Lately I've been thinking a lot about something my mother always tells me, "Jami, you're not raising successful children. You're raising successful adults." I think about it at many different times. For example:
Jeremiah has recently taken up the annoying habit of ARGUING with everything I say. In frustration one day, I irritatedly asked, "Why must you argue with EVERYTHING I say?" I started pondering why he couldn't just DO WHAT I SAY without questioning me. Then it hit me? Is that what kind of adult I want him to be? Do I want him unquestioningly obeying what a boss tells him to do? What if the boss asks him to "cook the books?" Is it even what kind of teenager I want him to be? Do I want him unquestioningly obeying what a teacher tells him to do? What if the teacher makes inappropriate advances towards him? Is that what I REALLY want from my child? DO WHAT I SAY without questioning?
That same night I called Jeremiah to me, and I told him that was not the kind of person I wanted him to be. I wanted him to be someone who evaluated EVERYTHING in his heart against what the Bible says and came to his OWN conviction about what to do. However, in a family, when he is a child, it is INEFFECTIVE for me to waste THAT much time arguing with him about everything I ask him to do. Therefore, I told him each day he would start with five "argue" cards. I continued on, explaining he needed to "spend" those argue cards wisely for when they were gone, he would not get anymore until the next day. EACH argument should only be made after carefully considering what he was being asked to do and whether God would want him to do it and THEN choosing whether to argue or not. I personally think this is a GREAT strategy (although I'll admit it has been a little rocky in the implementation phase).
It got me thinking, and I know that I am likely to start sounding like a radical liberal here; however..... Why is it that so many of us, parents, expect our children to blindly obey us and then act surprised when they blindly follow their peers into sin? Why is it that so many of us think the Bible tells us to train our children to be robots doing exactly what we tell them to instead of mature beings who can think for themselves.
I am NOT advocating anarachy. I am NOT saying that parents should not have rules. I am, however, proposing that possibly blind and swift obedience to our rules is not necessarily what we want. I for one want to raise thinkers who base their choices on Biblical principles. Therefore, I need to make sure my children KNOW the Bible and make sure I have taught them to THINK. Finally, I have to show them how to STAND UP for what they believe.
This situation has gotten me re-evaluating MUCH of my parenting strategies in light of this one question: Is this going to make my babies successful children or successful adults. I have to admit: many things are changing around this household after that scrutiny is applied.
So the next time you see me in Walmart arguing with a nine year old who wants to play in the video game room, don't raise your eyebrows and think, "Hmmmm I would NEVER tolerate such defiance." Just lean over and ask me, "Did he pay you an argue card for that?"
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Kiah Grace
We have a dog!!!!
Her name is Kiah Grace.
Her verse is:
Revelation 22:21
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.
She is SWEET and KIND and AMAZING with the crazy Kastner children. This is the story of how she came to be with us.
We have ALWAYS wanted a dog. We are MUCH more dog people than cat people. However, fate (and a country home that needed a GOOD mouser...) brought us a cat first. In a story quite akin to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, we got the first Mercy. However, we soon saw she had simply been looking for a loving place to die. After reading the tearful account of Mercy's final days, our generous landlord offered us the new Mercie, who promptly taught us that even kittens of a VERY young age can get preggos. Along came Job, (full name: Absalom Job), who until today I did not realize had not been given a proper verse or introduction to my blogging community so:
Absalom Job
Job 1:1
In the land of Uz there lived a man (or a cat) whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.
As most of my Facebook friends know, Mercie ran away about two months ago. We have pretty much given up hope of her return, but still look for her now and again. There have been a couple of possible Mercie sightings, but they are as of yet still unconfirmed. They do make us feel a little better though that possibly she isn't road kill as we have feared for the past eight weeks.
Job has been doing a great job of taking over his mother's responsibilities. Taking down at least one mouse per week and policing things as he should. Yet still something was missing.
