Beyond Bringing Up Boys

So, maybe I will. Or maybe I won't. I want to-- I do. I want to start writing again, but will I?  Can I?  I started this blog so many years ago.  My boys were so young and well, so was I.  But as Facebook became more prominent, I started writing less here and more there.  But that has grown so wearisome. So many ads. So little satisfaction.  Our lives have changed a lot since I last wrote.  My oldest son is engaged. Yes, I am getting a DAUGHTER. All that testosterone, only to be rewarded by estrogen. Glory be! And if that is not enough for 2022, he is also graduating from law school. It'll be nice to have a lawyer in the family.  You know, to help me get out of all the scrapes I get myself in.  haha Our middler is halfway through college and is currently in a relationship with adventure.  Adventure takes a lot of time (and money) and just doesn't seem to leave enough room for girls. At least not seriously.  But, he's only 21 so I ha...

Much to Zachary's chagrin, his 21st birthday turned into "birthday month."   Zach prefers simplicity. Maybe a gift but no full-on attention.    In fact, since he chooses not to be on social media, last year his dad and I posted his number and invited our friends to wish him a happy birthday. It turns out that he was in court that day, with the law firm he works for, and a buzzing phone in the courtroom causes a disturbance--who knew. ;)  But this year, because of the snow that turned to ice on the 17th, he was unable to get McKenzi so he wanted to have a cake that included her last Sunday. My niece also has a January birthday and so we planned a full family dinner with another cake on Friday night. So, his 21st birthday was celebrated three times!  Our house was full of laughter and fun!  Happy birthday, dear ones. May each year be better than the one before!

Snow flurries danced in the headlights twenty-one years ago this morning as we drove to the small, regional hospital in Indiana, Pennsylvania. At 9:45, I watched Dr. Stever lift you up high and into my view over the partition in the operating bay. Nurses handed you to me within a couple of minutes. Pastor Rick, standing beside me, asked if Mom and I had chosen a name for you. Zachary: “Remembered by God.” As you celebrate this milestone birthday, my mind replays a thousand memories in an instant, recollections of mountains here and valleys there. This constant remains: God has remembered. His mercy towers above all surrounding landscapes. The next 21 years will pass even more quickly for you. You will become middle-aged; I, old. Money will come and go, as will many relationships and fads. Conventional wisdom will change with the wind. Amid fomenting change, this principle must be your north star: God always keeps his promises. Happy birthday to my son, who has been b...

The warmth from the August sun absorbed by the concrete blocks of the parking garage of the Allegheny General Hospital was not enough to ward off the chill that David and I felt as we clung together. Clinging like shipwrecked survivors to a dinghy --quite sure we were NOT ready to face the storm of the diagnosis just given to us by the doctor.  An ultrasound is usually a happy event, that first peek at the life not yet seen. But not that day. The grim face of the physician spoke volumes, even in his silence. They suggested that we terminate and quickly as "he" was already 23 weeks.  We walked away knowing that God, in His sovereignty, could redeem even this, but in my flesh, I was terrified. We had no further ultrasounds.  The months passed agonizingly slow, yet somehow they flew by. David named him Zachary because the name meant, "remembered by God."  We were extremely protective of this potential diagnosis and with the exception of a few close friends ...

Today required something of me that I didn't want to do. Not a bit. I knew I needed to, but everytime I thought about it, I got a little nauseous. But, I did it. Or, at least I started the process.  It's not the first time, I had to pray my way through something.   Roughly 18 months after an accident that required a lengthy recovery,  I finally climbed on a bike again to ride 17 miles of the Virginia Creeper Trail with my supportive family.  I am intentionally grateful for courage. Today, 18 months ago  and everyday in between.  Psalm 56:3 "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you."

  Yes, these ladies know that a balding, middle aged, hemorrhaging man is looking over their shoulders.   Last month I extended extra credit to students who were willing to invest in a  Macbeth  performance at the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern.  T o claim their extra credit, students had to take a selfie with a cast member following the performance. I am not sure of the identity of the head - banded hero, but the gentleman on the left is the  valiant Macduff. Having taught this play over twenty times, I find that the story of Macbeth has become an old friend. I know where the students will laugh (with the drunk porter), where they will be aghast (when Lady Macbeth evokes the image of bashing the skull of a nursing infant),  and  where they will see themselves (when Macbeth describes being trapped by his choices: “ I am in blood /  Stepp'd  in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er ”). Macbeth  is my ...

"The greatest masterpieces were once only colors on a palette." Henry Haskins  When you see creation in all of its magnificence, you cannot deny the Creator, you can only suppress this truth (Rom 1:18).  Intentionally grateful today for a colorful world! 

In a world of brokenness, I'm thankful that we've been learning how to forgive for 25 years.   Intentionally grateful for forgiveness today (and everyday!).  Colossians 3:13 "bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." #staymarried

David and I had been married 5 years when we moved to Louisville, KY, for David to teach at Highview Baptist School. Zachary was 7 months old.  It soon became our custom to walk the sidewalks of our neighborhood, Ashbrooke Gardens, after dinner. Zach was as happy-as-a-clam in his stroller and it gave David and me an opportunity to catch up on our day. He was a rookie in his teaching career and had the stories of the day to prove it. I was at home with Zachary, and was always anxious to share the newest milestone or development that he had achieved. Three years later when Samuel joined our family, we were still walking and talking each evening after dinner.  And three years after that, when Seth joined Team Balty, we were still walking together. Over the years things changed of course; Zach outgrew the stroller, then rode a bike, and then drove a battery operated truck. As soon as Samuel could hang on tightly enough, he was not content to be in the stroller either and h...

