Today we attended the funeral for the church member who suddenly died last weekend, from a blood clot to the heart. His dear widow wept through the service; he was her life, and at 65, it will be difficult for her to start over. It was a fine service, officiated by my older brother, who has been mentioned in my blog numerous times. His first funeral to preside over. I’m sure it broke his heart to do it, but he spoke well, and spoke sincerely. He was there when this man was accepted Christ as Savior and was baptized, not all that long ago...was there when each of them had various illnesses requiring hospitalization...and was there when this man passed from this earth into his eternity.
It is a sobering thing, to attend a funeral. My first, in quite some time, that wasn’t for a relative. My last funeral was for my cousin (see tags in sidebar), gone now for almost 2 years. Unbelievably. Today, when I stepped beside the casket to view the man, all I could see was my cousin. They were close in age, both with graying beards and long lashes. I wasn’t able to look for more than a second today—tears came fast and unexpectedly, in the wake of my cousin’s memory. But even throughout the funeral, I found myself shedding tears; I realize that the man is better off now, with His Lord, away from the sorrows of earth. But the grief and shock he leaves behind; the emptiness his widow is feeling (although she will lean heavily on Our Lord), it is heart-wrenching, and difficult to understand. Why did it have to happen to this man, to his wife? She is a dear and sensitive lady, but her life has already been filled with pain and difficulty. Why couldn’t she have him at her side for the remainder of her years? It breaks my heart to see her alone, without him beside her, where he has always been since they joined our small Body. I guess these questions are the same we all ask...it is in these questions that the greatest pain of death lies. For even when we know our loved one is with Our Lord, we still grieve. But not for them, as much as for ourselves. We grieve our loss, we feel our emptiness, we miss our beloved one. We grieve for all they left behind; knowing deep inside, that what they go to is far greater. Death, just like life, is full of contradiction, isn’t it?
I remember Beverly's husband and children this week; and other family members who grieve for her. Another dear one whom we rejoice for, as she is at last, cancer-free; and with her Savior. Yet, she leaves behind a hole. A big one. Older children; one with a family, one starting college...and sons still at home, even young boys in elementary school. A loving husband, who is now, suddenly, thrust into single parenthood, and widowed, simultaneously. Another paradox; joy for her, but sorrow for those who carry on without her. I cannot wish her back, for truly, she is in a glorious eternity...but yet...I cannot wish her gone, for her family needs her still.
This week has been too full of death. Yet we all face it; none of us will escape it, until Our Lord returns. We do not know the moment we will meet with Him for eternity; every moment on earth is a gift. Life is a gift. Yet a greater gift lies beyond. Hard to imagine though; for we learn to dearly love what surrounds us here, even among such a tarnished earth; such a life filled with hardship and pain. We still find love, we find happiness, and if we will trust in Jesus, we find peace, hope, and lasting joy. And so we treasure this gift of life, and we fight to hold onto it. We fight to stay with those we love. And we grieve when the fight is lost by one of our own.
I am thankful this week, to still have those near and dear to me. I am thankful that while I ache for those who have lost loved ones, I am not one of them. Not this time. I am reminded to take every day as it comes. To look for moments of life’s joy, in the midst of struggles. To hug my children and be thankful for them, even in frustration! To hug my husband and be thankful for his life, his support, his presence with us. To remember that life is, indeed, a gift.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
A bad day, but a good recipe!
My husband worked at least 70 hours this week. So he’s pretty exhausted, and is back at work tonight. I can barely move, feel quite exhausted myself from this week, and am enjoying practice contractions. This morning, neither of us could move. Not that there’s actually a choice in the matter!! We did of course, have to get up and feed/care for the kids. I lacked energy to make tea; which is unfortunate, because my day went from bad to worse!