A short while ago we found a dog available through Freecycle. We got approval from our landlord to have a dog; however, she was a BUST! When we went to meet her she bit John and then me. Nopes... no biters around these children! We kept on looking and hoping that the right dog would find us some how.
On Tuesday night we had our new neighbors over for dinner. That night I chronicled our search for a dog to them, and I closed with, "I believe with all of my heart, it will happen when it is meant to be."
The next morning I awoke bleary eyed and started scrolling through the latest e-mail digest from Freecycle. My eyes came wide open upon finding, Offer: 4 year old Lab/Hound Mix. What!?!?!? I forwarded the description to John and upon receiving the thumbs up, I e-mailed the poster. We set up a meeting for that day. I nearly instantly got the feeling that the current owners of Kiah were believers. Upon meeting Kim, I quickly confirmed my suspicions when she told me the reason they were getting rid of Kiah. Their adult son was leaving soon for Bible college and the mission field. Without his help with lawn care and snow removal, they would not be able to stay in a house. They were moving to a condo.
It feels just like Kiah was handpicked by God for this family! Her former owners are Christians who homeschooled their children. She is well-trained and gentle as can be. She is SOOOOOOOO patient and good with children. She is an AMAZING dog, and she is just one more proof that "His ways are ALWAYS higher than our ways."
Soooooo because we needed a little more insanity in this household, we are now in the process of "dog-training" our children. It is HARD and not without tears. (The first night Hannah opened the back door WIDE and Kiah dashed out it! Noah sobbed while I scoured the neighborhood for her. Then due to the tenacity of my oldest, very sensitive boy, she returned to figure out who that dog baying from our porch was... Noah making his dog sound.) But we are plodding on in the training: Hannah NO hugging Kiah only petting. Elijah STAY away from Kiah when she goes to her Kennel, that means she wants some alone time. (Momma wishes she had a kennel too!) No you may NOT feed Kiah cookies!
As in all things Kastner, there is a firm and solid lesson from God... This one is found clearly in every single e-mail I send. It's our life verse, and our God proved it to us once again this week:
Her name is Kiah Grace.
Her verse is:
Revelation 22:21
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.
She is SWEET and KIND and AMAZING with the crazy Kastner children. This is the story of how she came to be with us.
We have ALWAYS wanted a dog. We are MUCH more dog people than cat people. However, fate (and a country home that needed a GOOD mouser...) brought us a cat first. In a story quite akin to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, we got the first Mercy. However, we soon saw she had simply been looking for a loving place to die. After reading the tearful account of Mercy's final days, our generous landlord offered us the new Mercie, who promptly taught us that even kittens of a VERY young age can get preggos. Along came Job, (full name: Absalom Job), who until today I did not realize had not been given a proper verse or introduction to my blogging community so:
Absalom Job
Job 1:1
In the land of Uz there lived a man (or a cat) whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.
As most of my Facebook friends know, Mercie ran away about two months ago. We have pretty much given up hope of her return, but still look for her now and again. There have been a couple of possible Mercie sightings, but they are as of yet still unconfirmed. They do make us feel a little better though that possibly she isn't road kill as we have feared for the past eight weeks.
Job has been doing a great job of taking over his mother's responsibilities. Taking down at least one mouse per week and policing things as he should. Yet still something was missing.
A short while ago we found a dog available through Freecycle. We got approval from our landlord to have a dog; however, she was a BUST! When we went to meet her she bit John and then me. Nopes... no biters around these children! We kept on looking and hoping that the right dog would find us some how.
On Tuesday night we had our new neighbors over for dinner. That night I chronicled our search for a dog to them, and I closed with, "I believe with all of my heart, it will happen when it is meant to be."
