Practice and Lessons

I am absolutely positive during the next year when Eric is gone we will face moments of crisis like today.  Today was our first really warm and sunny spring day reaching almost eighty degrees.  With warm weather comes increased activity.  I had worked on a few spring cleaning things, been outside and played with the dogs a number of times,  gone to the grocery store and purchased our Easter ham, and when afternoon rolled around and I decided to jump in the shower to get an early start on getting ready for work.

Today is Wednesday.  It follows Tuesday.  It actually does this every week for everybody.  But for my youngest son, Ayden, every Wednesday is payday.  He has delivered papers on Tuesday since he was 8 years old.  He started with a small 43 paper route and now delivers 300 papers every Tuesday.  He is able to do this because he is homeschooled and it is a part of his education.  This winter has been particularly rough during delivering with the mountains of snow and we have all pitched in to give him a hand at times.  But last week and this week he has been able to ride his bike.  Well, his old beater bike tires didn't survive the winter well.  He used his good RAGBRAI bike last week and we fixed the tire on the beater bike.  Lucky for him his birthday was Saturday.  So Friday we took him to buy a new romp-around-town Mongoose bike.  Being his usual self, he is very picky about his new bike.  And after much discussion and parking it in the living room, we decided the safest place for his new bike would be inside the fence in the backyard. 

But today is Wednesday; payday.  As I hopped in the shower, I heard Ayden yell something.  As I was getting out of the shower, our old rotary dial house phone rang downstairs.  But I couldn't get it.  And then it rang again.  This alarmed me a bit so I hustled and dried off and dressed but nothing else happened.  I also realized that Ayden had gone to get his pay.  He always goes at 2pm every Wednesday because they don't pay before 2pm.  And then he heads to the bank to deposit most of his money.  He usually keeps out a couple of dollars for a treat.  He is faithful and diligent to this weekly ritual and he does not forget.  Today he was behind.  Public school threw him off this morning so he was late returning from music.  Instead of getting his new bike out of the back yard (the one with brakes that work) he chose to jump on his beater bike and head up to the square for his weekly errand.  Two blocks from home he crashed.  The bike chain came off and tangled in the tire sending him twirling and whacking his arm on the pavement.  I believe he knew he broke his arm right away.  He called me using his Trac phone twice in a row.  But I didn't answer.  A lady who works with our sons at Fareway saw him and, according to what she told Laramy, heard him howling.  She had her Fareway uniform on which clued him in to get Brady who was still at work. 

I was dressed and about to comb out my hair when Brady charged up the steps exclaiming Ayden had broken his arm and he was rushing him to the emergency.  It was quite an andrenaline rush for me but I said, "Not without me!"  I grabbed my two purses (my curse for having too many and having my ID in one and my insurance card in the other) and off we went.  As I jumped in the truck it was obvious his arm was broken.  He was calm and scraped but okay.  He was well taken care of and the arm was stabilized.  And tomorrow we see the ortho. 

Tonight as I sit in my bed waiting for Eric to return from some out-of-state training, I realize how responsible my guys were today.  We have, unfortunately, experienced plentiful trips to the emergency room between the five boys and they are aware of what to do.  Logan came home and was calm but took care of some business before he left.  Laramy got the rest of the scoop from our good samaritan at work tonight and exclaimed when he came home, "I don't want him riding that bike anymore".  I loved seeing that protection mode come out.  Ayden realized his lesson learned about impatience.  As it was he never made it to pick up his pay or deposit it in the bank because he didn't want to take the time to get the new bike out of the fence.  I have some very decent caring young men in my family.

So I'm counting this practice.  Eric is available but not really here.  He will be here tomorrow when we see the ortho.  We made decisions without his input and I resisted the urge to call him knowing that I will be taking care of things like this without his immediate knowledge.  We are very capable.  When a child is injured the first response is to make sure both parents know.  I won't have that immediate option during the next year.  We will survive.  And he will be better less any of these family stresses to distract him.

Deuteronomy 28:6  May you be blessed in your coming in, and blessed in your going out!

Prayer request:
1) Thanks and praise for sunshine and warmer temps during this glorious Holy Week.
2)  Continued prayer for our vehicles.  We have two listed to sell on Craig's List and have had many calls but no takers just yet.
3) Continued prayer for my daily stamina.
4)  Continued prayer for my transition to bill-paying.
5) Pray that we find and utilize every option given to us by the military while he is deployed.
6) Pray that time slows down until he leaves and speeds up when he is gone.  :)  It's possible.

Love,
Monica

Keeping composed

In the past couple of weeks, I have found I have not been able to keep myself composed when someone asks about the current status/schedule. It is a common occurrence now for Eric to look at me and say, "What's wrong?" I have moments where I just tear up....or snot up in my case. I guess I must look teary even though I don't have tears that run across my cheeks anymore. That is not because I have cried so much I am out of tears. It is because Sjogren's has caused my tears to decrease. But I really wish my snot would dry up because now when I cry it all runs out my nose. Anyway, I guess I'm not sure how I am supposed to be.  We were in Lowes last Sunday looking for tile and pricing a new front door when I found myself "tearing up".  We love to do those things together. And we enjoy putzing around together.  I will miss that time with him very much.   Today in church I glanced at my sons during the Our Father and we were all holding hands and I started "tearing up" again.  Eric was at drill all weekend so he was not with us in church. We miss him very much when he is not there. But we are sticking together as a family through this and Christ's presence is very evident to me through my sons and how they are treating one another as we all prepare for the coming year.