It all started this morning...we noticed a couple of little mealy worms on the kitchen floor. The kind that infests flour and such products. No big deal. Kill them and find the infestation...usually a bag of flour...get rid of it, and problem solved. I’ve only had one infestation before, years ago, in another home. It was awful, but after tossing some bags and boxes and spraying and cleaning the pantry cabinet, no more problems. And 2 little wormy creatures didn’t really equal an infestation anyway. But those couple worms turned into a LOT of them; they kept coming out. And we kept killing them. There wasn’t really a source...a nearly empty box of cornstarch perhaps...no flour sacks, no oatmeal boxes. Nothing else. Weird I thought...wonder where they came from and what is driving them to crawl into daylight? We spent all morning killing the little creatures, vacuuming, mopping every inch of vinyl flooring.... Finally, they are all gone. And my kitchen needed a good mop anyway :)
About the time we finally finished with the little wormy creatures, I noticed a puddle of water on the floor, in front of the cabinets. Kind of a big puddle. Another one was in front of the pantry closet in an adjoining laundry/bath. Hmmmmm. In fact, getting on my hands and knees, I noticed that the kick plates (trim boards under cabinets) were seeping water. Nothing under the sink though...and no leaking from the dishwasher. The floor of the pantry closet was wet though. Which meant only one thing. Somehow, somewhere, the shower (all tiled from floor to ceiling, and on the opposite side of the kitchen wall) had a leak. Either in the drain (and above the concrete slab foundation) or in the water supply lines. Not good. Not good at all. There was a lot of water continuing to seep into the kitchen, pantry, under wall trim and so forth. It made sense...the water had driven those nasty little worm creatures out. They were probably attracted to the dampness behind the walls...yes, that was most likely the source. Uh-oh. So we might have had water there for quite some time. Not. Good. Indeed, those little bugs turned out to be the least of our problems.
Just as we were busily mopping up water, my Mom called, then my Dad with some sad news. A member of our congregation, a man only around 50, died from 2 blood clots hitting his heart. The result of another recent injury. He leaves behind his 65-yr-old wife; though mismatched in age, the couple loved eachother dearly, took good care of one another, and lived simply and frugally. We were quite concerned for his dear wife, no doubt devastated by this sudden and tragic loss—but—holding up well under the circumstances. In the midst of our own mini-crisis, I am thankful that our crisis can be fixed (eventually) and cleaned up...her life has changed forever. A sobering thought.
We soaked up towels of water all day long, as water continued to seep under floor trim...this afternoon my Dad dropped by to have a look. My husband had to change clothes and leave for work. So my Dad (thankfully!) tore off some trim, pieces of wallboard (which was soft behind the trim—yikes!), and then cut a square of wall from the pantry closet which reveals the water supply lines for the shower. Bingo. Corrosion. The upside is, the shower shouldn’t need to be torn out, as it isn’t a drain issue and the pipes are now visible. I can also use the sink, dishwasher, washing machine, and toilet—just not the shower; that helps with convenience, as I have piles of laundry to do (as usual!), and now a pile of wet towels to wash and dry. The downside is, I have pinhole leaks in the supply line which are dripping water currently...my kitchen is a mess, my laundry/bath/pantry is disheveled...and we haven’t talked to a plumber yet, so we don’t know what kind of bill we’re looking at. And water is still seeping.
After a day like this, I am exhausted. I’ve missed the usual rest a Sunday brings, the time to enjoy one another, read to the kids and so forth. But I felt the necessity to make dinner for the little ones. Something worthwhile to fill their tummies before bed. And so, taking stock of what I had on hand, and with only a tiny bit of energy left, here is what I made. It turned out well and the kids loved it!
Spaghetti Frittata
8 eggs
8 oz pkg diced ham
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
About 2 cups leftover cooked spaghetti
Some green onions, chopped
Extra cheese for topping, if desired
Whisk eggs in bowl. Stir in ham, cheese, spaghetti, and onions. Pour into baking dish and sprinkle more cheese over the top. Pop it into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Pull it out and enjoy! If you have a bit more spaghetti leftover, go ahead and toss it all into the mixture; if you have less, adjust the recipe. If you want to add mushrooms (I forgot mine!!) or another vegetable such as spinach, do that. You could also make it in a skillet if you’d rather, and cook till the eggs are set. I was too tired to stand by the stove tonight, so I baked mine.
