Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Meet Coe

In the past year I have had this conversation with the little family that lives here:)

"I really don't want anymore pets in the house. Especially pets in cages. Cages that need to be cleaned"

So, that being said, in the past year there have been fish tanks, frog terrariums, spiders encaged and about two weeks ago I went downstairs and saw something that looked like scaffolding extending halfway up to the ceiling.

Is that a cage?

It looked like some kind of animal urban development project.

Is that a cage?

On closer inspection, I spy two coiled up ferrets in a hammock hanging from the top of the CAGE.

On a little table next to them are mini icy drinks with little umbrellas floating atop and little ferret ear buds in.. and I'm pretty sure I hear this verse:


                                                       Nibblin' on sponge cake
                                                       Watching the sun bake.
      Wasted away again in Margaritaville.
  Search'n for my lost shaker of salt. 


That part might have been an exaggeration but, they did look very comfy and obviously scored the Penthouse. 

Oh, I give up. 

If a woman is talking 
But no one is listening
It's probably the Mom. 

A few weeks ago, we had quite a stormy night. My daughter sent me a text that my grandson wanted to come upstairs with me. 

He slipped into bed with me and did the sign for "cold" and "scared." I asked him if he wanted to pray and he put his palms together. 

I prayed aloud that the Lord would protect all the animals outside in the storm then I prayed for family members. 

Aidan loves to hear their names:

Uncle Justin
Aunt Amy
Baby Penny (he cracked a smile at that name..I know because I peeked:)
Uncle John 
Aunt Sophie....

I mean, who knows....maybe its raining where they are.

I prayed for any storms that might be in their lives.....

And then this came out of my mouth:

"And Lord, would you please bring Aidan a dog"

What? 

Where did THAT come from. 

This time both our eyes popped open. 

Silence. 

Then we looked at each other and started to crack up! 

We laughed and laughed and laughed:) 

All laughed out, we drifted off to sleep in the Peace that covered us.

Storm? 

What storm..? 

The next day (the very next day!) I received a call from a friend. 

She had recently met a woman in a dog park who trained service dogs. My friend was interested in training one of her dogs to be a service dog for herself. They planned a meeting to discuss it. Sitting at Panera, my friend started to tell this woman about Aidan and she showed her a picture of him. The conversation went from HER wanting/needing a service dog, to the idea of Aidan getting a service dog. (she is one of the most generous, selfless women I know)

To make a long, beautiful, furry story short..meet Coe: 





A black lab. A recuse dog.


I went to meet him at the home of the "foster mama":) The trainer met me there (along with my friend who crafted the whole idea:) and the trainer decided he would be a great candidate for a service dog! 

Coe will be trained to sleep with Aidan and bark to get our attention if Aidan needs us. He will learn basic sign language and basically be a companion for Aidan. 

Here's my thought for the day. 

Sometimes there are dark frightening storms in our lives.

Sometime our prayers fall flat - they come back to us like an echo. No ear to catch them. No response. Some prayers seem to go unanswered. 

"I know Lord, why your utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away...What other answer would suffice? - C. S. Lewis. 

And then there are the prayers that are answered before you even pray them. ("And Lord, please bring  Aidan a dog") They are all tied up with a bow...waiting to be delivered once uttered:)

Woof..






Thursday, September 11, 2014

No Ordinary Day

Today is good so I want to make note of it. I want to remember.

Today.

It's September 11th. I remember September 11, 2001. I went blueberry picking at a local farm. It was quiet and peaceful - a pretty strange comparison to what had happened earlier that morning.

Unbelievable.

Since that time, I've tried to mark that day by doing something wholesome and well, normal.

Because that was no ordinary day, I try to emphasize and appreciate the normal everyday things I tend to take for granted.

I've recently learned that of the "Ten Happiest Small Places In America"... I live in #4.

That's pretty smiley;)

So, seems like a walk into this happy little town would be a good choice for this normal, ordinary day of mine.

I wondered if I could pull Aidan away from his computer games to take a trip to Disneyland ( er..I mean Downtown Blacksburg)... and he seemed pretty excited to do so.

That makes me pretty smiley:)

His seizures are getting worse so he has not been able to go to school and he can't really "walk the walk" with me, so I buckle and strap him into his red chair.

And we are off!

I think the rule is to walk towards on coming traffic, but we don't. Because I'm old and I do what I want.

La la la.

And, if we did, we wouldn't be able to play the awesome walking game I made up.

As we hear a car approaching from behind (and I pray they aren't texing) I say to Aidan "Aidan, I believe the next car to pass us will be......" Then I fill in the blank with the color. If I say "white" and a big black truck races by, Aidan pounds is fists into his knees in sheer agony that I was wrong. He's quite theatrical about it all:) I think that comes from being non-verbal..he definitely means to get his point across.

