The Chapman Family

I read Mary Beth Chapman's book, Choosing to SEE, recently. It really was incredible, and I was so touched by her faith, and the faith of her family. It reminded me of when Hannah and I went to visit an Amish community, and had dinner with one of the familie. I felt that I could have been neighbors and friends with the Amish ladies...Same thing with Mary Beth Chapman. She is an incredibly real person, faced with losses and challenges...When she wrote about the death of her daughter Maria, I just wept the entire time I read, and it took me three days to finish the story. I wondered if I would need to buy the library another book because my tears just rolled down my face onto the pages of the book...I wept for their pain of losing Maria, but I also wept in amazement of how they continued to SEE God in their darkest days.

Steven Curtis Chapmas was performing nearby, so Hannah, Grams, and I went to see him. Amazing. Love his music, and lately, I've been doing my best to stick to a Christian radio station I really like in our area. Steven shared several videos sharing information about his family's foundation that helps people fund their adoptions, and their ministry in China, to help special needs children. He really did a great job, advocating for adoption. He shared a story about how their 11 year old daughter, Emily, was the one to bring up adoption. She would write notes and leave them on her parents' bed at night. She was a very determined little girl, and her parents went on to adopt three daughters from China.

I felt that Mary Beth's message, throughout her book, and Steven's message during his concert was that no matter what your challenge, no matter what your loss, no matter what your baggage, God is here, and loves us warts and all.

Well, Clearly The School Year Has Begun...

...as my girl has strep, two infected ears, and a sinus infection! I know bleach is bad, but so is strep...Hannah requested the liquid Amoxicillin instead of the pills, so we have three bottles in the refrigerator.

Batten Down The Hatches, Girls!

I've been nagging our former aupairs, April (CT) and Dikun (NY) to keep in contact with their family during Hurricane Irene so they know they're safe, because we all know that moms need to know their kids are safe in a hurricane! Dikun has said she is in an area that has not needed to evacuate and plans to stay inside for the weekend. I love this girl for many reasons, but the fact that she has such fine common sense is one of the reasons. Another reason is that every time I get into naggy-mommy mode, Dikun knows I am that way because I love her and want her to be safe. I think of her mom, and know how hard it is to be away from a child. I want Dikun's mom to know I'm watching out for her girl, even though she now lives in New York.

So, now I'm waiting to hear back from Ms. April to make sure she is okay...

The Other Day...

Hannah told me, "Mom, you sing really well! You should take voice lessons!" Little does she know that ANYONE singing along with Josh Groban sounds mighty fine. Love you, Josh! I'm old enough to be your mama, but you still make my heart pitter-pat. Just love our duets, honey!

One of My Summer Books...33 Men

33 Men was a great read this summer. It was fascinating to learn about the technology it took to rescue the 33 Chilean miners. I'd heard bits and pieces, following the story through the media, but this put the small parts together. I had been really impressed following the news, with how they were trying to provide for the miners and prepare for their needs when they would be rescued, and learned that they worked with folks from NASA. There were psychologists that worked with the miners, and one that really angered the miners on a regular basis. That was actually part of the plan...they wanted the hostilities directed to someone outside the small area where the men were trapped. The miners were united in their anger against the psychologist.

A big part of keeping the men emotionally healthy was to have a routine each day, with specific responsibilities. The group had organized themselves quickly, and when they were able to communicate with the outside world, this continued.

The men were far more aware of everything that was happening on the outside than I had realized, even that girlfriends and wives had discovered each other...

Summer Blessings

We never needed our time together as much as we did, this summer. Hannah and I had many good chats as we floated in the pool this summer...lots of processing the past year. Lots of Rummikub. Many bowls of ice-cream. Weekly trips to the library. Hannah really enjoys reading books when she can pop a CD in to hear the book read aloud, as she reads.

I read books! I love to read! Before I was a mom I was often reading three books at the same time. For the past decade, most of my reading has been People Magazine!

Thank You, God, for the blessing of this summer. I know many people think teachers have summers off, but this was only my third summer in my teaching career that I've taken the entire time off. Other summers I spent time teaching summer school, working on my Masters, pursued additional certifications, tested new students, and took additional classes. This really is the norm, and I don't know many teachers that aren't working an awful lot during the summer! This was a year that I KNEW we both needed me to be home, and I'm so thankful I had the ability to take the time for us.

I can take deep breaths again. My bambinos are safe. We are doing well.

So Sad For Norway

Hannah had questions about what had happened in Norway when I had the news on tonight. So, I tried to explain. How can you explain what cannot be explained? She wanted to see a picture of the person that had murdered so many innocent people. I showed her a picture on the computer and she was surprised. He didn't look like a scary guy. He was dressed like a police officer, who should be a safe person. So very sad...