Giving Thanks part 2

Good thing I've been reading the book "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp!   On Thursday I drove down to Mankato to watch Sarah's fastpitch softball team lose their playoff game to Chanhassen, 6-0.  That wasn't so bad, as that team had been winning many games by scores of 17-0 or more.  On my way home, I called Philip (on Pete's phone) to see if the church slowpitch game had ended, or if I should come in to Willmar to see the rest of it.  I decided to attend, and halfway to Willmar Philip called to ask me to bring ice - "Dad hurt his leg.  He heard his knee pop - he hyper-extended it."  Rats.  Pete called before I got the ice to say that a member of the opposing team had brought some from his neighboring house.  We enjoyed cheering the team on to victory, 20-13, while Pete sat on the bench and Jason K. substituted on the pitcher's mound.

After the game, Lois Nelson declared, "Peter whatever-your-middle-name-is Stadem, you are going in!"  We hemmed and hawed as we drove to DQ, where Andrew and Philip purchased their usual post-game Blizzards, but finally decided we'd better get it checked out.  Daniel came to get the boys and I drove Pete to the emergency room at Rice Hospital.  After an hour or two, the X-ray revealed a compound fracture of the tibia and an insignificant fracture of the fibula.  The doctor insisted on speaking with an orthopedic surgeon and phoned Alexandria, where a Dr. Nelson recommended sending Pete home with a splinted legs and orders to call Willmar the next day to schedule surgery.   We crawled into bed at 1:30am - well, I crawled; Pete and I gingerly raised his leg to the bed and he slept on his back.  Ibuprofen controlled the pain fairly well, though.

On Friday, after numerous phone calls to Willmar, Alexandria and Olivia, we journeyed to Heartland Orthopedics in Alexandria because no orthopedic surgeon in Willmar could help us.  As it turned out, no orthopedic surgeon in Alex could help us either.  Surgery has to wait until this week because the swelling must go down or they wouldn't be able to close the incision.  We waited almost two hours for Pete's CT scan, because a sudden influx of emergency patients kept the scanner busy.  When we finally arrived home at supper time, I took a bath while Pete napped on the couch, and then I did go to the Gatewood's barn dance for about an hour.  Biggest crowd yet and so fun!

So - no trip to Plain View Farm this weekend; no softball for Pete the rest of the season; no graduation parties for him on Saturday; no going much of anywhere (just a funeral and church) until the surgery.  On the positive side - no ligaments or tendons torn (they think); no terrible pain; no work for several days, so time to think and pray about some long-term issues we've been procrastinating.  The kids have been very helpful, including taking care of the turkeys.  Lots of folks are praying for us.  And bone heals well.  God is good - all the time!

Give Thanks

I'm reading "One Thousand Gifts" by Anne Voskamp.  When her little sister died at age 6, it shut her family down and destroyed their faith in God.  She developed a critical, glass-is-half-empty attitude which colored her existence until her brother-in-law, who lost two toddlers to a genetic disease, pointed her to another possible perspective.  A friend dared her to compile a list of one thousand gifts from God, and eventually she wrote this book.  "Could it be that giving thanks is the key to a life of joy, that being grateful for what I have is possible and productive?"  (my paraphrase)

My recent struggles mirror hers to a lesser degree.  Since my last Silent Retreat (over two years ago!), when I accepted the challenge to "count my blessings," I've faithfully recorded ten blessings almost every morning.  But the rest of the day, I generally focus on what's wrong with my life, my family and my self.  Voskamp writes, "Could I live that - the choice to open the hands to freely receive whatever God gives?  If I don't I am still making a choice.  The choice not to."  Can I give thanks for the life I have now, the family I have now, the self I am now?  Even though some of it results from my own sin or mistakes or bad choices?  Lord, grant me the grace (charis) to give thanks (eucharistio).  And to finish this book!

More Transitions

We visited Sioux Falls last weekend for three purposes.  Niece Aanna graduated from Dordt College and got engaged, so we wanted to see her; Callie performed her senior harp recital, and we celebrated Mother's Day with Mom Stadem.  We arrived at about 4:30pm on Friday, and departed at 8pm on Saturday, as the Svea Sunday School kids sang in church on Sunday and needed Philip to sing with them and me to direct.