The next morning I awoke bleary eyed and started scrolling through the latest e-mail digest from Freecycle. My eyes came wide open upon finding, Offer: 4 year old Lab/Hound Mix. What!?!?!? I forwarded the description to John and upon receiving the thumbs up, I e-mailed the poster. We set up a meeting for that day. I nearly instantly got the feeling that the current owners of Kiah were believers. Upon meeting Kim, I quickly confirmed my suspicions when she told me the reason they were getting rid of Kiah. Their adult son was leaving soon for Bible college and the mission field. Without his help with lawn care and snow removal, they would not be able to stay in a house. They were moving to a condo.
It feels just like Kiah was handpicked by God for this family! Her former owners are Christians who homeschooled their children. She is well-trained and gentle as can be. She is SOOOOOOOO patient and good with children. She is an AMAZING dog, and she is just one more proof that "His ways are ALWAYS higher than our ways."
Soooooo because we needed a little more insanity in this household, we are now in the process of "dog-training" our children. It is HARD and not without tears. (The first night Hannah opened the back door WIDE and Kiah dashed out it! Noah sobbed while I scoured the neighborhood for her. Then due to the tenacity of my oldest, very sensitive boy, she returned to figure out who that dog baying from our porch was... Noah making his dog sound.) But we are plodding on in the training: Hannah NO hugging Kiah only petting. Elijah STAY away from Kiah when she goes to her Kennel, that means she wants some alone time. (Momma wishes she had a kennel too!) No you may NOT feed Kiah cookies!
As in all things Kastner, there is a firm and solid lesson from God... This one is found clearly in every single e-mail I send. It's our life verse, and our God proved it to us once again this week:
For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
He had plans to bring us a dog at the right time, and His plans turned out to be an AMAZING dog who was JUST right for this family. I'm so glad that's how our God is. Always KNOWING the plans He has for us. Always prospering us and not harming us. Always giving us hope and a future.
So now as Noah said when we were on the way home with Kiah the first night: "Now we have EVERYTHING a family needs to live in the county: a cat, a dog and family to love."
God bless and have a great day!
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Selfish with responsibility
[Blog writers disclaimer: I started this blog and halfway through kiddos started waking up. I plodded on because my heart really needed to get this out, but I was bombarded by nearly CONSTANT interruptions and I have NO idea if this blog will make ANY sense or not.]
This week brought some rough encounters for me. By Friday I was cowering in the corner licking my wounds. I was contemplating complete hermit status to protect myself from the viciousness of the outside world. However, this morning as I came awake, God spoke the answer to me, "Jami, you have to worry about your OWN self!"
See I spent the week reeling from and obsessing over painful blows dealt me by filter-deficient people, biased treatment, and being misunderstood. I was starting to feel like pulling my head, arms, and legs inside my shell and hiding away for awhile. I moaned and complained to God, "This hurts and I don't want to got through it!" Last night I was at breaking point. I went to bed with a wounded heart and defeated spirit. But I awoke with hope and a path of action.
God revealed to me that I needed to get the focus off the pain that was inflicted upon me, and put the focus on what I could do to avoid those situations in the future. See people are ALWAYS going to be fallible. They are going to hurt me and let me down. But in those situations, instead of obsessing over my pain and pointing the finger, God wants me to turn the finger around and figure out something I could do better. If I've said it once, I've said it a MILLION times: I am the ONLY one I have the power to change!
I am a self-admitted conflict-a-phob who has taken the directive from James (be slow to speak) a little too seriously. I am WAY too likely to just absorb something painful in the spirit of peace. However, constantly keeping my mouth shut gives people some type of permission to continue to ambush me with unfiltered comments, to assault me with unwanted advice, and to basically walk all over me. Yes blessed are the peacemakers; however, being a peacemaker doesn't have to look like being a doormat.
