How'd I do on my list of 10 things I wanted to do this weekend? Well, I'll tell you.
1. Feel good about myself. Limit this activity to 10 minutes only.
Done. Was OK with my hair for about 10 minutes. That was the best I could come up with.
2. Write something I'm proud of.
I really wish I had tried harder to do this. Lately I've been getting not-so-subtle nudges towards taking writing more seriously. But, life happens, you know? And life right now? Is harder and sadder than I expected. Remember that cleaning project I undertook back in late January, when I purged my closet of zillions of written words? Yeah. I don't want to write right now. In a few months (years?) I'd just end up tossing it all out. Cuz really? Who wants to read about this life?
3. Beat Rachel and September at Scramble.
OK, well that sure didn't happen. They are GOOD. On an average board, I get around 40 words. On an easy board, I might hit 70. Rachel just mentioned somewhere (her blog? facebook?) that she got 140 on one round. I bow to her genius, her knowledge of obscure words and her mad keyboarding skills.
4. See a movie.
When I wrote that, I was thinking of seeing "Horton Hears a Who" or that new John Krasinski/George Clooney flick. So that didn't happen. BUT I DID see a play. And watched 3 DVD's with Max. So, that's something.
5. Laugh.
I think I chuckled during some parts of Pride and Prejudice. But sadly, there was no belly laughter 'round these parts. Just a lot of belly.
6. Spread a load of bark mulch.
Again, good intentions.
However, I did make a donation to the Southridge Baptist youth group's missions trip fund by allowing them to pressure wash my driveway, sidewalks and back patio. So, that was a win/win situation. I can always get bark mulch next weekend.
7. Connect with each of my kids, individually.
Oh my goodness. This did not go well. No, it did not.
8. Plan something to look forward to.
Val did this for me. She planned that when I go visit her, we will spend a 'girls' weekend in Prague. Can I go now? I really want to go now.
9. Go to church.
So we went. Three of us. And, OH MY GOODNESS. Wow. Do you have any idea how powerful it is to have a pastor recite, with authority and conviction, three memorized chapters of the Bible. Three chapters. Over 10 pages of written word (when copied and pasted into a WORD document). It took about 20 minutes for him to recite Matthew, 5, 6 and 7 in their entirety. The entire congregation was spell-bound.
And I am motivated to start memorizing scripture too.
10. Walk. And then walk some more.
I had sorta planned on going for a l-o-n-g walk this afternoon. (This past week, since dad has been at home, has felt like a gift. I've gained 3 - 4 hours a day to walk, prepare meals, meet up with friends, find out what my kids have been up to for the past 6 weeks, and make lists.) I knew that starting on Monday, I'd go back to hospital visitation and care home visitation everyday for the next couple weeks, so today was going to be my last day to get things in order. And possibly walk along the beach.
But Julie called at 1:00, and said that her and mom had brought dad to Delta View and he was scared. He was holding her hand, and not wanting to be there. She was going to leave at 2:00, would I mind sitting with him for a few hours?
So I left my house at 2:15, sat with my dad in his new digs with alot of severely handicapped/aged/confused senior citizens until 6 pm. Then drove home, filled with sadness and tenderness.
And, as usual, I wasn't good for much after that. I did bake a dozen banana muffins from scratch and put on a pot of homemade soup that should be ready tomorrow.
The evening ended with Max asking me if I wanted to watch The Departed with him. Have you seen it? Could there be a more violent movie? Could that language be any more profane? I think I need to take a shower.
I long for those days when we'd sit and watch Disney. You know, when you were drop dead tired from looking afer toddlers... the good ol' days.
Three things I'm thankful for:
1. A meaningful Sunday morning.
2. The Delta-View facility. It's like a hotel/resort.
3. Praying friends.
Shalom,
Prayer Requests:
1. We've got another 2 - 6 weeks of visitation/care-giving ahead of us. Pray that the other stuff that gets dropped won't matter. Pray that God will pick up the pieces that we've dropped while juggling it all.
2. Pray that dad settles in and stops being fearful.
3. Pray that mom's surgery goes well, with no complications.
4. Please, if you wouldn't mind praying for all the grandkids... Sarah (22), Clint (21) Mandi (19) Zac (17) Max (17) Chad (14) Drew (13) Jake (12) If you know other kids who are their ages, you'll know what they're dealing with.
Thanks, internet.
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