releasing toxins into the bloodstream in the process.

He was also extremely dehydrated. Though Tocho begged the nurses to give him something to drink, he had to wait a full day in the PICU before he was allowed to ingest anything orally. It was agonizing to know that my child was thirsty and hungry, that he was on the brink of death, and that I was not in control.

We prayed to the One who is in control, who conquered death, and Tocho lived. Now, exactly five years later we celebrate his life.

Tocho is not alone. According to recent estimates over 15,000 children are diagnosed annually. Three years ago Kuruk received the same devastating diagnosis, yet because we knew the signs he never became ill, never needed to be hospitalized.

Signs of Diabetes

Excessive Thirst

Weight Loss

Weakness and Fatigue

Blurred Vision

Irritability

Sensitivity to Sound

Frequent Yeast or Other Infections

Diabetes is not a disease to be taken lightly. Our days are still a struggle. There is no such thing as “good control” (there’s that word again!). Every day we do a juggling act to balance insulin with food intake. Just when we think we’ve got it “under control” another variable such as exercise, illness, or teenage hormones kicks in to remind us that we are still at its mercy.

And so we adjust, we pray for a cure, we learn and teach all we can, and we give thanks because my sons are alive.

Esscie

Old Ladies make Me Smile

While wandering through the department store today I came across a spry, gray haired woman chattering away on her cell phone. She broke the sterotype for “little old lady” and I smiled as I mentally compared her with the teenaged girls I know.

A few aisles over I overheard another old lady, likely hearing impaired, loudly tell her friend, “You know what I need, Martha? Cat food!” I smiled again as considered the contrast between her and the woman I’d just encountered. This pair definitely set the sterotype firmly back into place.

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better I overheard a tiny woman in a wheelchair discussing a polka dotted bikini with her young companion. She giggled as she exclaimed, “Well, I can’t fit into one of those anymore!”

Old ladies: they make me smile.

Esscie

It’s Just Like Scrubs

I don’t have many distinct memories of my father; he moved out of our home when I was only seven years old and I saw him infrequently until he passed away in 1997. One thing I know for certain about him is that M*A*S*H was his favorite T.V. show. I enjoyed watching it, too, so somehow it was a connection between us.

My children recently discovered reruns of M*A*S*H. When an episode came on the other day one of them exclaimed, “This show is cool. It’s just like Scrubs, only old!” I enjoyed the comparison and took comfort in knowing they’d found a connection to a grandfather they’d never met.

Esscie

My Family Is a Little Odd

The chief and the kids invented a new game tonight called “Kids Versus the Accountant.” The chief suggests a multiplication problem with a large magnitude and then they race to see who comes up with the first correct answer: he in his head, Kuruk (9) with paper and pencil, and Kateri (12) with a calculator. Kuruk is winning right now.

And they think it’s fun…

Esscie