It all started this morning...we noticed a couple of little mealy worms on the kitchen floor. The kind that infests flour and such products. No big deal. Kill them and find the infestation...usually a bag of flour...get rid of it, and problem solved. I’ve only had one infestation before, years ago, in another home. It was awful, but after tossing some bags and boxes and spraying and cleaning the pantry cabinet, no more problems. And 2 little wormy creatures didn’t really equal an infestation anyway. But those couple worms turned into a LOT of them; they kept coming out. And we kept killing them. There wasn’t really a source...a nearly empty box of cornstarch perhaps...no flour sacks, no oatmeal boxes. Nothing else. Weird I thought...wonder where they came from and what is driving them to crawl into daylight? We spent all morning killing the little creatures, vacuuming, mopping every inch of vinyl flooring.... Finally, they are all gone. And my kitchen needed a good mop anyway :)
About the time we finally finished with the little wormy creatures, I noticed a puddle of water on the floor, in front of the cabinets. Kind of a big puddle. Another one was in front of the pantry closet in an adjoining laundry/bath. Hmmmmm. In fact, getting on my hands and knees, I noticed that the kick plates (trim boards under cabinets) were seeping water. Nothing under the sink though...and no leaking from the dishwasher. The floor of the pantry closet was wet though. Which meant only one thing. Somehow, somewhere, the shower (all tiled from floor to ceiling, and on the opposite side of the kitchen wall) had a leak. Either in the drain (and above the concrete slab foundation) or in the water supply lines. Not good. Not good at all. There was a lot of water continuing to seep into the kitchen, pantry, under wall trim and so forth. It made sense...the water had driven those nasty little worm creatures out. They were probably attracted to the dampness behind the walls...yes, that was most likely the source. Uh-oh. So we might have had water there for quite some time. Not. Good. Indeed, those little bugs turned out to be the least of our problems.
Just as we were busily mopping up water, my Mom called, then my Dad with some sad news. A member of our congregation, a man only around 50, died from 2 blood clots hitting his heart. The result of another recent injury. He leaves behind his 65-yr-old wife; though mismatched in age, the couple loved eachother dearly, took good care of one another, and lived simply and frugally. We were quite concerned for his dear wife, no doubt devastated by this sudden and tragic loss—but—holding up well under the circumstances. In the midst of our own mini-crisis, I am thankful that our crisis can be fixed (eventually) and cleaned up...her life has changed forever. A sobering thought.
We soaked up towels of water all day long, as water continued to seep under floor trim...this afternoon my Dad dropped by to have a look. My husband had to change clothes and leave for work. So my Dad (thankfully!) tore off some trim, pieces of wallboard (which was soft behind the trim—yikes!), and then cut a square of wall from the pantry closet which reveals the water supply lines for the shower. Bingo. Corrosion. The upside is, the shower shouldn’t need to be torn out, as it isn’t a drain issue and the pipes are now visible. I can also use the sink, dishwasher, washing machine, and toilet—just not the shower; that helps with convenience, as I have piles of laundry to do (as usual!), and now a pile of wet towels to wash and dry. The downside is, I have pinhole leaks in the supply line which are dripping water currently...my kitchen is a mess, my laundry/bath/pantry is disheveled...and we haven’t talked to a plumber yet, so we don’t know what kind of bill we’re looking at. And water is still seeping.
After a day like this, I am exhausted. I’ve missed the usual rest a Sunday brings, the time to enjoy one another, read to the kids and so forth. But I felt the necessity to make dinner for the little ones. Something worthwhile to fill their tummies before bed. And so, taking stock of what I had on hand, and with only a tiny bit of energy left, here is what I made. It turned out well and the kids loved it!
Spaghetti Frittata
8 eggs
8 oz pkg diced ham
1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
About 2 cups leftover cooked spaghetti
Some green onions, chopped
Extra cheese for topping, if desired
Whisk eggs in bowl. Stir in ham, cheese, spaghetti, and onions. Pour into baking dish and sprinkle more cheese over the top. Pop it into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Pull it out and enjoy! If you have a bit more spaghetti leftover, go ahead and toss it all into the mixture; if you have less, adjust the recipe. If you want to add mushrooms (I forgot mine!!) or another vegetable such as spinach, do that. You could also make it in a skillet if you’d rather, and cook till the eggs are set. I was too tired to stand by the stove tonight, so I baked mine.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
A Week's Worth of Blessings
Well, another week has come and gone...and a busy one around our home, it was! So, I completely missed my usual “Thankful Thursday” post, without even realizing it. Oops. But I must say, despite some normal difficulties encountered, the week did hold plenty to be thankful for. Today I will call them “Blessings”.
I’ve said this before, but we really do have a wonderful library system in our city, and I’m so thankful for this resource! I particularly enjoyed checking out a few books for myself this week.
A delightful new e-zine publication, Seasonal Delights, just in time to welcome in the season of Autumn. I enjoyed printing some of the lovely pages this week, which included new recipes to try!
My friend and “Japanese sister” (we go back to high school, when she came to America to complete her education) came by for a visit this week. She even brought me a Starbucks. What a way to start the day!!
