First of all, my friend Rachel is doing much better! Thank you for your prayers! And considering her condition, the following seems rather like a moot point. But here goes...
Whilst in Philadelphia in DECEMBER, I got a cough. I still have it. A couple weeks ago, I got a fever. It appears mostly at night time, and sometimes goes away for 2 days at a time, and then comes back to visit again. Today I FINALLY went to the doctor. I really don't like going to the doctor, although I don't know why (really, though, does anyone like it?). Prognosis? PNEUMONIA. My reaction upon hearing the news? RELIEF! I just haven't felt like myself for the last two months, and I'm glad to know that there was a legitimate reason why. My house is in a perpetual state of filthiness and clutter, and that's not like me. I'm having to motivate myself to go to the grocery store, the gym, the library, and to do fun stuff with my kids, which is also not like me. I've just been tired, achy, and lethargic. But, in 7-10 days and after a lot of antibiotics, I should be as good as new!! :) Hurray for modern medicine, for a brother living with me that is fantastic with my kids, and for a husband that doesn't mind sandwiches and other random easy things for dinner in the last few weeks. Here's to HEALTHINESS!
ps- and yes, I do feel silly for not having gone to the doctor much sooner.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
prayers are needed...
I have the most adorable little 5-yr-old piano student, Coral, who I've grown quite attached to in the past 6 months. Her sweet mom (Rachel) brings her each week, and getting to know them has been a pure joy. Over the weekend, Rachel caught a very serious case of pneumonia, and is fighting for her life right now. She has 5 -yr-old Coral and 3-yr-old Ethan, not to mention a wonderful husband and friends and family that are all praying she survives. I know there is strength in numbers, so I'm asking all my friends and family to add her to your prayers. The next 4-5 days are crucial for her. For more info, click here. Thanks everybody!
Monday, February 9, 2009
inspiring...
I stole this from my friend Kara's blog (although I don't know who wrote it; someone named Charlotte). Definitely worth reading. I needed it today! Sometimes I forget how blessed I am to be a mom, and I forget how much I love it. This was a great reminder.
INVISIBLE MOTHER
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.
Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?'I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seenagain.
She's going, she's going, she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.'
And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. Great Job, MOM!It's the things we achieve through God that gives us our joys in life.
INVISIBLE MOTHER
It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.
Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.
I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.
Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?
Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?'I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'
I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seenagain.
She's going, she's going, she's gone!
One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'
In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:
No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything. A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.'
And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'
I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'
At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'
As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women. Great Job, MOM!It's the things we achieve through God that gives us our joys in life.
Friday, February 6, 2009
My favorite books...
I love to read but rarely indulge. Because of my "all-or-nothing" personality that I can't seem to change, I end up forsaking as many of my stay-at-home-mom duties and responsibilities as possible until the book I'm reading is finished. This seems to be the case, even if I don't like the book that much (example: Twilight. Don't hate me. I just don't like it). I just need to have it over with so I can know what happens and move on.
ANYWAY, I recently made my brother Daniel read my all time favorite book, and this got me thinking about others that I love. So, in case you're interested, here are my top three. The last one is a recent find, but the other two I read every year because I love them so much.
#1: "There Are No Children Here" by Alex Kotlowitz. Non-fiction. This book was introduced to me in my juvenile delinquency sociology class at BYU. It opened my "naive-utah-girl-21-year-old" eyes, and I daresay it changed my perspective on things forever. Incidentally, I can't find my copy, and I think I lent it out to someone. If that person is you, let me know! :)
#2: "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. Everyone thinks this book is so popular, but I'm surprised by the number of people that have never read it! It is so worth it! One of my favorite memories is when Brad and I took turns reading it out loud to each other in the evenings, right after Nick was born. So well written, so witty, so suspenseful. Brad will readily admit that he likes it (which is no small feat) and he even watches the movie with me -- the long A&E version, NOT the Kiera Knightly version, which was utterly disappointing. "Read it! I know you'll love it!" Name that movie.
#3: "North and South" by Elizabeth Gaskell. I just read this a couple months ago, and it is fantastic. Equally as good is the movie that the BBC did of it in 2004. A great pick for Valentines weekend!
I'm having a "curl-up-with-a-great-novel" craving, so if anyone has any recommendations, I'm all ears!
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