Beyond Bringing Up Boys

A couple of weeks ago, while at David's parents, I offered to watch David's nieces while Lisa was in town helping her parents with some business matters. Lisa responded that she didn't want me to "feel stuck" while she did more important things. I appreciated her consideration and I've thought a lot about our conversation. There are many people in each of our lives who enable us to do what we do. When I worked as a nurse, I was sincerely thankful for each of the nursing assistants that worked on my shift because they made my job so much easier. Later as an administrator of a cancer center, I simply couldn't have run it without a physician, office manager, or techs. And the physicist, who rarely made his presence known, was vital to the accurate treatment of radiation. And how about the janitor? In fact, looking back, while I was the "face," so to speak, I was really the most dispensable. Fast forward over a decade. My life has changed drastica...

Well, we are home at last with fond memories tucked away for years to come. We have been crazy-busy doing 5 weeks of well, everything, that has been "waiting" on us! And to top it off, teachers return on Monday, so David is REALLY busy. We logged about 5000 miles this summer and shared a lot of those miles with David's parents...and we're all alive to tell the story! I have lots of pictures to share. Coming soon (relatively speaking!).

Last year at this time we were up to our eyeballs in paint, carpet, new floors and BOXES. Tonight I am up to my eyeballs in luggage! Tomorrow we will leave the heat of Georgia for the frigid temperatures of South Dakota by the way of Illinois where we will be joined by David’s parents, who will go with us. My mother-in-law reminded me tonight that I should bring a coat for the Black Hills. She knows me well and had to share a sweater with me a few weeks ago when I almost froze to death in Tennessee. Well, not quite. We’re packed. We’re excited and SO glad there’s not a paint can to be seen!

Before I post the following letter, please allow me to explain that while I found this article especially convicting after our 9 months of church searching/hopping (ouch!), we did attend the same church in KY for 10 years! Dearest Career Church Hopper: I met you again on Wednesday, the same person smiling at me through a different face, telling me that you've been shopping for churches for months now, and that darn it, you "just can't find one (you) like." The music's too rocky at this one, you said; the preacher too funny at that one. The latest one might make the cut, though: you'd had the pastor and his wife over the previous evening for a little "dinner audition" -- your words, not mine -- and he said things that made you feel good and comfortable, things that you already agree with, so you're thinking about sticking around. At the very least, you could get your teaching from this church and your worship from that one. I'm sure we'll ...

Our oldest son will frequently take advantage of his middle brother, usually mentally but sometimes physically--even though his brother is pushing 80 pounds and could cream his clock! Don’t gasp! (I’ve asked around and ours isn’t the only home that has this struggle). This has really bothered me. Not only is this not Christ-like, it isn’t good friendship either. So following an incident where I saw younger brother outwitted again, I thought it was time for an intervention. The book, A Bargain For Frances , came to mind, where Frances is often out-maneuvered by her friend, Thelma. This level 2 reading book is several years beneath Zachary’s reading capabilities but I asked Zachary to write a paper about any similarities he sees between himself and Thelma. I also asked for him to include changes that were necessary to maintain good friendship and Christ-like behavior. His paper brought tears to my eyes and a new self-awareness to him about the “necessity “ he feels to outsmart his ...

(Zachary with Mrs. D, his favorite 5th grade teacher) Today marked another milestone in Zachary’s life; the end of elementary school. Just on the horizon is junior high. I am always nostalgic this time of year, the reminder that another year has passed. It always gives me pause to think about how we are doing in preparing our boys for their adult lives. Zachary was blessed with an intellect that neither David nor I posses. We were stunned and humbled when he had his first IQ test. I am not bragging, this is God’s gift but we have been given the responsibility of being good stewards of it at this point in Zachary’s life. Consequently he has breezed through elementary years, from an academic viewpoint. This year had challenges of a different nature. Zachary is very social and while we expected an adjustment in changing school and states and all that encompasses such a move, we didn’t foresee how difficult this year would be on him…or us. Attending a new school i...

Last night when Zach got home from church, he told us that Mark Hall had just received sad, sad news about the tragic death of the youngest daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman .(The last sentence is a live link to the newspaper...for some reason blogger is not showing my links in different colors!) Maria Sue Chapman (2003-2008) Maria Sue Chapman, adopted and youngest daughter to Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman, was killed Wednesday night in a tragic accident in the family driveway on Wednesday evening. She was LifeFlighted to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital but for only reasons God can explain she went home to Him... not to Franklin as we all so desperately wanted. Your prayers are needed for all in the Chapman family. This is a family who has so generously loved and given to so many. Just hours before this close knit family was celebrating the engagement of the oldest daughter Emily Chapman, and were just hours away from a graduation party marking Caleb Chapman's completion o...