This morning I have been mulling over the same wounds I was licking last night. However, instead of cowering in the corner and whimpering over them, I've been examining them and posing the question to myself, "What should I have SAID in those situations to calmly but honestly express myself?" SEVERAL months ago, a friend gave me some wisdom on this type of situation... I'm not sure why I stopped applying it.... "simply to say out loud 'that hurts my feelings' or 'it makes me angry when...' once you verbalize it, the feelings dissipate. I think the key to being Christlike is to verbalize the emotions in a calm manner. "
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! I'm finally to the part where I'm going to explain the title of this blog!!!! I think what God wants me to do is to start selfishly taking responsibility for the pain I feel instead of cowering in the corner pointing my finger at the person who hurt me. I cannot do ANYTHING to change other people. I can't fix their faulty filters. I can't make them act in an unbiased manner. I can't compel people to consider my feelings. But I can control the way I respond in those situations. I can calmly respond. I can make sure I always employ my filter. I can treat others fairly. I can consider the feelings of others.
I guess my encouragement to you today is to refuse to allow others to enslave you. When we point the finger, when we blame other people, we are giving THEM power over us. We are saying we are weaklings at their mercy. We are saying we have no power... THEY hurt us, THEY made us angry. I always tell my children, "No one can MAKE you angry. You allow what they did to bring your anger." Take selfish responsibility for your pain or anger! Look at what YOU can change! Examine YOUR actions prior to the pain. Because NONE of us can change anyone but ourselves.
God bless and have a good day!
This week brought some rough encounters for me. By Friday I was cowering in the corner licking my wounds. I was contemplating complete hermit status to protect myself from the viciousness of the outside world. However, this morning as I came awake, God spoke the answer to me, "Jami, you have to worry about your OWN self!"
See I spent the week reeling from and obsessing over painful blows dealt me by filter-deficient people, biased treatment, and being misunderstood. I was starting to feel like pulling my head, arms, and legs inside my shell and hiding away for awhile. I moaned and complained to God, "This hurts and I don't want to got through it!" Last night I was at breaking point. I went to bed with a wounded heart and defeated spirit. But I awoke with hope and a path of action.
God revealed to me that I needed to get the focus off the pain that was inflicted upon me, and put the focus on what I could do to avoid those situations in the future. See people are ALWAYS going to be fallible. They are going to hurt me and let me down. But in those situations, instead of obsessing over my pain and pointing the finger, God wants me to turn the finger around and figure out something I could do better. If I've said it once, I've said it a MILLION times: I am the ONLY one I have the power to change!
I am a self-admitted conflict-a-phob who has taken the directive from James (be slow to speak) a little too seriously. I am WAY too likely to just absorb something painful in the spirit of peace. However, constantly keeping my mouth shut gives people some type of permission to continue to ambush me with unfiltered comments, to assault me with unwanted advice, and to basically walk all over me. Yes blessed are the peacemakers; however, being a peacemaker doesn't have to look like being a doormat.
This morning I have been mulling over the same wounds I was licking last night. However, instead of cowering in the corner and whimpering over them, I've been examining them and posing the question to myself, "What should I have SAID in those situations to calmly but honestly express myself?" SEVERAL months ago, a friend gave me some wisdom on this type of situation... I'm not sure why I stopped applying it.... "simply to say out loud 'that hurts my feelings' or 'it makes me angry when...' once you verbalize it, the feelings dissipate. I think the key to being Christlike is to verbalize the emotions in a calm manner. "
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! I'm finally to the part where I'm going to explain the title of this blog!!!! I think what God wants me to do is to start selfishly taking responsibility for the pain I feel instead of cowering in the corner pointing my finger at the person who hurt me. I cannot do ANYTHING to change other people. I can't fix their faulty filters. I can't make them act in an unbiased manner. I can't compel people to consider my feelings. But I can control the way I respond in those situations. I can calmly respond. I can make sure I always employ my filter. I can treat others fairly. I can consider the feelings of others.
I guess my encouragement to you today is to refuse to allow others to enslave you. When we point the finger, when we blame other people, we are giving THEM power over us. We are saying we are weaklings at their mercy. We are saying we have no power... THEY hurt us, THEY made us angry. I always tell my children, "No one can MAKE you angry. You allow what they did to bring your anger." Take selfish responsibility for your pain or anger! Look at what YOU can change! Examine YOUR actions prior to the pain. Because NONE of us can change anyone but ourselves.