Our schedule boggles the mind:
Friday:
  5:00 - visit with Tom and Judy after bringing Andrew and Philip to their house; take a walk outside in the gorgeous sunshine
  6:30 - take Mom and Dad Stadem to Ruby Tuesday's for delicious dinner, compelling conversation and blissful blessing
  9:30 - meet Tom and Judy at the Shrine for ballroom dancing
 12:00 - back to Mom and Dad's condo to sleep
Saturday:
  8:00 - meet Aanna at HyVee for breakfast and all the details about Nick's proposal and their courtship
  9:30 - Pete finds a coffee shop; Kari drives with Tanya and Aanna to Brookings to drop the latter off so she can get a ride to Pierre for a wedding
 11:00 - Tanya and Kari stop by David and Callie's apartment so Tanya can see it and we can say hi
 11:30 - Pete helps Steve with log-splitting while Kari helps Tanya make lunch; we eat lunch with Steve, Tanya and her parents
  2:00 - Travel to Augustana
  2:30 - Enjoy Callie's fantastic performance on the harp.  All the above-mentioned people attend the recital as well
  3:30 - Help Laurie Berg serve Bundt cake and berries for a little reception after the recital.  Visit with the Browns
  5:30 - Savor Old Chicago pizza with the Bergs and the David's
  7:30 - Pick up Andrew, Philip and Greta at Tom's; bring Greta home; get coffee and tea while Philip jumps on Greta's trampoline with her
  8:30 - Travel home via Sacred Heart to wish Jeannette Agre a happy 60th birthday
  12:30 - Home!

It struck me that yet another transition forces our Sioux Falls visits to look very different.  In the past, our big blob of a family traveled down in the big van to someone's house for a big gathering with the whole family.  Now, the whole family doesn't get together much because half the cousins have separate lives.  The big group did gather on Sunday, but we couldn't be there.  Daniel and Sarah didn't even come with us because they had other things (Sarah homered in her softball game).  The fragmented family fractions require small groups instead of large blobs.  Although it makes for a lot of miles on the car, it's kind of nice to focus on individual conversation.  Every cloud has a silver lining.

Winding Down

The school year is winding down, as this coming week is supposed to be our last.  We've learned a lot this year.  I've taught Jay Wile's Chemistry to Andrew, and every time I do that, I have to relearn stoichiometry and moles; I forget them every three years for some reason.  :)

I have so many ideas for the kids to learn throughout the summer; it troubles me that it's such a hard sell.  They don't want to learn how to run a small business, or play piano by ear, or sight sing, or build a cabinet, or cook unique and delicious things.  They just want to play sports and video games!  At least they want to play sports, not just video games...

The other thing I've noticed recently is the amount of time I spend teaching Andrew and Philip.  I feel like I spend as much time teaching now as I did when I had six students.  Hope it means they're getting a better education!

Change of Seasons

Well, spring has finally sprung in Minnesota!  With a breathtaking suddenness, warm temperatures and bright sunshine melted all the snow, enticed shoots of grass to burst out of the dark ground, and brought us all out of hibernation.  Just a week passed since our nerve-wracking drive in the blizzard; now we're wearing shorts and capris and studying outside.  Philip learned to do a back flip at Joey's birthday party, and now he can perform six in a row without any jumps in between.   Cousins Rachel and Beka visited for a few days and joined us in appreciating the glorious new season we've waited so long to enjoy.

