Understanding

The good news is J examined H yesterday and his vision is improving very nicely in his weaker eye. There is actually no bad news. H's surgery is now scheduled for December and we are thankful. The better the vision going into the surgery the better the long term results are, which is really great. H has been doing a really great job patching, he has been wearing his patch to school on days he has football and he wears it until lunch. If we wait until after school, we just don't have enough hours left. He seems to be quite the trooper about it. I am really pleased with him. He is also doing really great in school, his reading is good; he is really excited when he doesn't have any corrections to his handwriting work; he loves football, especially the tackling and running; and he loves his soccer, he scored 5 goals in a game a few weeks ago and even made a few good stops at goalie.

As I was thinking about an ophthalmologist's son needing eye surgery, I couldn't help but thank God for the earthly picture of Christ being our High Priest who understands our temptations and struggles. Jesus came down. He was tempted in every way and yet did not sin. He suffered. He longed. He waited. He cried. He mourned. He longed for a better day. He suffered the penalty of sin. I can't comprehend the weight or the darkness. And then, he conquered the grave. He rose above death. And he is victorious. He is crowed with honor and glory. He is seated. So when we go to him, he gets it. He understands because he has been here.

So the earthly picture is this-- John is concerned about his boy. The day he found the turn in his eye, he could have cried. He saw the future and not having depth perception, not seeing well in a microscope, not seeing 3D in 3D, the limitations that this would bring. He felt the urgency of wanting to get help. He felt the urgency of wanting to have a better visit, a better report, an improving report. And soon, he will kiss his son before anesthesia carries him away. He will wait and pray. He will feel the time of being separated by an OR door. He will be thrilled to see him. He will wait to hear from the Dr that all went well. He will take him back to a post-op visit. Not that he needed to, but because of all this, J will have a new understanding of this process of being an ophthalmology patient, actually being the Father of an ophthalmology patient, of loving an ophthalmology patient. He will feel it.

And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purposes. I will choose to believe it. I've always wondered why, so often, people have to use their own professional skills to take care of their family. Today, I am grateful to think on it this way. And grateful to thank the great Hight Priest Jesus who understands and who reveals it to me.

Little remembers

So I have heard several times lately to 'treasure the little things because one day you may look back and realized the little things were really the big things.' great thought. really. and I agree. There must be really good reasons why our lives have details, and little things, and even monotony. There must be really good reasons why God leaves us here for a while. Granted we are not here as long as some of the first folks who were here, but sometimes it does seem like quite a while! So here is the little things that made my afternoon. Preparation began at 1:30 when I cooked dinner, chicken, rice, black bean and cheese burritos, wrapped in aluminum foil and in a cooler to keep warm. In another cooler, four little fruit salads with pineapple, strawberry and blueberries. The car was already ready with football gear, soccer gear, dance gear times 2 and homework assignment pages. 2:40 pull out for school. 3:05 pick up L. 3:07 pick up Ek and MW. 3:10 drink and snack to the handsomest little second grade football player you've ever seen. 3:15 off to Mockingbirds. 3:30 twenty minutes early so playground time!! love seeing these growing girls still swinging and climbing and merry-go-rounding. 3:50 off to the Piggly Wiggly to get 3 apples for L for school tomorrow. Three? yeah, I don't know either. but we got one extra for a snack today. 4:10 finally, I remembered the dry cleaning! and the apple snack is finished with the tiniest little nibbles all around it. i was a bit sad to hear L describe it as sour. she has been describing spicy and sour as spicy, but today she got it right.  4:20 blends with baby girl and nut, net, let, lot, etc. She's improving! 4:30 early again! back to the playground! whoop whoop! 4:45 got Ek back :) 4:46 Off to get the footballer. 5:00 watch a few tackles and a few sprints. girls change in the car and eat burrito and fruit. oh and a cookie L picked. out. 5:15 we get H back! first words out of his mouth, 'is it time for my soccer game now???' the girls join him in a post practice popsicle on the way to dance. 5:25 drop two to dance. listen to h's reflections on football all the way home. he is so proud of a friend  who was 'tackling better today!' try to convince him he could tackle anybody on that field. he tells me how. 5:26 forgot shin guards, head home. change clothes from football to soccer, throw football uniform in washer. call out science and english to the boy while he rides his scooter and dribbles the soccer ball with his scooter. 6:00 back to dance. 6:15 only get 1. off to soccer. 6:45 soccer game! h cannot begin to wipe the smile off his face. L is trilled to have her best soccer sideline friends. I throw the football BP. next 45 minutes-- a real nail-bitter of a game, playing a team who got one of our favorite and best players. get down 2-0 come back 2-2, down again 2-3, score with seconds to go 3-3. Laugh at the Dad's who look are grinning like they swallowed a canary. H played his heart out. Ran down so many boys and so many balls. fun to see him on the soccer field again. 7:40 back to dance. listen to h's excitement over the game. can't wait for another. 8:00 gather 3 girls. listen to giggles over a H burp. listen to squeals over a moth near by. hear giggles over a hide and seek game at the football game last week. drop 2 girls off. 8:15 home. baths. teeth brushed. 8:30 kisses and blessings for 2. ek still has spelling hw :/  I think I used a quarter of a tank of gas today. But it really was fun. Not one sentence of this is complaining. Its where I am right now. Thankful to get to drive every bit of it. Thankful to be a part of it. I love seeing their joy. Loved hearing Ek singing Christmas songs from birds until we got to football. Loved picking out apples with L. Loved seeing H's soaking wet head after the game. Loved seeing L bounce to the car with her sweet smile.  Loved hearing her sound out her blends looking at me for a clue. Loved jumping out of my seat to cheer for H's teammates. Loved not being able to help but clap for our sweet friends who scored, even if it was against us. Love how tired I am and how much I can't wait to lay down.

