What a day!

Tuesdays are our wildest days of the week. We have schoolwork to do in the morning, of course, the boys have reading class, Caris has ballet and soccer practice, and Malachi and Graham have soccer practice. And somewhere in there, we must find time for a quiet time of some sort, lest we all fall apart.

Since a few of us were sick over the weekend, my friend Naomi offered to take Caris (who is well) to the fair with her family today. I said yes, but then later changed my mind because it just started feeling way too hectic today, and I started to wonder if it was a good idea to send Caris to the fair anyway, with the rest of us having a cold. What if she had it and just wasn't showing symptoms yet? Anyway - boy, I wish I'd sent her to the fair!!

At about 10:30 I was sitting at the table, getting ready to play Amazing Grace on YouTube so we could all sing along. Suddenly Caris screamed. I looked up and to my horror, her finger was stuck between the blades of my sharp orange scissors, which Canaan had apparently closed on her finger. Upon seeing this, I screamed as well, which I guess was good because Canaan dropped the scissors and ran.

I grabbed a dish towel and wrapped her finger quickly so as not to have to see the cut - er, I mean - so that the bleeding would stop. I sat on the couch and held her finger up while holding it tightly and kissing her very much. She was crying but calming down. I finally took a look at the cut and it was about an inch long and bleeding a lot, obviously somewhat deep. I called Alif and he was all the way across town so I had Malachi help get Caris some shoes and put pressure on her finger while I got Canaan ready to go.

Canaan's cries led me to his room, where he lay on his bed, shaking and crying. Poor baby, the whole accident was pretty traumatic for him too. I got his shoes on and we sped off for the urgent care. Which was not open yet. Grrr. Of course I'd left in such a hurry that I didn't have my cell phone, so we just headed to the closest emergency room, which happened to be really nice and not at all crowded.

The ER doctor was really fantastic. He cracked jokes with all the kids - including Caris, who was totally giggly by this time. He said she looks like a little Daryl Hannah . . . not sure I see the resemblance . . .

but anyway, by this time it had finally stopped bleeding and he said that he could just glue it together with Dermabond. HOORAY!! No stitches!! So several coats of Dermabond and one finger splint later, we will miss ballet and soccer this week but sissy's going to be juuust fine.

What drama!

Quoting a Quoter

I skimmed through my Google Reader this morning and this post was sitting amongst over 500 that were waiting to be read - er, more likely, deleted.

homeschool vs. public school.

Right off the bat I can see that the author is contentious. One doesn't compare two options unless they are weighing them.

The point of the article she quotes is that sending children to public school is beneficial, and this original author argues his point well. Kind of. I mean, I don't agree with what he has to say, but I see where he's coming from and I can respect his opinion.

Here's what irks me. It's not that these two bloggers are anti-homeschooling (I don't think either one is vehemently opposed or anything - they have simply decided it's not what's best for their family) but that there has to be a comparison, a criticism, a justification - at all. It makes me wonder, though: people who send their children to public school, do you regularly feel criticized for it by homeschoolers?

Most of my friends' kids are in a traditional school setting, whether private or public school. I can't think of a single friend that I think is making the wrong choice. I know that they have weighed their options. They have prayed and discussed and chosen to school in a certain way. And I don't stand in judgment even a tiny bit. I don't want anyone judging my decisions and I don't have a right to judge theirs either.

It's crazy and sad that we cannot stand together as a Christian community and support one another. Love one another. Encourage one another. There is so much tearing down that moms and dads are left feeling isolated and alone and criticized. Can't we just stop this and help each other to be better parents??

Fearless

Fearless. It's not the first word I'd think of to describe myself. As a matter of fact, I'll just be blunt and tell you that fear is probably my biggest and longest-lasting struggle in life. I have always felt that I'm more fearful than almost everybody, but the more I open up to those around me, the more I realize that we're all afraid. It's universal. It wears different masks, but we're all afraid of something.



Still, when I saw the tag-line of Max Lucado's new book Fearless, I was intrigued.

Imagine Your Life Without Fear

Imagine indeed! I knew this was a book I needed to have as soon as possible. When it arrived in the mail I skimmed through the chapter titles, each of which address a specific fear . . .

of not mattering
of disappointing God
of running out
of not protecting my kids
of overwhelming challenges
of worst-case scenarios
of violence
of the coming winter
of life's final moments
of what's next
that God is not real
of global calamity
of God getting out of my box

Any of those resonate with you? More than a few do for me.

Did your high-school teachers ever get onto the book choices you used in your report papers? You know how they'd say that by the time a book is in print it's completely outdated? Well, I dare them to read Fearless, then. It's very current and completely applicable. It's full of Scripture, and as we know, Scripture is never outdated. Mr. Lucado addresses our worst, our most embarrassing, our least-discussed fears with candor and comfort.

Go read it. It's worth your time.