God bless and have a good day!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Brad's Legacy: A Son's Heart Discovered
It's funny to me.... It's the "difficult" situations from my teaching career that stand out the most in my memory.... someone's personally designed rocket being thrown out the second story window by another student... lecturing a class that had been naughty for the sub... making a student carry his belongings around in a box because he couldn't keep his desk neat enough that the items weren't spewing out of it...
As it is with Brad, my strongest memory of him was the time I was trying to teach verbals. I am pretty sure it was gerunds which were causing the big confusion, and I remember keeping Brad and Nathanael long into their next class because they REFUSED to leave until they understood gerunds completely. There was NO way either of those boys was going to take a chance on a lower grade just because they didn't understand the homework. That's how I remember Brad Larson as my student.
I learned MUCH more about Brad through reading the book his parents wrote after his death then I ever knew from being his teacher for four years. As I read his book, I cried many tears: tears for the parents who lost their precious child, tears for the brother and sister who lost their amazing sibling, tears for the life Brad never got to finish living.... But I couldn't cry long, for I kept on imaging Brad in Heaven. In my mind, Brad doesn't let Jesus have a second alone.... Ever inquisitive, ever thirsting for knowledge, I imagine Brad up in Heaven just PEPPERING our Savior with questions... It makes me chuckle through my tears to imagine this.
I learned a lot from Brad's book, and today, on his birthday, when he would have been 27 years old, I am going to honor his memory by telling you what I learned from his life:
1. There is NO goal too lofty. Set your standards HIGH and then shoot for them. I was STRUCK hard by the "Club 31:1" Brad started. It was a group of boys trying to live after Job's example: "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl." Job 31:1... In this world of sin and shamefulness, where everywhere you turn a young man's eyes are assaulted by images which would draw the purest to lust... the mere fact that a group of young men would AIM for such a lofty goal inspired me. There are so many things in my life which I feel I just don't even have the courage to aim for right now: losing weight, buying this house, getting caught up on the laundry.... (and many, many more much too personal to print)... I was inspired by the loftiness of this goal and the courage of a young man (many young men actually) to aim for it.
2. There is no such thing as a lame testimony. Like Brad was, I too have, "been a Christian all my life." I completely related to the feelings expressed in "His Testimony" that somehow getting saved at a young age before you'd had time to have some evil, awful sins to be saved from was boring... that somehow confessing coveting your sister's crayons was just NOWHERE near as riveting as confessing a drug-addiction. But while reading Brad's testimony I was struck by the pure and simple BEAUTY of a life that always honored God...
3. There is no guaranty about tomorrow so LIVE TODAY. The final thing I learned from reading Brad's book was just to live life FULLY. This lesson struck me because Brad Larson did not have NEARLY enough years on this earth, and Jami Kastner has NO idea when her days on this earth will come to an end. Therefore, the only conclusion is to LIVE LIFE FULLY! Appreciate those around you.... laugh HARD at stuff... don't take this thing called life too seriously... and just LIVE while you have the chance.
It's really a great book that Dr. and Mrs. Larson put together from Brad's writings. I tried to find it online to link to it so if anyone wanted to purchase it they could, alas I was unable to find a place to purchase it. If you really want a copy, let me know and I will ask the Larsons how to order copies. And if you could please, take a second right now to say a quick prayer for the Larsons: David, Sherry, Jeff, Becky, and Dawn... For I know today is a very hard day for them.
Finally, a quick note:
Brad,
Thank you for leaving behind your writings so I could see into your precious heart, and thank you for living a life of such inspiration.... Say, "Hi" to Jesus for me.