Just a few days after praying about some of our family needs, another friend (also from high school!) brought over 3 bags of clothing for my children! Her 3 kids are each about 1-2 years ahead of mine (by age) and so their outgrown clothes work perfectly for my kids. Among the items is a winter coat for my youngest...winter coats for my older two were received several weeks ago as well. It is an amazing blessing to receive hand-me-downs, and it is a pleasure to turn around then, and pass our outgrown items to another family and keep the circle going.
My blood sugar levels have been relatively easy to maintain with this pregnancy; at least so far! I do try and be careful to keep my protein intake high and my carb intake lower, but it is truly a blessing to be somewhat relaxed about it. (I had gestational diabetes in my last pregnancy, and therefore have strong potential to develop it again).
I received the “Nice Matters” award from another blogging friend on xanga. If you haven’t met Karen, do drop by and say “hi” to her. She is raising a large family, but somehow makes it look easy and delightful. I’ve been inspired to relax and enjoy my growing family, through reading her blog for over a year now. Her compliments to me were so sweet and humbling, and it is truly a delight to be an encouragement to the other ladies I meet, or those who simply drop in to read my blog.
Another hour or so, and I will be finished going through my children’s clothing for the next season...this becomes a bigger job with each child, but is a necessary one, and I don’t mind doing it at all. It just takes some time and patience.
My eyelet-trimmed baby quilt is completed (a simple patchwork), along with a few other small sewing projects. If our digital camera was working, I’d take photos to post. I love to sew, and it is a joy to have time here and there to work on this hobby.
A fresh new week is just around the corner, and with it, will come a couple days of cooler temperatures, and the possibility for rain; which we really do need. Some fresh air will be wonderful and we might just have some perfect ‘outdoor’ days ahead!
My husband and my children are always cherished. Oh, we have our days, our moments...there are times I really feel the need to escape to the nearest Starbucks...but I am so thankful for each of them, and for this precious life I carry. She is becoming quite active and I love the frequent reminders of her presence, which come along with every roll and kick!
I’ve said this before, but we really do have a wonderful library system in our city, and I’m so thankful for this resource! I particularly enjoyed checking out a few books for myself this week.
A delightful new e-zine publication, Seasonal Delights, just in time to welcome in the season of Autumn. I enjoyed printing some of the lovely pages this week, which included new recipes to try!
My friend and “Japanese sister” (we go back to high school, when she came to America to complete her education) came by for a visit this week. She even brought me a Starbucks. What a way to start the day!!
Just a few days after praying about some of our family needs, another friend (also from high school!) brought over 3 bags of clothing for my children! Her 3 kids are each about 1-2 years ahead of mine (by age) and so their outgrown clothes work perfectly for my kids. Among the items is a winter coat for my youngest...winter coats for my older two were received several weeks ago as well. It is an amazing blessing to receive hand-me-downs, and it is a pleasure to turn around then, and pass our outgrown items to another family and keep the circle going.
My blood sugar levels have been relatively easy to maintain with this pregnancy; at least so far! I do try and be careful to keep my protein intake high and my carb intake lower, but it is truly a blessing to be somewhat relaxed about it. (I had gestational diabetes in my last pregnancy, and therefore have strong potential to develop it again).
I received the “Nice Matters” award from another blogging friend on xanga. If you haven’t met Karen, do drop by and say “hi” to her. She is raising a large family, but somehow makes it look easy and delightful. I’ve been inspired to relax and enjoy my growing family, through reading her blog for over a year now. Her compliments to me were so sweet and humbling, and it is truly a delight to be an encouragement to the other ladies I meet, or those who simply drop in to read my blog.
Another hour or so, and I will be finished going through my children’s clothing for the next season...this becomes a bigger job with each child, but is a necessary one, and I don’t mind doing it at all. It just takes some time and patience.
My eyelet-trimmed baby quilt is completed (a simple patchwork), along with a few other small sewing projects. If our digital camera was working, I’d take photos to post. I love to sew, and it is a joy to have time here and there to work on this hobby.
A fresh new week is just around the corner, and with it, will come a couple days of cooler temperatures, and the possibility for rain; which we really do need. Some fresh air will be wonderful and we might just have some perfect ‘outdoor’ days ahead!
My husband and my children are always cherished. Oh, we have our days, our moments...there are times I really feel the need to escape to the nearest Starbucks...but I am so thankful for each of them, and for this precious life I carry. She is becoming quite active and I love the frequent reminders of her presence, which come along with every roll and kick!
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