jennifer, Author at Hopeful Homemaker

Phone Call

February 1, 2011 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty

We got a phone call Saturday afternoon from the Ski Patrol of a nearby ski resort.

Our oldest son had gone snowboarding with two of his buddies for the day. On the last run he caught an edge and wiped out, hitting his head and knocking himself out momentarily.

His friends weren’t with him at the moment; they were waiting for him at the bottom. It had been a great day, all of them working on cool tricks and techniques.

A couple of people noticed him laying face down in the snow. They stopped to help, rousing him, asking him questions and determining that he was pretty scrambled (unable to remember his name, etc.). They got him up and helped him down the mountain and to the Ski Patrol, who called us.

The diagnosis: a concussion.

Worried as we were, I had to laugh. Naturally. Naturally he would do something like this.

He’s still wearing is wrist brace to protect the wrist he broke four days before Christmas. It’s been nine months since his surgery . You could say that he’s had quite a year, but it wouldn’t be true. He’s always been like this. More than 90% of our emergencies involve him. I used to wonder when it would slow down or even end, but that was foolish.

He is who he is. Rough water is what he swims in. It’s just his style. My job is to worry less, trust more, breathe instead of holding my breath.

Some of us experience the Lord’s protection by avoiding most accidents, injuries, etc. Others experience the Lord’s protection by sustaining injury but averting disaster. His life plan seems to be the latter.

We spent Saturday night waking him up periodically to ask questions, getting scrambled answers, looking at each other in the dark, wondering if it was sleep or the concussion, wondering if he needed further medical attention. The body that looks so enormous to me lately didn’t look as big all curled up on the couch trying to make sense of the simple question, “What is your name?”

True to form, by Sunday night it was apparent that although he had a massive headache, he was himself. No serious damage. Once more, injury but not disaster.

And we are thankful. Thankful he was wearing a helmet. Thankful for two strangers whom we’ll never get to thank for stopping on a cold mountain to check on a motionless body. Thankful for two friends who sat with him until their ride home arrived. Thankful for Ski Patrol personnel who watched him until he left. Thankful for a friend’s mother who drove him home. Thankful for a doctor who answered his phone on a Saturday night to give us further instruction. Thankful for a God who heard our prayers and protected him. Thankful to a God who is healing him.

Thankful for a son who is introducing me to a life approach that I would have been perfectly content NOT to experience. Thankful for the treasure trove of stories he’s collecting to tell his children someday(far more exciting than mine, I’m sure). Thankful that he’s stretching us, even if sometimes the stretching leaves gaping holes. Thankful for the greatness of his heart and depth of his feeling, even when it is communicated poorly. Thankful for all the learning that raising your first teenager brings. Thankful that he puts up with us rookies.

And you move on to the next adventure.
Life is good.

Hopeful Homemaker

One comment 8 kids

My View

January 31, 2011 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty

There is a direct correlation between healthy babies and a smoothly running household. If the baby is sick, the household doesn’t run properly. I’m grateful as can be for a now healthy little one, and a household that is slowly coming to order once more.

I must pause, however, (now that I’ve had some sleep and my head is clear) and note that there is something wonderful about sick babies. It’s that they need you so much. They need you to hold them, snuggle them, carry them everywhere. They can’t get enough of you, neither can they seem to get high enough on you. (Have you noticed how they just climb higher and higher when they’re not feeling well, until they’re almost perched on your shoulders and head like an eagle?) They need to be all over you, in your face, until they’re the only thing you can see.

They need to fill your view.

I’ve spent weeks holding a crusty-nosed 17 month old who wanted me to do nothing but make her feel better. We spent countless minutes together with her perching on me in various positions, trying to find relief.

And as much as I hated it, I also loved it.

My three year old also spent a few days like this. It’s definitely tougher when two of them are warring for your everything. Still, it’s a priceless opportunity to have them want you, to be the one they think can fix it.

Yes, they wipe boogers all over you and cry and arch their backs and thrash around.

