| Totally Awesome Grace |
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On the subject of moms. . . At some point in our lives, we realize we've finally grown up and our perspectives change - on a lot of things! Probably the most clear-cut indication of realizing just how much we really have grown up comes when we've done or said something, and then we stop and think, "Oh, no! I've turned into my mother!" Now, that might or might not be such a bad thing, but. . . On the subject of sons. . . Teenage years are difficult, at best, for parents and for the soon-to-be adults. Sometimes, I had to agree with the old adage that a child should be buried up to his neck at 13 and fed and watered like a plant until you can uproot them at 21, after they have gained some sense. On the subject of smoking cessation. . . . . .Most of the time, I managed to ignore the voices telling me to quit (smoking). I came up with all kinds of rationalizations for why I should just keep smoking - things like: * Well, I smoke so much (two to three packs per day) that the shock of quitting would probably be too much for my system. * I'm already 30 pounds overweight, and if I quit, I'll gain even more weight, and that would probably be worse for my heart than the actual smoking. *It's probably healthy that I cough a lot and blow my nose a lot because that gets rid of all kinds of germs that might otherwise take up residence in my body. *The cigarette industry is so large and so many people smoke, it's probably not as bad for you as some people say. . . . . .Then, late in July, 1997, the doctor announced that he saw some "questionable areas" on my mammogram. . . On the beginning of life. . . Babies are supposed to be an easy thing to have - just get married, do whatcha gotta do, and voila! Pregnant! Right? After years and years of having to take daily temperatures, marking them down on my basal temp chart, swallowing one to three pills for five days in a row and calling my husband and saying, "It's TIME, dear - right NOW," I have come to the conclusion. . . On the ending of life. . . Everything was so quiet. No one said anything. The doctors and nurses whisked Will away to clear out his mouth and sinuses and clean him up. My husband and I just looked at each other, not understanding. . .Will was hooked up to tubes laying in a bassinet, being monitored constantly. When we went to sleep the night (after his birth), things were looking up. I knew God was going to make everything just fine and our prayers would be answered. The next morning, my birthday, I awoke early. . .I was ready to go see Will. At 10:00 AM, we received a call to come on to the floor; not to introduce our newborn son, but to say our good-byes. Our prayers had been answered. . . On brick knocking or God knocking. . . You've heard the expression, "It was like running into a brick wall," haven't you? This actually describes a situation where no matter how hard you tried, you could not break through the barrier that had been put in place, for whatever reason it had been put in place. I think sometimes God must feel like He's running into a brick wall with us. So many times, in so many ways, He gives us opportunities to be His servants, to show others by our actions that we are His, and so many times, we present our brick walls to Him. . . |
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Starting back row left to right Judith Burhans, Kay Bradburn, Sandy McCutcheon, Front row left to right Karen Zecher and Susan Sadler —> Photo Gallery |
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