Weirded Out

A few weeks ago my mom said she was going to Florida and wanted my family to go.  She had told me this before, but this summer has been impossible to schedule anything with Hansel, Gretel and Prince Charming's schedule.  I told her that I was the only one free and I could not go without them. I had to hold down the fort.  My mom really urged me to go and I went to each person in m family and asked them if they minded.  My darling said he would be having finals, but he would be fine.  Our kids are older and they could make it.  The only one who really objected was Gretel because she's a mermaid at heart and she longs to be in the waves.  However, she was kind and said go, but "I am going next year."  So I texted my mom to tell her and she cried.  I was super "weirded out" though.  The last time I had spent a week with just my mom and dad was well, probably when I was in high school.  Don't get me wrong, they are great people and we get along very well, but I am a mom and wife with two teenagers.  I am a part of another tribe now.

Three days before we were to leave for Florida, I was attending a professional development when I received a text from my mom that stated my dad woke up with chest pain.  My mom had taken him to the hospital because he couldn't even put his shoes on and he was in so much pain.  He said it was like an elephant or a truck on his chest and he was not objecting to going to the doctor.  This is a guy who does not have a primary care physician because he does not get sick.  It was bad and I knew it.  I waited though because I was not sure if I would be in the way or if they needed help.  I shared with my husband and a couple of co-workers and they said I should probably go.  They said there is always a chance something could happen even though he made it to the hospital and was being given good medicine.

Finally, my mom called and I left the presentation.  I'm sure the speaker thought I was the most distracted attendee he's ever had and I was sitting on the second row.  Sigh.  I walked out to grab her phone call.  She said that my dad was doing fine, but I probably should come to meet him at the hospital because he was traveling by ambulance and she was having to go home to pick up some clothes and take care of her many pets.  She and I were discussing her newest addition to her cat clan when she gasped and the phone went dead. . .
                                                           and the phone went dead. . .
                                                                        she gasped and the phone went dead.
I cannot tell you how many thoughts went through my head.  My mom is the glue.  My mom holds the answers to most everyone of my questions about everything.  My mom is the one person that no matter what day it is, what time it is, what it has to do with, she is there.  She is there and then she's not.  I almost lost my mind. I immediately prayed with fervor, prayed with ferocity, prayed with fire.  I am beseeching you Lord Jesus Christ to take care of my mom and send angels to help her. I prayed over and over again, gasping for breath.  I called her phone over and over and over again and the phone was still dead.  It went straight to voicemail.   I called my husband in the middle of class telling him what happened and he just said keep calling.  I kept calling and finally it rang and a man answered.  My heart hurt.  I squeaked out, "Is she ok?" He said, "she is ok." Someone in the background asked my mom if she wanted to go sit in his truck.  He said, "can you walk?"  She said "I need to talk to my daughter" and I heard her voice on the other end.  I heard her voice on the other end.  On the other end I heard her voice. "I am ok. I need to go and I will call you later.  My phone's almost dead."

I walked out of the professional development building changed, not because of the speaker, but because my mom was ok.  Sorry, guy.  The Lord continued to show His face in the events that happened next.  Some may say they were meer coincidence, but I think God cares about the details and He wanted to show that to me and my parents.

I called my friend of 23 years whose mom happens to be friends with my mom and lives about 30 minutes from my mom.  She told me her mom was going to Little Rock tonight and she could come get my mom and drive her to Little Rock.  I wasn't sure of anything yet, but I held it out as a possibility.  I went home with tears in my eyes and my poor little Gretel was at home crying because she was so worried as I had called her to give her a head's up.  She had candles lit and had done all of the things I asked her to that day.  I packed a few days worth of clothes and I have a "ready to go bag" that I take on all my trips that contains the contents of a small convenience store.

Finally, I got a call from my mom when I got about halfway on the road.  She still insisted she was ok, but the doctor came in to talk to her while I was on the phone with her and said she had a cracked rib, a mild concussion, and when I finally saw her she had a gash on her head and a ridiculous amount of bruises.  In fact, she was taken by ambulance where my dad already was.  Can you imagine my dad's face when he saw someone in a wheel chair coming in to his room and it was his wife who had just left for home?  I am thankful he was on heart medicine and was mildly sedated when he saw her.