We have recognized with increasing clarity that we are experiencing a new season of life.  With six people living at home instead of nine, and two of those absent regularly, I'm cooking for four or five most of the time.      Unfortunately, I can't seem to grasp that fact, and my pantry is stuffed full of bulk and sale-priced food.  Ironically, when I had nine at home, I did once-a-month cooking fairly often; now I don't even consider it, even though theoretically it should be easier to do.  My teaching time has expanded to fit the time available, so it feels like I'm spending as much or more time teaching just two students as I did when there were six.  Of course, I hope these two are receiving a better education!  :) 

Our three youngest children function almost as a separate family from the oldest four.  Their experience on the farm differs dramatically.  When Michelle was 11, there were 39 kids (18 and under) within a mile radius, including the two turkey farms and a neighboring family.  Now there are not many, and virtually none in the tween and teen age ranges.  The other kids were able to experience all sorts of team sports out in the yard.  These three - not so much.  In fact, not at all!  So we have allowed Sarah, Andrew and Philip to play school sports before they got their driver's licenses.  Which means we're in town constantly.

For some reason, I don't get up in the morning like I used to.  I remember walking with Judy Stadem every morning at 5:30, rain or shine, in the dead of winter with our faces bundled in scarves to keep out the bitter wind.  Now I rise at 6:30, and walk on the treadmill while watching "Jeopardy!" sometime in the morning.  We do stay up til almost 11:30 most nights.  Why?  A different season.

Although the previous season of our lives lasted far longer than this winter did, I have a lot of nostalgia for it. But I need to be thankful for the current season with its blessings and trials.

Facing the Unexpected

We had a harrowing drive on Thursday evening.  The public schools dismissed students two hours early, and numerous activities posted cancellations on the local radio station, so we checked the Minnesota highway website.  The site reported "difficult driving" on a few roads, but mostly "fair driving" at 3:00 pm.  Since we had driven without incident on several occasions when many activities were cancelled, and since it was April 18, Pete figured we wouldn't have a problem and we took off at 6:15 for Mankato, intending to arrive at Grizzly's at 8:30, be seated by host Joel and order food for when he got off work.  After eating with him, we intended to drive on to Rochester for the homeschooling convention.   Andrew came with us to attend the Teen Track.

The first three miles seemed moderately uncomfortable, but when we turned off Highway 7 on to County Road 44, conditions deteriorated rapidly.  Drifting, blowing snow, ice, and snow stuck on to the roads so we couldn't see the lines slowed our progress to a crawl.  However, Pete crawled a little too fast and we began slipping off the road where it curved east.  Pete saw that we would lose this battle, so he turned into the skid as we all cried out to the Lord - "Help!!"  Thanks to God, there was a road at an angle to the one we were on, and Pete gunned the van into the ditch and drove right up out of it onto that road.  Unbelievable!

During the ensuing journey, we pulled another vehicle off the shoulder, saw a telephone wire down on the road, and spent twenty minutes tailing an ambulance with flashing red lights.  I texted Joel at 9:00 (when his shift ended), "We are near New Ulm going thirty behind an ambulance.  Call me."  He admitted to being a little "freaked out" before he called and discovered that none of us were in the ambulance!

Our two-hour trip to Mankato ended up taking four hours.  After consuming delicious appetizers, we ventured on to Rochester at greater speeds, arriving at 12:30 am.  Pete says he's learned his lesson.  We'll see.

Seven Days' Worth of Clothing

Online a month or two ago, I read an article touting the benefits of paring down one's clothes to seven days' worth.  The author contended that choosing her outfit, gazing at her closet, and laundry had grown easier since implementing this step.  I procrastinated for weeks, directing the dinner theater and preparing for Holy Week.  Then I procrastinated for days, just procrastinating.  Finally on Friday, I found another article online describing clothing needs for seven days - four short-sleeved shirts, three long-sleeved, three jeans, etc.  I adapted the list to my situation, wrote a short memo of how many different articles I needed and set to work.  After hauling all the clothes out on the floor, I started putting back only those items that fit well, looked good, gave comfort and didn't go over the limit.  I filled a bucket with sentimental, seasonal or "I might need these later" pieces, and piled up at least ten things to give away.  Now - voila!  The writer was right!  Gawking at my closet gives me the giggles; this morning I had no trouble deciding on what to wear to church, and hanging up clothes couldn't be easier with all the extra room.  I wish I had a "before" picture to post, but here's the "after" and this is a course I highly recommend.  Suffice it to say that if spring ever gets here, I will do the same with my spring and summer clothing!