Field of Daisies

Tomorrow is the two-week anniversary of my surgery, and I must say I am pleased with how I'm doing. The pain is almost entirely gone--I've been off the pain medication for a few days now--and except for a major lack of energy, I feel great. I imagine I will only feel better with each day that passes.

I feel like I've been out of the loop of "things" for a lot longer than two weeks. I'm feeling a bit disconnected from "business as usual." But I suppose that's to be expected too.

I did have a long visit from my friend, Robin, today, which was just what I needed after being home alone all day. And my friend Peggy has been good to check on me every day, even though she's going through a pretty rough time herself right now. Tomorrow is my first day to officially be back behind the wheel of the car so I'm meeting my friend Deborah and her kids at CiCi's for lunch. I'm really looking forward to that!

The house is starting to get that neglected look, and I'm certain there's some laundry that needs to be done, but amazingly I'm content to just let it ride for the time being. I have 4-6 more weeks of no housework to enjoy, so I'm hoping my "let it ride" attitude will persevere, not giving way to the compulsive "gotta get it done right now" that is usual for me.

The nice thing about all this is that I have all the time I want to read and study my Bible. I have almost made it all the way through the Psalms--my favorite book in the Bible--and my new Bible is starting to get that "lived in" look that I love so much when it comes to the Word. :-)

So I guess I'd have to say things are going well here at Comm Central, even in the wake of major surgery and a slow recovery process.

Did I say God is good all the time? Even if I did, I just can't say it too much. ;-)

Posted by at 10:08 PM | Permalink

Alrighty then! Now I know what surgery is like. Terms like pre-op, post-op, and pain medication all have new meanings to me now.

The surgery--or surgeries, as it turned out--went well and both they and the hospital stay were pretty much as I had anticipated. The surgery was over before I knew it (hee-hee~) but the pain afterward was pretty intense, even with morphine. I was hoping to avoid the nausea, but no such luck. (At least I never threw up!)

The nursing staff was excellent--with the exception of one nurse whose name I won't mention here. I was catheter-free by 8 am Sunday morning and on my way home by 5 pm or so.

Joel has been great, taking care of me and the kids and the dog, making sure I get my meds on time, etc. Actually, everyone has been great! My family, Joel's family, friends, our church group--it's just been awesome! I've received flowers and gifts and cards and calls--so many I've had to start a list so I don't forget... People have brought us meals--quite delicious ones too! And already my pain is very manageable and under control.

My sister came yesterday, brought me a gift basket with flowers and other goodies, made me lunch, then took the kids home with her for a couple of nights so I could rest undisturbed. So the house has been quiet and I've been able to just relax knowing everything and everyone is taken care of.

I spent the day yesterday with Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy--two of my favorite (fictional) people! (If you don't know the story you'll have to check it out! It's Jane Austin's best!) And today I spent some restful time outside.

I've already faced a few things I can't do until my healing is a little further along, which is a bit frustrating. And already I've had a touch of cabin fever, but for the most part I'm doing great and following doctor's orders to the letter.

I'm glad the surgery part is behind me, but I'm glad no matter what, my God is walking beside me through this. His presence is so evident in all those He has placed in my life to love on me right now....

God is good all the time!

Posted by at 05:40 PM | Permalink

Well, today's the big day. I'm going in for my first major surgery. I'm a little anxious this morning; it's more a feeling of dread than fear, but it's there nonetheless. I have prayed over the last few days that God would fill me with His peace that passes all understanding. While my heart is not 100% at peace, I am much calmer than I expected to be at this moment!

The outpouring of love from friends and family (both biological and the family of God) has been awesome! People have called to check on me. They've offered their assistance in every way, including bringing meals to us next week after I get home!

I am just so thrilled to be a part of the Body of Christ and to be a child of God! I know that my past, present, and future are all within His hands. Nothing can befall me that He has not allowed in His infinite wisdom and unsurpassing mercy. Therein lies the peace. The remaining anxiety is just a biological response to the details!

Many times I have given my life over in complete surrender to my God--to whatever He would ordain for my life. That is my greatest desire--to be totally surrendered to Him--and to be used to bring glory and honor to His Name. The hard part, sometimes, is leaving the details to Him, accepting the hard things when they come, and staying focused on Him in the midst of crisis or pain. As I look back over these first 42 years of my life, it is in those times He has carried me, comforted me, and drawn me ever closer to His heart, making those times some of the sweetest in regard to my relationship with Him.

So yeah, I'm having surgery today, and the next few weeks may be difficult, but I know that my God will be there for me and with me, through every moment.

