Sunday, July 6, 2014

Don't underestimate the Little Man!

Callum isn't our middle child technically but let's be honest he sort of has that label.  On one bookend I have crazy Harm who is the family scholar and avid sportsman.  Than we have Rachel our amazingly strong gymnast and dancer.  Both at a young age have received recognition and I'm always proud of them.  Callum I've always appreciated his sweet gentle loving fun spirit he brings to every single person and everything he does.  I'm always proud of him just as much!!!!

Now this Summer something special happened.  David (the destroyer) who is Harm and Cally's much treasured hero and teacher pulled me aside.   He told me what a delight Callum is in his class and how his maturity is way beyond any of his peers.  That through his hard work he has gained some serious strength and will be promoted to the same special private class Harm did before he joined team track this semester.

I'm so proud of Callum and humbled how his light shines so brightly.  Not only does he have talents like soccer and now gym but he has a heart of peace and goodness that shines brighter than just his talents.

Sleeping Kitty...

Last month I spoke about starting a new method of treatment that was making me sick.  The treatment is methotrexate, a form of chemotherapy.  While I've been on it in the past it has never been dosed like it has recently.  The usual for me has been 4 pills once per week.  Now it is 14, which is very very strong and the max pill dose.  Next week they are likely going to start injections because I'm on the max pill dose.

So it sucks but I'm doing better with it.  The trick is sleeping.  I sleep now the same amount, if not more than my babies averaging ten to eleven hours a day.  This of course is really halting me with some of the things I'm doing.  I've been doing marketing projects from home but for now that is dead in the water.  I'm going instead try and just focus only on my masters and my kids.  It's a step back for me but the more I rest the more I'm me when it comes to my waking hours.  My kids are getting the best of me, my husband is, my friends are, and my writing is.  

I just try to remember a scripture in our church that says: be still and know that I am God.  I hate being still but The Lord is teaching me a lesson and I'm getting it.  The kids and I are having our best Summer ever and I know that once the progress of my disease is stymied it will pass, but hopefully I won't forget the lessons I'm learning.

Here are the lyrics of a nice song initially found in the Lutheren Hymn book which reminds me of these principles.

"Be Still, My Soul"
by Catharina von Schlegel, 1697-?
Translated by Jane Borthwick, 1813-1897

1. Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly, Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

3. Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay
From His own fulness all He takes away.

4. Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Hymn #651 
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Psalm 46:10
Author: Catharine Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel, 1752, cento
Translated by: Jane Borthwick, 1855
Titled: "Stille, mein Wille"
Composer: Jean Sibelius, b. 1865, arr.
Tune: "Finlandia"

Take me Out of the Ballgame!

Let me preface that we have the coolest Tball friends.  The coaches are just amazing and Crstal and BJ who lead the team are superhuman.  With that said, oy, Tball is a really arduous sport and I'm quietly grateful it is over.

Gym and dance are very time consuming sports.  There is no way around it.  We do 1.5 hour practices on Tue and Fri plus two hours on Saturday.  Tball practices had a very similar schedule but the biggest problem was that our Spring in this part of the country sucks.  It is incredibly dusty and windy, sometimes cold, sometimes sweltering and rarely pleasant.  Oh and the games take FOREVER!  Than there was Harm, he never complains about going to gym, EVER but Tball took an act of congress to get him to each practice or game.

Yet while I was complaining on a regular basis something magical happened.  I've noticed that Tball and baseball is a sport where there is a lot of tradition.  We have several friends who have batting cages, and they go to really expensive camps.everything from your bat to the uniforms cost a lot.  Our team did a lot of fundraising but we didn't buy the expensive practice equipment or go to camps.  Instead they practiced really hard.  We didn't have even one of the big superstars on our team (yes even Tball has superstars known in the city that teams recruit) but we still did great.  The boys won second overall in the city and I was proud of Harm!

I'm glad for now it is done.  The coaches are already planning on strategy for going into coach pitch next season.  They are going to start earlier and work harder... Oy!  Some of our family has encouraged us just to quit and part of me wants too but I think of all the lessons Harm and I both have learned and I'm so proud of him.  So I guess next year, take me out to the ball game, even if I would rather say take out of the ball game.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Don't underestimate the Little Man!