Love,
Miss Haugh
As it is with Brad, my strongest memory of him was the time I was trying to teach verbals. I am pretty sure it was gerunds which were causing the big confusion, and I remember keeping Brad and Nathanael long into their next class because they REFUSED to leave until they understood gerunds completely. There was NO way either of those boys was going to take a chance on a lower grade just because they didn't understand the homework. That's how I remember Brad Larson as my student.
I learned MUCH more about Brad through reading the book his parents wrote after his death then I ever knew from being his teacher for four years. As I read his book, I cried many tears: tears for the parents who lost their precious child, tears for the brother and sister who lost their amazing sibling, tears for the life Brad never got to finish living.... But I couldn't cry long, for I kept on imaging Brad in Heaven. In my mind, Brad doesn't let Jesus have a second alone.... Ever inquisitive, ever thirsting for knowledge, I imagine Brad up in Heaven just PEPPERING our Savior with questions... It makes me chuckle through my tears to imagine this.
I learned a lot from Brad's book, and today, on his birthday, when he would have been 27 years old, I am going to honor his memory by telling you what I learned from his life:
1. There is NO goal too lofty. Set your standards HIGH and then shoot for them. I was STRUCK hard by the "Club 31:1" Brad started. It was a group of boys trying to live after Job's example: "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl." Job 31:1... In this world of sin and shamefulness, where everywhere you turn a young man's eyes are assaulted by images which would draw the purest to lust... the mere fact that a group of young men would AIM for such a lofty goal inspired me. There are so many things in my life which I feel I just don't even have the courage to aim for right now: losing weight, buying this house, getting caught up on the laundry.... (and many, many more much too personal to print)... I was inspired by the loftiness of this goal and the courage of a young man (many young men actually) to aim for it.
2. There is no such thing as a lame testimony. Like Brad was, I too have, "been a Christian all my life." I completely related to the feelings expressed in "His Testimony" that somehow getting saved at a young age before you'd had time to have some evil, awful sins to be saved from was boring... that somehow confessing coveting your sister's crayons was just NOWHERE near as riveting as confessing a drug-addiction. But while reading Brad's testimony I was struck by the pure and simple BEAUTY of a life that always honored God...
3. There is no guaranty about tomorrow so LIVE TODAY. The final thing I learned from reading Brad's book was just to live life FULLY. This lesson struck me because Brad Larson did not have NEARLY enough years on this earth, and Jami Kastner has NO idea when her days on this earth will come to an end. Therefore, the only conclusion is to LIVE LIFE FULLY! Appreciate those around you.... laugh HARD at stuff... don't take this thing called life too seriously... and just LIVE while you have the chance.
It's really a great book that Dr. and Mrs. Larson put together from Brad's writings. I tried to find it online to link to it so if anyone wanted to purchase it they could, alas I was unable to find a place to purchase it. If you really want a copy, let me know and I will ask the Larsons how to order copies. And if you could please, take a second right now to say a quick prayer for the Larsons: David, Sherry, Jeff, Becky, and Dawn... For I know today is a very hard day for them.
Finally, a quick note:
Brad,
Thank you for leaving behind your writings so I could see into your precious heart, and thank you for living a life of such inspiration.... Say, "Hi" to Jesus for me.
Love,
Miss Haugh
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
I'm alive! REALLY! I am!!!!
I did NOT fall off the face of the earth! I promise! I'm still here. "Well then, Jami, where have you been???" Well, it's been one of "those" months for the Kastners.
1. I was SICK (and actually am AGAIN now!) I got a cold and it lingered for three weeks before this stubborn, hard-headed, martyr mom, FINALLY went to the doctor. It took nearly the whole ten days of antibiotics to feel better. Now, I am coming down with something else. Before my inbox gets flooded with suggestions as to how to improve my immune system and demands that I see the doctor in case I have something wrong with me, I KNOW what is wrong with me: immune system horribly compromised by severe sleep deprivation. I'm working on it! I promise! Hannah's just going through the growing pains of giving up a nap, but yet she's not TOTALLY ready to give it up... Of course this means increased sleep deprivation for the mom. In the middle of cold/flu season, that is a LETHAL combination for my immune system.