I told my mom that Joann could come and get her and take her to Little Rock.  She was planning on going home and getting my dad's truck after totaling her car and having a mild concussion and cracked rib.  I think there was something more cracked than her rib.  She agreed to let Joann come get her.

I made it to Little Rock before my dad's ambulance.  I was there when he was wheeled in.  My dad  has never missed an opportunity to help me or guide me.  If my mom is the glue, he is the mod podge, he seals the deal.  He looked like Aslan tied down.  I followed them up to his room and we proceeded to wait.  My mom arrived soon with Joann.

As my mom and Joann walked into the hospital they met my mom's former pastor's wife going out the door.  She realized Joann also knew her pastor's wife.  Another church family had been brought into the hospital with chest pain.  Then my mom and dad's current pastor's wife just happened to be coming to Little Rock and stopped by too.  In the meantime, my dad had a heart cath and ultrasound to discover that he indeed had a mild heart attack or "a heart event."  He had been having heart pain still into the night, but after the heart cath he woke up feeling fine.  The doctor stated sometimes that happens to help the clot to move through.  (At least that is my interpretation of what he said).

So the big question is, even with all that happened will we/should we still go to the beach.  I think my parents need to go to the beach!  We packed up a half day early and took my car to the beach.  We split driving and we have been here a full six days.  Did it feel weird; not at all.  It is right where I needed to be. 

Tend to Your Own Weeds

Yesterday I found myself in a rather generous mood.  I had been given the task of tending to my neighbor's garden while they were away.  The main thing  they asked me to do was to pick their vegetables.  As I was strolling over to their garden I realized that the previous night's storms had blown their trashcan over so I tipped it back to where it was supposed to be.  As I glanced down I looked at a little overgrown flowerbed.  I was alarmed at the weeds growing and before I knew it I was down on my hands and knees weeding veraciously.  I couldn't believe how my neighbors had let this get out of hand. 

Fast forward to this morning, I was doing a few painting projects for my classroom for the upcoming year in the garage when I remembered my roses had some extra shoots growing the last time I looked.  Prince Charming had hinted around that needed to be taken care of.  I grabbed the clippers and prepared myself for the task.  As I started looking around, I realized there were some places behind the over zealous rose shoots where the weeds were out of control.  I couldn't believe this.  I am the queen of weeding and there were hidden weeds everywhere. 

The Lord tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me that I am in charge of my own weeds.  While I was over at my neighbor's yesterday tending theirs, I was missing my own hidden ones.  Isn't He good and rude!  :) Thank you Lord for giving me such a visualization of this.

This year will be a big year for me to tend to my own garden.  I have a big guy, Hansel, who is graduating this year as well as a beautiful young lady who need me to stay over here at my own house making sure they flourish in every way.  Lord, help me to find the weeds that are holding my family back, tend to those weeds, and beautify my own little garden.

Muddling Through

Recently, I attended a professional development on teaching students with dyslexia.  The professional development was supposed to help us know how to use a curriculum for students with dyslexia.  I have been using this program for several years and have never been formally trained.  The first day of training I realized what an error this was.  There are 10 parts to the program.  I may have been doing half of them with fidelity.  Our speaker, Mrs. Mona, said that it is a must that you teach with fidelity to get the most out of the program and for the students to make the greatest gains.  Wow!  When I confessed to the class and to our blessed teacher of the errors I had been making, she said, "it sounds like you have been muddling through."  Mrs. Mona, you have no idea. 

I think it is safe to say that I have also been "muddling through" life the last few years as well.  Things have not been straight forward for me.  I have not known which way to turn at times.  There have been high points and low points, but one thing is for sure it has not been easy.  Having two teenagers and a busy husband, both in work and in school, I have struggled to know what path to take on daily decisions and overall life's journey.  However, one thing is for certain, I have always felt God's presence.  Whether it has been in the classroom, in beauty from flowers, in a co-workers kind words, in a friend's hug, in my extended families' love for us, God has always given me glimpses of Him.  He loves me.  He really does.

I know the muddling won't really go away for a while.  Mrs. Mona says that I will muddle better now.  I think she is right.  I think it is better to muddle than not do anything, so I will keep on.