Hats. Today I am intentionally grateful for hats. I love hats--whether it's a basic baseball cap, a 1920's cloche hat, a Derby Day fascinator, or almost everything in between. But, my favorite hats are those ones that aren't visible to the eye.  I've worn a mom-hat since 1997, and it is my favorite hat. But with that came a closet full of corresponding headgear to complete my uniform. There was the nurse hat that came out to clean abrasions, lovingly kissed boo-boos, wrapped sprains or splinted fractures. Also, over the years, I've had the chauffeur hat. I've chauffeured to and from the library, school, piano, field trips, baseball practices, marching band events, friends' houses or swim.  I've worn the hat of a teacher. I taught them how to pray, how to use good manners, and how to properly brush their teeth. I taught them how to read and how to write. And, as they grew, so did the other subjects.  I've worn a firefighter's hat, to...

Laughter.  I am intentionally grateful for laughter today! Our home often rings with laughter, and nothing can cheer a weary heart like the sound of happiness springing out of the soul. My husband makes me laugh everyday. And, often when I'm on the phone with my sister, I laugh until I'm crying. In addition, David's sister makes me laugh every time we're together. Laughter. Listen to it. Enjoy it. Be grateful for it. Proverbs 17:22 -- A merry heart does good like medicine.#intentionalgratitude #november #givethanks #baltyfamily #baltyboys #laughteristhebestmedicine

Wisdom. There's no biological connection in this picture, but I don't recall a time in my life before I knew her. My "Granny."  She is the one that patiently combed out all of the goop that was in my waist-length, thick hair after spinal surgery. She is the one I've sought out when I've needed spiritual guidance throughout the rough places of life. It was her house that I went to the night mom died and it was in her arms that I sobbed like I was a small child. It's her voice that, even today, tells me every time that I talk to her, that I am special to her. She represents so many characteristics to me, but today I am especially thankful for her wisdom.  Psalm 37:30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom and their tongues speak what is just. #intentionalgratitude #wisdom #granny #love #thanksgiving #givethanks #everygoodandperfectgiftcomesfromabove

As I begin this month of intentional gratitude, I'm overwhelmed. I have so many blessings that it's difficult to know where to kick off! But, today I'm choosing beauty.  I'm thankful for the beauty of God's earth! Whether I have my feet in the sand at sea level, standing at 10K feet above looking over the handiwork of our Creator, or viewing my lovely home state, I'm thankful for what I can see. psalm 96:11-12 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound and all that's in it. Let the fields be jubilant and everything in them, let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. #intentionalgratitude #beautyoftheearth #givepraise #november #jekyllisland #bloodmountain  #amishcountry #pennsylvaniaisbeautiful

Like most mothers of boys I have a box full of first-aid supplies! Most of the time (thankfully) they sit unused in my cabinet. But, have you ever noticed how accidents happen at the most unexpected time?? Seriously. The marching band director called last evening to say that the gong fell over on Samuel and cut his head. A what, you say.  Yeah, that was me a few years ago, so here's a visual. After the blood stopped flowing, a one-inch laceration, greeted me. It was almost 7 pm and my only option was urgent care, as I don't deem "needing stitches" Emergency Department worthy, unless of course, you're losing a limb. Then, that's fine! Go on in!  I've taken my boys to urgent care before, but they've only used glue or in one case, nothing. And, that time was worse than this! But, I digress. After cleansing it thoroughly and spraying Banda-Sil on it, I was still lamenting that, in my opinion, this still needed closed. I felt certai...

Jekyll Island, September, 2017 Seth has been looking forward to his school field trip to Jekyll Island for months.  He's my THIRD child, but my baby and, oh, I find this hard.  So, I came along.  Kind of.  I'm staying nearby, The blades are whirring just in case he needs me.  I packed my usual "just-in-case" first-aid kit. Here are some of the items that I might have packed in his suitcase: An assortment of bandages, gauze, and tape 3M Coban wrap cleansing towelettes syringe of saline to cleanse a wound antibiotic ointment Benedryl ibuprofen insect repellent sunscreen cold medication antacids I'm too embarrassed to say what else I've also packed  "just-in-case."  I'll just leave it at there's no need to call in medical supplies for anyone . I have enough for the whole middle school. Have mercy, I need help. 

Zac and I have heard this phrase so many times this week that it has become a running joke.  Whenever one of us messes up, the other one says,  "Mind the gap." We hear the expression at least 100 times a day while riding the tube. Sometimes the train station platform is not completely level with the train itself, leaving a high step, or a gap of several inches. For those of you following along in "American," the warning means to watch your step. We have found that the phrase applies nicely to all sorts of situations with which we are intimately familiar: spilling drinks, dropping coins (which happens a lot because I have to stare intently at every coin to determine its value), to actually making a misstep. Yesterday while staring intently at a landmark, I failed to "mind the gap," stepping off a curb and nearly falling.   But that was yesterday. Today we began at Tower Hill, looking out at the infamous Tower of London.  The sky was uncooper...