Random Musings

This year has thankfully been one of relative calm for the two of us, but we have had a multitude of friends and family going through some extremely trying and difficult days. This morning while taking our neighbor to school, I couldn't help but think about two scenarios and the totally different attitudes. One of Bobby's close friends is dying with an inoperable brain tumor. His desire is to die at home. Everyone supports that. Our problem is that as he gets worse, he is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with. Every helper he hires either quits or he fires them (for things like "stealing" a container of cotton balls off the mantle. Yes, the very item that is used every day to administer some of his meds). Last month we heard from him once a week, calling just to chat or vent. Now we hear from him and many of his caregivers twice a week, calling multiple times throughout the day, trying to figure out how to deal with a crisis that he has created. He has the me...

We're doing a Christmas play at church for the kids this year. We've taken a break the last few years, and several parents have been asking that we bring it back. So I found a "simple" musical, ran it by the pastoral staff and music crew, recruited some help, and we started to run with it. Our first practice was yesterday, and I found out before the practice that one of our 3 year olds is attempting to bolt. The 3-5 year old class are the sheep in the musical. She wants to be a fairy. Her parents and grandparents told her all her friends in her class was going to be sheep. Her response? They can be. But I'm going to be an angel if I can't be a fairy. I think I'm going to have my work cut out for me, and then some.

Well, last weekend we were able to spend time with the Stox family. It was so good to actually talk and catch up with them and their lives. My great-niece Lucy is an extremely laid back baby. Ellen says she felt God gave her such a relaxed child because she had such a rough pregnancy. I think she's probably laid back because her Dad is a very laid back person, but she might surprise us all with her own unique personality. She slept through supper Friday night. I had the chance to feed her during supper, and she didn't cry not one bit when I took the bottle from her to burp her or to shift positions. She has a tendency to fill her mouth up before swallowing, which means some of it dribbles out the side of her mouth. Saturday morning she slept the whole time, and only wiggled around in my arms when she needed to pass gas or if I set her on the table without my arm under her. I don't think she liked the hard table (although that kid was so well padded I'm not sure how she...

After 2 months of planning and trying to figure out how and when we could travel to see my first great niece, today is finally the day. And it started out with it's own adventure. After the remnants of Michael blew through our area, we had the normal limbs and sticks on the ground. But pecan season is also nigh, so I thought we might have a few nuts down as well. I thought I could spare 30- 45 minutes and pick them up. I thought wrong. When we hit tree #3 and my bucket was rapidly filling, Bobby went to scout out the rest of the trees to see where we needed to focus. Halfway through the yard his wheelchair got stuck in the mud  I did my best to get him out, and finally went to get a board before realizing there was no way I could tilt his chair and slide the board under him. We wrecked our brains trying to think of someone who didn't have a bad back or would not be at work or school. We came up with Pastor Chad. He gladly came. Before he even got halfway there, Bobby's ...

Finally pulled up all but one of the tomato cages, and picked a bucket of butterbeans. With the rain from Storm Michael, we may get another bucket full first of next week, though with the colder temps coming this may have been my last harvest. And I can't say that thought makes me sad. We are also halfway through training pollworkers for the November election. The vending machine (drinks anyway) is empty. That's usually how I mark the training time, but since early voting starts next week we're truly nearing the last few weeks of election day training. And Christmas music is now playing in my car as the kids at church start practicing for their Christmas musical a week from Sunday. Our local quilts of valor group had a presentation scheduled last week. I drove to North Raleigh only for his child to tell me he wouldn't be home from work for another hour. So I've not called to reschedule yet, but need to do that soon. I never know the best way to handle these sc...

Received a 6am phone call from a parent wanting to know where their child was. ?!?! Spent 4 hours at the ER with a young lady. It was eye-opening and heart-breaking, while also emotionally exhausting. Received some very constructive criticism after one of my training classes. Had a cultural/racial clash with someone at the gas station. No longer upset, but it still makes me sigh. Mom finally got some test results and an appointment with the next specialist (Her first dr visit about this issue was around the first of July!) Drove to North Raleigh for a Quilts of Valor presentation, only for the recipient to not be there. On-going semi-crisis situations with a close friend of Bobby's. Have struggled with swelling feet and hands. Got behind on things that needed to be done this week. Yikes! Got stuck in traffic Thurs night so missed the first of two meetings. (440 W was almost a parking lot. It took 25 minutes to get from one exit to the next!!) And everyone keeps asking...

The process of becoming a better person, or becoming more Christ-like, does not come easy to me. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was receiving phone calls this morning about a semi-crisis that was not officially my problem. And it didn't thrill me. At all. So while reflecting on the moon, how it reflects the sun, and yet, it's just a bunch of dirt, I realized how much that is me. Up close, there's nothing glowing or nice or pleasant about me. From a distance, things are majestic and glowing. But I feel like the dusty dirt that I am. And I'm praying for a Garner cop who has had a crazy morning, and I'm thankful for him and people who deal with the crazies in our world. That's all I can type at the moment.