Lesson learned: Playing the martyr typically does not end well. Trying to tough it out can sometimes be good (like if you're a professional football player getting paid a zillion dollars to tough it out through an injury).... but if you're a mom toughing it out with sickness typically just gets you further and further behind the eight ball. I STILL have not caught up on the laundry, the dishes have been one load behind for a month, and I am CONSTANTLY feeling tired. But God is SOOO good. Not only does He teach us a lesson: "Jami, do NOT put your health last ALL the time or the whole family will suffer." But He gives us a follow-up pop quiz: "Here's another little cold. Will you chose to take it easy or will you prove that you NEVER learn your lesson?" (I'm taking a nap in 33 min! I learned MY lesson!)
2. This past month, we had a WEEK filled with terror and death. Here's how it went down:
Thursday, October 14th.... I was only on day 2 of antibiotics... I had actually called in sick to my work-at-home job (that's only happened maybe 4 times in the past 11 years)... I was in bed and awoke to find I had missed several calls from my sister. When I finally called her back, she asked me some nutty question about John working and then hung up on me. I was half asleep, sick and VERY confused. I called her back several times and when she finally answered she asked me to meet her at Hartford Hospital because Luke was being sent to Children's in Flight for Life with a brain injury. The adrenaline PULSED through my body. I flew outta bed. I raced around looking for clothes while barking orders to the kids: "Get dressed! We're leaving! NOW!" It was one of the scariest things I can recall going through... Luke fell from a tree and ended up with a severe concussion, because Hartford Hospital doesn't handle pediatric head trauma he had to go to Children's in Flight for Life... scary, scary, SCARY.... but he is FINE! Struggling through recovering from a concussion but it could have been SO MUCH WORSE.
While all this was going on I was in communication with Christina about what had happened to Luke. At some point, she informed me that she had just found out her father had died. (I don't know if you all recall, but Christina lost her mother tragically in 2009... now she is 22 and an orphan.)
While we were still reeling from Luke's injury and trying to arrange plans for me to be at Christina's Dad's funeral, we learned that John's childhood best friend had passed away. While they had lost touch a little in recent years, this was a TRAGIC loss for John. He had been friends with Ron Kloeden since he was 5 years old. Every childhood memory John has includes Ron Kloeden. Ron was the best man in our wedding. It was VERY difficult for John.
That week was the toughest we've had since brain surgery. But as in all things, we persevered with His support.
Lesson learned: Life is SO fleeting. You just NEVER know what is around the corner. Live life to the fullest. Cherish every moment. Cling to those you love and don't let ONE MOMENT pass without telling them how you feel. [Oh and one more side lesson from this: my crazy, loud, occasionally-invasive family is THE BEST! As I stood there in the ER waiting room at Children's looking around at my sister who raced over from work, my Gma sitting in the wheelchair, Mom and Dad trying hard to be strong but terrified for their baby and their grandbaby, my husband who called in to his second job to support us all, and my sister the STRONGEST woman I know handling yet ANOTHER life-threatening crisis with her baby boy.... I reazlied... I have the GREATEST family in the whole entire world.]
Sooooo am I back? idk... I will try... but I have had to prioritize to get through this past month and blogging has been pushed WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY to the bottom of my priority list. So never fear... I am still here... but I may be a little quiet right now because now that I'm kinda on the upswing from crazy, zany October, I can see THE HOLIDAYS on the horizon and WAH! that's NOT going to ease my load!
Take care everyone!