Callum isn't our middle child technically but let's be honest he sort of has that label.  On one bookend I have crazy Harm who is the family scholar and avid sportsman.  Than we have Rachel our amazingly strong gymnast and dancer.  Both at a young age have received recognition and I'm always proud of them.  Callum I've always appreciated his sweet gentle loving fun spirit he brings to every single person and everything he does.  I'm always proud of him just as much!!!!

Now this Summer something special happened.  David (the destroyer) who is Harm and Cally's much treasured hero and teacher pulled me aside.   He told me what a delight Callum is in his class and how his maturity is way beyond any of his peers.  That through his hard work he has gained some serious strength and will be promoted to the same special private class Harm did before he joined team track this semester.

I'm so proud of Callum and humbled how his light shines so brightly.  Not only does he have talents like soccer and now gym but he has a heart of peace and goodness that shines brighter than just his talents.

Sleeping Kitty...

Last month I spoke about starting a new method of treatment that was making me sick.  The treatment is methotrexate, a form of chemotherapy.  While I've been on it in the past it has never been dosed like it has recently.  The usual for me has been 4 pills once per week.  Now it is 14, which is very very strong and the max pill dose.  Next week they are likely going to start injections because I'm on the max pill dose.

So it sucks but I'm doing better with it.  The trick is sleeping.  I sleep now the same amount, if not more than my babies averaging ten to eleven hours a day.  This of course is really halting me with some of the things I'm doing.  I've been doing marketing projects from home but for now that is dead in the water.  I'm going instead try and just focus only on my masters and my kids.  It's a step back for me but the more I rest the more I'm me when it comes to my waking hours.  My kids are getting the best of me, my husband is, my friends are, and my writing is.  

I just try to remember a scripture in our church that says: be still and know that I am God.  I hate being still but The Lord is teaching me a lesson and I'm getting it.  The kids and I are having our best Summer ever and I know that once the progress of my disease is stymied it will pass, but hopefully I won't forget the lessons I'm learning.

Here are the lyrics of a nice song initially found in the Lutheren Hymn book which reminds me of these principles.

"Be Still, My Soul"
by Catharina von Schlegel, 1697-?
Translated by Jane Borthwick, 1813-1897

1. Be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul; thy best, thy heavenly, Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

3. Be still, my soul, though dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears;
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrows and thy fears.
Be still, my soul; thy Jesus can repay
From His own fulness all He takes away.

4. Be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul; when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Hymn #651 
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Psalm 46:10
Author: Catharine Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel, 1752, cento
Translated by: Jane Borthwick, 1855
Titled: "Stille, mein Wille"
Composer: Jean Sibelius, b. 1865, arr.
Tune: "Finlandia"

Take me Out of the Ballgame!

Let me preface that we have the coolest Tball friends.  The coaches are just amazing and Crstal and BJ who lead the team are superhuman.  With that said, oy, Tball is a really arduous sport and I'm quietly grateful it is over.

Gym and dance are very time consuming sports.  There is no way around it.  We do 1.5 hour practices on Tue and Fri plus two hours on Saturday.  Tball practices had a very similar schedule but the biggest problem was that our Spring in this part of the country sucks.  It is incredibly dusty and windy, sometimes cold, sometimes sweltering and rarely pleasant.  Oh and the games take FOREVER!  Than there was Harm, he never complains about going to gym, EVER but Tball took an act of congress to get him to each practice or game.

Yet while I was complaining on a regular basis something magical happened.  I've noticed that Tball and baseball is a sport where there is a lot of tradition.  We have several friends who have batting cages, and they go to really expensive camps.everything from your bat to the uniforms cost a lot.  Our team did a lot of fundraising but we didn't buy the expensive practice equipment or go to camps.  Instead they practiced really hard.  We didn't have even one of the big superstars on our team (yes even Tball has superstars known in the city that teams recruit) but we still did great.  The boys won second overall in the city and I was proud of Harm!

I'm glad for now it is done.  The coaches are already planning on strategy for going into coach pitch next season.  They are going to start earlier and work harder... Oy!  Some of our family has encouraged us just to quit and part of me wants too but I think of all the lessons Harm and I both have learned and I'm so proud of him.  So I guess next year, take me out to the ball game, even if I would rather say take out of the ball game.