We have been practicing Skyping and playing Scrabble online at the same time.  Eric and I love to play Scrabble and we found an online version on facebook.  So it is possible we might be able to stay connected by doing that one thing while he is overseas.  For now I sit in my bed and he sits downstairs and we kind of pretend what it will be like.  It is all in good fun and is giving us some laughs, too;  especially so when the boys realize we are talking to each other in the same house.  But most importantly we have everything set up and ready with our computers.  And no matter what I won't give up my competitive nature and will try to beat him wherever he is!

Next month I will attend a family support meeting to learn more.  Being apart in this kind of a situation is quite a balancing act.  Eric and I will have to find our own niche and figure out what is acceptable for us for our situation.  We will have to learn what to share about our daily lives and still stay as connected as possible without creating unnecessary stress for one another as we go through the year.

So today I find much comfort in this verse...

Colossians 3:15-17
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

So keep asking both of us. Eric has interesting thing to share. I will do my best to hold my composure.  All hugs and well-wishes accepted!  Thank you to everyone for your support!

Prayer requests:
1) Pray Monica has an easy transition as she takes over the budget and bill-paying.
2) Pray for stamina and health for Eric as he goes through physical training to prepare.
3) Pray for Eric to continue to make connections and bonds with his team.
4) Pray we make all the right and necessary car decisions in the next couple of months.
5) Praise for no snow and warmer temps!!

God Bless,
Monica

The Holding Pattern

This holding pattern that I am living in stinks. Sorry, there is no other way to start this entry. The waiting, waiting, waiting, wondering, waiting...ugh. There's a small part of me that wishes he would get up one morning, kiss me goodbye, and come home from work 12 months later. That's how my mind is compartmentalizing what is to come. And then I can exclaim, "Wow! That was the longest work day ever!"

It looks like his open house will be the Saturday before Father's Day or the next Saturday. At this time the sending ceremony will be on his birthday...Happy Birthday to him! But at least we'll get to see him on his birthday. Brady will also be back from AT and be able to see him before he leaves, too. But we'll continually keep everyone updated as things become more and more definite. But as we all have experienced in the past...until it happens it's not official and things could change at any time.

If you can only make one of our events this spring, we would prefer you choose Logan's graduation if that is possible. We don't want anything to distract from his special day. But if you can't make May 30th, then wishing Logan a happy graduation at Eric's open house is more than acceptable. :) We hope we will get to see everyone at some time.

And those are the wisest words of wisdom that I could come up with today.....

And so I turned to Proverbs for some wisdom and I found this verse which I have never read before and it gave me a giggle. And for those of you who know me and my gagginess..you will giggle too. But it does have deeper meaning than just what it states.

Proverbs 25:16 If you find honey, eat only what you need, lest you become glutted with it and vomit it up.

I think you can apply it to any situation in your life; even ones where you don't physically vomit. :)

Love,
Monica

One big prayer answered

The last few weeks have been incredibly busy for Eric and I because we were finishing up our Christ Renews His Parish time. I really can't believe that the "6" months are over already! So this post is all about our Christ Renews brothers and sisters.

When Eric and I went through the weekends in the fall, we did not know that it was more than a renewal weekend. We didn't know that it would continue on for six months. He was really surprised that I decided to continue. We are both so grateful to Father Hurley and Father Halbur and our men and women in our groups. We feel doubly blessed because we went through it at the same time. And now we see God's purpose.

I am the most guilty of wanting to ask a thousand questions so that I am not surprised by anything. Why is it so difficult to trust God's path? If we are seeking God's will, we should just fall in (good military reference) and watch and wait. I think this is a lesson I will have to constantly be reminded of.

When we started Christ Renews, we did not know Eric would be deploying. I had a hint of a possibility but I believe I was in denial that it really could happen. It was not public knowledge when we found out. So I confided in my dear, sweet friend, Melody and my Christ Renews sisters, the Lees and the Freesemans. Eric also told his Christ Renews brothers. And then we waited and prayed. The support we felt from them all was unreal.

In January, we were free to tell everyone. I started this blog. We were devastated when we found out Eric's drill schedule had changed to the men's weekend. I know they were all praying because Eric was able to participate more than he imagined was possible. In the meantime, Eric and I started praying about a laptop for him to take. I listed it on this blog but only told one person. We were praying for someone to have a laptop they could send with Eric that they weren't really using but had skype capabilities.

Our prayers were answered a couple of weeks ago during our Friday night service when our brothers and sisters presented us with a brand new laptop for Eric. I could not have been in more shock or been more grateful! They have given us the gift of communication! I don't even really know how to express my gratitude.

So now going forward, I see God's purpose. We have the best support system in place to endure the next year. Without a doubt, I know they are all praying and so many other family members and friends. Our very large church now seems very small and I look forward to their smiles and hugs. And I will miss our Monday night meetings very much!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Prayer requests:
1) Praise for the laptop!
2) Praise for my brother-in-law, Larry, and his continued healing
3) Praise for melting snow!

Psalms 91: 11&12 For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways. With their hands they shall support you lest you strike your foot against a stone.

Love,
Monica