What a weekend

My heart is full today. A journey that began one year ago yesterday when I got a text that 3 had signed up for Ironman Wisconsin. I texted John at an elders' meeting and told him he needed to think about it quick. I woke up the next morning to hear we were headed to Wisconsin. Meanwhile, he wasn't running because he was in so much pain. Signing up for a race a year away is so risky. But we tried everything to get him well and longed for the day we could get out and ride bikes together again. We started back with a metric century in the cold in April; we rode so slow that when we came in (second from last) instead of congratulations, they asked if we were ok!; and did i mention there were 3 crashes that day-- rough start! When J got the go-ahead from the podiatrist, the real journey began. About 3.5 months of training brought us to this weekend. It was not easy to leave Ek behind, but I trusted God's plan for her that weekend too. Madison was so beautiful. Weather was cool and a bit raining leading up to it. John was sore and achy- ready to race. We were humbled to be there. Always interesting to be around people like you. No one thought we were crazy, no one shook their head in disbelief over the distance, we were just all there to get to the finish line. The finish line was one of the first things we saw when we got there, 2 blocks from our hotel :) We passed it 20 times a day and wondered what it would be like. Race day came and after L spilled 2 cups of hot chocolate, we finally found J at his bike, getting it all ready. We walked with an ominous crowd all moving in the same direction in sweatshirts to watch 2500+ get in a lake. We worked our way to some rocks on the edge of the lake and while our stomachs turned. Star spangled banner while the athletes entered the water. And then all of the sudden, without a count down, a cannon. They're off. 140.6 miles to go. My stomach has butterflies thinking of it again. It was a long hour plus waiting to see his face. Roxy pushed our way to a curb at the entrance of the parking deck in hopes of seeing them. I prayed for God to not let me miss him. We waited and clapped and cheered while water from wet suits hit our faces. Finally I hear Roxy say- Katharine- John!! Oh I could cry! There he was smiling running toward me. I jumped up- patted his shoulder as he ran by. And he's off on the bike. for 6 plus hours. He said he felt like he was on the tour, fans in crazy outfits with crazy posters like- if anyone could do it then your mama could. He said they went through villages with people cheering their hearts out. We went to wait in front of the capital to see our runners. We got there 2 hours early. but I wasn't going to miss them. We decorated the road with chalk. We laid on our backs in the grass. We snacked. We played. The pros came 35 minutes before prediction. So focused and steady. We tracked and waited. waited and tracked. Finally Ronda. And John. And Justin. And Erwin. 1:15 minutes apart. We waited a minute, turned the other way to wait for them again. Then turned again. The kids played, made new friends, only got in one fist fight, cleaned park benches, colored sidewalks, played duck duck goose with new friends, chased dogs, played dogs, drank icees, ate snacks, gave high 5's, rang cow bells, cheered, encouraged. And then. Off to the finish line. That is a place like no other. They weren't cheering for the winners. They were cheering for anyone bold enough to step to the start line and determined enough to reach the finish line. Tears again. Seeing the looks on their faces was so overwhelming. Some flew and floated down, some gave high fives, some asked for more cheers, some stopped to hug, some hugged the one they were running along side. They all heard their name. Some collapsed as soon as they crossed, some got stronger when they crossed. Some laughed, some cried. I was overwhelmed by strangers, I was about to explode waiting for John. The anticipation was almost too much. Finally I saw him, from at least 100 yards away. He gave high 5's all the way down. He didn't see me, but I sure saw him. I saw him live a dream. I can almost not believe it. I saw him live a dream. Mike said-- John Williams, from Dublin, Georgia, You are an Ironman! Its what we waited for. Its what he worked for. Its what we hoped and dreamed for. It won't compare to the arrival in heaven to hear-- well done, good and faithful servant. So I can only imagine what that will be like. I hope there are bleachers and a big screen there too. It was so loud with applause and music and cheering, laughter and tears. You could hear and feel and see the joy. What in the world will it be like there? Like nothing of this world. But maybe something like Sunday night.