 If I guess correctly, he throws his hands up, fist pumps the air and laughs and laughs! Then we do a "victory lap" and I spin him around in his chair doing donuts.

Its pretty smiley:)

I'm not sure where our walk will take us. He might want to go to a bakery.  I guess I will if he makes me.....



I know what makes this such a happy town! The bread! Thanks to Bollo's and Our Daily Bread, I haven't had to buy a grocery store loaf of bread in over 20 years. Nope, not when there is Honey Wheat, Lemon Poppy seed, Portuguese Sweet and every European bread known to man.

Oh, thank you Jesus, that gluten is my friend!

Hallelujah! :)

We take our treat to the Farmer's Market lawn. I unbuckle Aidan from his chair. I have a wide rubber band that I wrap across his chest and hold on from the back so he is arms free. He wants to push his chair.




I think this gives him a feeling of power. (Or maybe he just likes things with wheels:)

A woman walks across the lawn and says hello and wants to hug Aidan. She fills him up with positive affirmations.

"Look at you go!"
"You are so strong!"
"I admire you!"

She tells me she owns the Ethiopian restaurant next store.

She says:

"I want you to come and eat with me"
"Anytime! Anytime!"
"I want you to come eat, anytime... on me"

Her kindness and big hearted invitation brings tears to my eyes.

Well, I can't just stand there and cry.

Not in the 4th happiest town in America...

She wants to feed us.

Is there any more gracious offer than that?

She tells me I am doing a good thing with my day.

She has no idea what this means to me.

I am rethinking this.

Maybe this is ...No ordinary day.









Sunday, September 7, 2014

Grandparents Day!

This is my traditional post for Grandparents day! And look...it's Grandparents day!

It's been fun to write about my grandchildren. Aidan is my oldest so he has two poems (he's been around the longest:)
Aidan was born with a condition called Polymicrogyria. He is non-verbal and this condition is fluid and constantly changing. We never, ever take for granted a day with Aidan. He is precious, funny, happy and one of the best little human beings I have ever had the pleasure of knowing:) The best laugh I have ever heard!

AIDAN

Aidan talks with his hands
It tilts our world and changed the plan

Unaware of life's twists and turns
What we don't know, we soon must learn

Darkness tries to deposit fear
We cast it out ~ the Light appears

How much love does he possess? 
He's perfect in his brokenness. 




NO WORDS

No words
Slow starts
Big Smile
Melts hearts

Little words from little hands
A slight divergence from well laid plans

Not always sure to run this race
God steps in
Amazing Grace

No words
Slow starts
Big smiles
Melts hearts



And then came the news that a granddaughter was on her way! I wrote this while she was 'cook'n' in her mama's tummy before we knew her name:)

LITTLE BABY GIRL

Bird by bird
You'll make number three
Little baby girl
So precious to me

Growing strong and unafraid
The Lord declares you fearfully made

Little baby bird
What kind of girl will you be? 

I'm waiting
                   and waiting
                                       and waiting to see...

Cowboy boots and faded blues?
Layered in ruffles of a pink tutu? 

Dotted with glitter on lips and eyes?
Or out the door to make mud pies!

Already loved and prayed for in faith
Cover her Lord with your favor and grace

Bird by bird
You'll make number three
Little baby bird
So precious to me


                                      And here she is all grown up:) Miss Penny Ruth Thomas


In between these two precious ones we had an experience with adoption. It was a good situation and the baby has a wonderful home with precious parents. But, I will tell you this, adoption is process. (and I'm only the grandparent..my only job was in a supporting role) But, I remember coming home from the hospital and having a little panic attach and thinking "what have we done?..I need to go back and get our baby.. I couldn't sleep and couldn't sleep then this song come to mind. 

When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
And I fall asleep
Counting my blessings


So many blessings to go around with this situation. We are a fortunate family! 
So I cried...and then jotted these thoughts down. 


 ANOTHER NEST

I have another little bird but he lives in a different nest. He was a gift from one mothers heart to the other. 
The one act healing an emptiness in each. A plan so lovingly designed by the Lord that I stand back in awe and fall on my knees in worship.
Beauty for ashes.
Out of chaos, a plan

I send this one heart whispers. I picture them traveling through the night sky, slipping through his window..spreading across his little chest and dropping into his heart.
A love beat.
Things I want him to know.
I whisper that I love him.
Life whispers
I listen closely
Just in case he whispers back. 

 I look forward to my future grandchildren who are coming...this I know. 
It's good to be a granny:)