1. I was SICK (and actually am AGAIN now!) I got a cold and it lingered for three weeks before this stubborn, hard-headed, martyr mom, FINALLY went to the doctor. It took nearly the whole ten days of antibiotics to feel better. Now, I am coming down with something else. Before my inbox gets flooded with suggestions as to how to improve my immune system and demands that I see the doctor in case I have something wrong with me, I KNOW what is wrong with me: immune system horribly compromised by severe sleep deprivation. I'm working on it! I promise! Hannah's just going through the growing pains of giving up a nap, but yet she's not TOTALLY ready to give it up... Of course this means increased sleep deprivation for the mom. In the middle of cold/flu season, that is a LETHAL combination for my immune system.
Lesson learned: Playing the martyr typically does not end well. Trying to tough it out can sometimes be good (like if you're a professional football player getting paid a zillion dollars to tough it out through an injury).... but if you're a mom toughing it out with sickness typically just gets you further and further behind the eight ball. I STILL have not caught up on the laundry, the dishes have been one load behind for a month, and I am CONSTANTLY feeling tired. But God is SOOO good. Not only does He teach us a lesson: "Jami, do NOT put your health last ALL the time or the whole family will suffer." But He gives us a follow-up pop quiz: "Here's another little cold. Will you chose to take it easy or will you prove that you NEVER learn your lesson?" (I'm taking a nap in 33 min! I learned MY lesson!)
2. This past month, we had a WEEK filled with terror and death. Here's how it went down:
Thursday, October 14th.... I was only on day 2 of antibiotics... I had actually called in sick to my work-at-home job (that's only happened maybe 4 times in the past 11 years)... I was in bed and awoke to find I had missed several calls from my sister. When I finally called her back, she asked me some nutty question about John working and then hung up on me. I was half asleep, sick and VERY confused. I called her back several times and when she finally answered she asked me to meet her at Hartford Hospital because Luke was being sent to Children's in Flight for Life with a brain injury. The adrenaline PULSED through my body. I flew outta bed. I raced around looking for clothes while barking orders to the kids: "Get dressed! We're leaving! NOW!" It was one of the scariest things I can recall going through... Luke fell from a tree and ended up with a severe concussion, because Hartford Hospital doesn't handle pediatric head trauma he had to go to Children's in Flight for Life... scary, scary, SCARY.... but he is FINE! Struggling through recovering from a concussion but it could have been SO MUCH WORSE.
While all this was going on I was in communication with Christina about what had happened to Luke. At some point, she informed me that she had just found out her father had died. (I don't know if you all recall, but Christina lost her mother tragically in 2009... now she is 22 and an orphan.)
While we were still reeling from Luke's injury and trying to arrange plans for me to be at Christina's Dad's funeral, we learned that John's childhood best friend had passed away. While they had lost touch a little in recent years, this was a TRAGIC loss for John. He had been friends with Ron Kloeden since he was 5 years old. Every childhood memory John has includes Ron Kloeden. Ron was the best man in our wedding. It was VERY difficult for John.
That week was the toughest we've had since brain surgery. But as in all things, we persevered with His support.
Lesson learned: Life is SO fleeting. You just NEVER know what is around the corner. Live life to the fullest. Cherish every moment. Cling to those you love and don't let ONE MOMENT pass without telling them how you feel. [Oh and one more side lesson from this: my crazy, loud, occasionally-invasive family is THE BEST! As I stood there in the ER waiting room at Children's looking around at my sister who raced over from work, my Gma sitting in the wheelchair, Mom and Dad trying hard to be strong but terrified for their baby and their grandbaby, my husband who called in to his second job to support us all, and my sister the STRONGEST woman I know handling yet ANOTHER life-threatening crisis with her baby boy.... I reazlied... I have the GREATEST family in the whole entire world.]
Sooooo am I back? idk... I will try... but I have had to prioritize to get through this past month and blogging has been pushed WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY to the bottom of my priority list. So never fear... I am still here... but I may be a little quiet right now because now that I'm kinda on the upswing from crazy, zany October, I can see THE HOLIDAYS on the horizon and WAH! that's NOT going to ease my load!
Take care everyone!
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