Monday, Monday

13 May 2013

The sun continued to shine for most of today and I couldn’t have been more pleased.  Kaleb didn’t get to enjoy it however, as he was in bed all day, moaning a bit here and there and watching TV.  By day’s end he was feeling much better however, so at least that storm has passed.

Kory worked all day over at Odd’s house, putting up trim in his bedroom and bathroom.  Odd did a remodel years ago and has lived with that unfinished look since then.  Kory was happy to help him get these loose ends done on his house for when the day comes he’ll be selling it and moving to our condo building to live in his mother’s old condo.  One step at a time.

I hitched a ride with Kory over to Odd’s this morning, about three miles away.  It was such a nice day I knew I needed a walk because I could barely move getting out of bed this morning from all the exerting I did yesterday climbing the mountain.  I walked home from Odd’s place, which should have taken about 45 minutes but I took two hours because I stopped at every store along the way, just to see what they had within the confines of what we can eat.  It was nice just to have the time to look around, read ingredient labels and not feel rushed.

There was a lot of laundry waiting to be washed when I got home due to Kaleb’s uncontrollable sickness….  One load takes two hours in the washer, and days in the dryer, so I just hang everything out to dry, which takes up space and time, but I had both, so lucky me.  The dryers here aren’t like at home as they extract the water and it seems ours isn’t working like it should.  But with the heat in the bathroom floor, the entire bathroom becomes a nice dryer and clothes dry in no time if they are hung out properly.  It’s just hard to move around in there with laundry strewn all over.

Kory requested a ‘real dinner’ tonight – his favorite used to be meatloaf, mashed potatoes and boiled carrots.  So, I made meatloaf without meat, dilled mashed potatoes, boiled carrots and “surkål” – a kind of sweet sauerkraut available in a box that contains a foil pouch, which is placed in hot water.  So easy, so good, and no fat.  I had to go hunting for tofu today in order to make the “lentil loaf” but I found it and dinner wasn’t half bad.  Kory had seconds and didn’t complain at all there was no meat in the meatloaf.  Kaleb even ate a second helping. 

Tonight my friend, Kristin, had a prayer meeting so that’s where I spent several hours while the boys were home playing chess and watching TV.  It’s good to gather together with others and pray.

I was thinking today about something a woman at Agape Church told me the other day.  She gave birth to a baby last year that was born blind.  They later found out she has a rare syndrome called “Mowat Wilson.”  Only 200 in the whole world have it.  It’s a form of mental retardation but it also comes with lots of other health problems and physical characteristics.  The mom has had a hard time adjusting to this, of course, but she’s a strong believer and knows God will use it for good. 

She told me about some of her struggles this past year. One day she was with other moms who had perfectly healthy children and they were interacting with their babies and having a good time.  She was holding her daughter and talking to her and trying to get some kind of reaction out of her – something that would indicate the baby knew she was there – holding her and loving on her.  The baby didn’t respond in anyway to her name being called, to the singing, the coddling.  It broke the mom’s heart and she cried out to God to just give her some kind of hope or sign that the baby knew how much she loved it.  God then told her, “This is how I often feel.  I’m always there for my children, loving on them, wanting some acknowledgement out of them that they know I’m here for them, and I get nothing.”  It was a profound insight into the heart of God and it made me cry.

I don’t want to go through a single day without acknowledging that I know God is with me, loving on me, caring for me, protecting me.  “Every good and perfect gift, comes from God” the Bible says, and each day is such a gift.