Yet it also means they’re close enough for you to study them, to drink them in. Close enough to contemplate their sweet little hands, close enough to look deeply in their eyes, close enough to marvel at their eyelashes and relish the chubby sweetness of their smell. When they’re healthy, they don’t want to sit still long enough for you to wonder at these things; they’ve got a world to explore. When they’re healthy they’re off on adventure. When they’re sick YOU are home.

If you think about it, changing clothes several times a day is a small price to pay for this privilege. In fact, all the mundane things we do are small in exchange. It’s an honor to be a mother, even a mother who hasn’t had any sleep and who can’t remember the last time her shirt was clean twenty minutes after her shower.

Forget the clean clothes (but maybe not the sleep). I’ll take the view.

Precious.

Hopeful Homemaker

A Year of Habits, no. 4

January 30, 2011 jennifer Helpfulness of Habit

“Every individual can improve from day to day, from year to year, and have greater capacity to do things as the years come and years go.” -Heber J. Grant I read an interesting story about Heber J. Grant recently. As a boy he was a terrible baseball player, too weak to run or bat well, and he attracted a lot of teasing from his peers. He vowed to himself that he would someday play on the best team his age and win the championship of the Utah Territory. He shined shoes until he’d earned enough money to buy a baseball, which he spent hours and hours throwing at his neighbor’s barn. His arm ached so he could hardly sleep at night, but he pushed on. Eventually he worked his way from the worst team to the middle team, and finally to the best team. That team won the championship of the Utah territory. He then said, “Having thus made good my promise to myself, I retired from the baseball arena.”

He developed such a reputation for persistence throughout his life that it was later said of him, “he never criticized other men’s weaknesses but made war on his own.”

I love that statement. I want to be like that, so busy working on my own faults that I have no time left to criticize others.

It’s been a busy week. I’ve worked hard. At last my baby’s smile has returned after a month of illness and it is even sweeter than I remembered. It’s amazing what two or three nights of sleep can do for the spirits of both baby and mom. She’s making up for lost time, devising new ways to climb on top of my kitchen counter and working hard to lose every toothbrush in the house in a matter of minutes. I am so grateful for a healthy family, grateful for all the challenges we are spared through the simple gift of healthy bodies.

I still feel like mastering the schedule I’ve outlined for myself is the great key to success in all areas. The week didn’t produce what I sought in that area, but when faced with obstacles I made good decisions, trying to consciously choose between essential, important and nice-to-do tasks. Habits take time. I’m not in this for what January yields; I’m in it for the long run.

Looking back o the week, I have the following things to note:

1. We’ve added a couple of experiences to our Miracle Box . I love this.
2. I’m participating in this challenge . Although not one day has gone as planned, I’m making progress. My exercise regimen is improving, I’m eating 7 servings of fruits and veggies consistently each day, and it feels good.
3. My focus on planning is making a difference. It’s also helping my husband and I plan more specifically for the needs of individual children. Eight people still feels like a lot of responsibility to us. We’re getting better at it.
4. Tonight was week two of a special religious study plan we created for our older children. I’m excited to keep working on it and am so thankful for answered prayers in this matter.
5. I finished something every day. Somehow the disgust I felt with myself months ago still lingers in the form of motivation to become a finisher. I am tired of half-done projects, great or small, and am going to conquer this.
6. This one regards my children. We’ve improved greatly in our Friday afternoon homework sessions. I love getting it done early instead of having it hang over our heads as the weekends progress. We don’t do homework on Sunday and it’s not fun to have to wake the children up early Monday morning to do homework if we forgot.

As the month draws to a close my heart is full of gratitude for the wonder of being a mother. I worry that I do too much dumping on this blog and not enough praising my Heavenly Father for the privilege of doing what I do. It is hard, to be sure, and this stage has been particularly challenging for me personally, but I am living my greatest dream. I get to face every day with my best friend at my side. I don’t know why God has entrusted such amazing people to my care but I’m awfully grateful for this chance of a lifetime: raising a family. I know that God is aware of us and that He will help me become the mother my children need me to be. His grace is sufficient for the day. To quote a favorite song (sung by my wonderful friend Julene) “My grateful spirit sings.”

Good night.

Jennifer

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