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
"For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior..."
--Isaiah 43:1b, 2, 3a

Posted by at 09:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We just returned home from a quick three-day trip to Enid, Oklahoma. What's in Enid?, you say? Welllll, let me just tell you! The kid-draw is Leonardo's hands-on science and fun museum with Adventure Quest (a huge outdoor play area built kinda like a castle, only out of wood). These two places were enough to keep us busy most of the day yesterday. We all had a blast--even Socrates!

Then of course there's the usual shopping mall, Wal-Mart, movie theaters, etc. We went to see "Finding Nemo" on Thursday. Joel said he liked it best of the Pixar movies to date. It didn't become my immediate favorite, but it was very entertaining!

Another fun thing we did was the Midgley Museum. It's the house-turned-museum of a somewhat eccentric family which had hobbies of collecting rocks, fossils, and the carcasses of dead animals (some call this hunting). The docent that showed us around told us the Midgley's never threw anything away, and boy, did we believe it! They had more stuff from the mid-to-late 1800's and early 1900's than I've ever seen in a personal collection. Plus, the entire outside of the house was covered with all kinds of rock, petrified wood, etc., so it had lots of character. This museum was quite an experience.

We also had plenty of down-time to play at the park. The weather was perfect for it, and the park there in town is really pretty. Joel and I relaxed while the kids played, then we all joined in for a rousing game of foxtail. (The only hitch there was that Joel threw the foxtail high up in a tree at one point, and he was getting ready to risk life and limb--his own!--to retrieve it when the wind blew it down...! After that we moved away from the trees....)

Yeah, it was a good trip. Nothing too flashy. Nothing too exciting. But we had some quality family time together to play games, take family polls, eat lots of good food, and generally enjoy being out of our usual environment together. Even Socrates had fun on this trip!

It was good to get away, but it's good to be back home, too. Of course we have lots to do to catch up around here, but it was worth it for the memories we made....

FAMILY POLL: PIXAR MOVIES

We took a poll of our family members regarding all the Pixar movies to date, to determine how we would rate them as a family. Following were the results:

Finding Nemo - Came in 1st with 18 points
A Bug's Life - Came in 2nd with 13 points
Toy Story and Monster's, Inc. tied for 3rd place with 12 points each
Toy Story 2 came in last with 5 points.

Regardless of the ratings shown above, we are definitely Pixar fans! You go, Pixar!

Posted by at 02:39 PM | Permalink

Zach is a marvel. Always has been. He is one of those kids that refuses to be put into any particular "box." He is extremely intelligent, tender-hearted, and stubborn--an interesting mix, to say the least! He has never been a rowdy boy, but in most ways he is all boy! He loves skating, skate-boarding, riding bikes, swimming, Tang Soo Do (a Korean martial art), gymnastics, tennis, snow skiing, bowling, mini-golf, and building things. He loves to create games and weapons and warriors--especially if they are Lego's! He also loves information, and spends much of his spare time reading. But he has a sensitive side too. He loves to cuddle with me; he loves our reading-together time; and he loves playing the piano and singing. He also loves the Lord and leading others in worship.

Yep, I guess he's a pretty well-rounded individual, and I look forward to what God is going to do with this young man's life. Speaking of which, because Zach is 11-1/2 now, he is beginning to exhibit signs of teenage independence. We're not in full-blown teenage angst yet, but something tells me it waits for us just around the corner...!

In the meantime, I'm gonna soak up those cuddly moments in the big chair, sharing a book together. Time passes too swiftly; the years are ticking off much too fast. I need to savor this time we have together....

O LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You think of him?
Man is like a mere breath;
His days are like a passing shadow.

---Psalm 144:3,4

Posted by at 01:49 PM | Permalink

I have the sweetest little girl in the whole wide world! But let me lay a little groundwork first, before I get too far ahead of myself....

Jenna has recently been limited to shopping only once a month--due to an overactive shopping gene (can't imagine where she got that!?!), and today was her shopping day for the month of May. She had been asking for the past two days if we would take her to Toys R Us so she could buy something, so Joel took her this afternoon.

Joel said the first thing Jenna wanted to buy was, amazingly enough, something for her brother! (How sweet is that?) She said he was missing one Bionicle from his collection and she wanted to buy it for him.

When she got home, she brought it to me (beaming, I might add!), and asked me to help her wrap it up for him. She was more excited about that than what she bought for herself.

That's just one of those rare moments--between the fussing, fighting, pestering, and annoying--that warms the cockles of my heart. (What are cockles, anyway?) All I know is that it made my day!

I couldn't help but think about the correlation to our heavenly Parent. He must be similarly thrilled when one of His children gives unselfishly out of love to another of His children. Hmmmm. Y'think that's why He stressed it so often in His Word that we should love one another? That's somethin' to think about....!

[Jesus said:] "This is My commandment, that you love one another,
just as I have loved you." John 15:12

Posted by at 10:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)