my toothless

It is amazing to me how different kids are. They approach things so differently too. H does not like to loose teeth. Not sure why, but I think it is fear of bleeding and pain. When I put it that way, I'd probably not be so thrilled either. We went to the dentist last week. All 3 kids, zero cavities. That seems like a miracle to me, so thankful. Dr. S told H his 2 front teeth had to go. They were barely hanging on, he said he could tell H was protecting them. But the ones behind were coming in and he could get a cavity in the new tooth if they baby ones didn't come out. He told H he would feel like a new man. We went by to see a teacher friend who is a champ tooth puller. He hid under the table. I begged, I pleaded, I bribed. Finally Friday night, he went to floss and it fell out. Not too exciting by process but very exciting. Best news-- no blood, no pain! So 2 days later we are at JP's bday party. Fishing, kayaking, tackle football. So H takes an elbow to the mouth and out pops the half broken (oh did I forget to tell the story of 2 days before H's 6 year old/before your 2 front teeth come out pictures while cleaning my windows and he fell off a stool broke one front tooth, knocked the other loose and busted his lip, silly me) tooth pops out. Well, unlike the first, there was blood, pain and tears and two trips to the bathroom to make sure he wasn't bleeding out and and to see his smile.  But I think in the long run, it will be much more fun to tell the story of the football tooth loss than the flossing tooth loss. Last night he came in from football (ok, side note, picture my boy, blond, sweaty to the core, walking towards me holding his football pads and helmet and then getting into his booster seat and smiling without his 2 front teeth- priceless) and soccer and I say H, how was it? great he says. So you didn't need those 2 front teeth to be awesome at soccer?? no, mom. grin. precious, precious boy.

back? i hope

So we are all in school again. or really for the first time. from 8-3. after 9 years. i have from 8-3 everyday. today (day 11 of school) may have been the first day I haven't felt sick to my stomach leaving them. maybe its because i'm getting them at 10:20 for dentist appointments. i was just writing an email to a friend and i remembered how much i like writing. i am currently the secretary of 3 clubs in town. really, k, 3? shaking my head. i'd like to be secretary of my home too. i'd like to remember the days again.

one morning this week, God let me go from his word with only 3 words. love is patient. its the first in the list. why haven't i noticed that before. start there. patient. patient as they get their shoes on. patients as i wait for him to get ready, or home, or done, or awake. patient as they grow. patient as they grow in their understanding of walking with the Lord. patient with God as his plans for them unfold. no one in my family should need to have it all together for me to love them well. trust and wait that as God has them, he can have me too, as i wait. patient. love is patient. that is enough for me to think on for today. asking for his power to wait.

one thing i love about activities is getting to be with one as others are where they are. love getting l while h plays football and ek dances. miss them. but love to be with her. she is so funny and so big. we stopped by the mall for make up and lip gloss the other day, she paused at the door and said, 'do you have your wallet... (looking atme to see if i do, sees it) good, cause we're gonna need it' as she takes off into the shoes. what can i say? she chose her gloss that now resides in my cup holder.

January 5

Today I am thankful for small excitements! H has lost his first tooth. Being one of the youngest in his class means sometimes he has to wait forever for milestones! Last week on the way to TN he exclaimed, "I have a wiggly tooth!" He was so excited! Today he went home from school with JP and as they were jumping on the new trampoline, it all of the sudden was in his mouth. They came running into the house so frantically that SP thought something must be terribly wrong!! H called to tell me and went on to tell L and Ek too. When we all got together tonight we celebrated by singing "Happy Losing your first tooth day to you..." and ate ice cream sundays. It was really fun to celebrate with my precious growing boy. And here he is with oreo crumbs to decorate his new mouth...

January 3

Today as I was reading Genesis, I was so impressed by how well God knew Noah and saw him as an individual. He walked with him, knew him and saw his heart. And he also saw his progress on the ark and waited until it was done before the flood began. Even then, he gave him 7 days to get loaded up. (we would need a week for sure). And today, I am thankful to be know by God and I'm so thankful He knows them, but I'm also thankful I get to know them-- seeing their hearts, seeing them grow and progress, it's really wonderful.

January 2

So thankful today for girls who still love a tea party in full costume with crowns. They shared tea, Ek on glass and L in plastic all afternoon, compete with cookies. The party was only briefly interrupted when a ball accidentally fell in the middle of the table, but they gracefully cleaned it up and carried on. They are precious.

January 1

Today I am thankful for the Word of God. We just got home from a 5 day amazing road trip. As we drove I finished up our reading for 2011. We stopped and bought our new chronological one year Bibles and started those today. Now John and I have matching bikes, cars and Bibles. Looking forward to a sweet year of fellowship.