Home now
Poor, neglected blog--I actually got home on Tuesday, and this is now Saturday. On Tuesday, I was home about 20 minutes, and went to take a nap. I fell asleep hard, and woke in time to fix dinner. I had a lesson to give the next morning, and told myself I would write that afternoon, after it was done. Weeelll....didn't.
I have the opportunity to be part of a new venture titled the Nauvoo Times, an LDS online journal which will launch on Monday, May 14. Everything had to be in the managing editor's inbox (herself out of town until today) by the end of yesterday. I had the pieces written--though one of them was clear with me that it had to jump ahead in the lineup--to cover the requirement plus the next couple of dates, but it was still crunch time. Maybe lurch time is a better description. With the blog, I can pull and amend something if I need, and with this, once it goes out from me, it's set in stone. A whole different audience will either find value in what I have to say, or not. The auxilliary items (pic and bio) were really the biggest stumbling blocks, because the columns themselves were written before I left. (Mine will run every other Wednesday.)
I had a really blessed trip! I mean that literally. I asked for a priesthood blessing before I left, because I knew that my infirmities, if you will, would not let me be able to be the help I wanted to be, with the strain of the traveling and unaccustomed physical actions. (Holding a baby for half an hour is no big deal, but if you have a neck and shoulder injury, it becomes a problem pretty fast. When my back is fatigued, my ability to stay on my feet ends. Etc.) It doesn't take much to put me out of commission.
I am so grateful for my Father in Heaven's help. I had strength beyond my own, and help felt at every point when I started to fade. My prayers were constant and fervent, and they were answered. One evening, going up the stairs to family prayer, I just started to sag; my body said it was weary. As I reached the top step, I felt a wave, as if a hand started at the top of my head and passed down to my feet, of simple strength in an instant, and I was immediately fine. Every night when I went to bed, I identified to the Lord the spots that hurt or rebelled and asked him, with faith, to touch and heal them, and every morning I was better.
I was counseled to be careful, but promised that I would have sufficient strength for what I needed to do. I felt so good a couple of times that I had to remember that I was supposed to be careful. I wasn't going to try to do anything like pick up and carry the toddler, but boom! kick the ball with him was fun, just to feel like I could get into it. I had to back off, but it proves that even after years, the impulse is still there that we want to just dig in and do it. In this case, "it" was throw myself into playing with my grandson. I had to remind myself that a couple of minutes of glee would be paid for, possibly with a couple of days of trouble. Glee can be found in other ways, even with less physical vigor.
So we threw balls, I kicked balls (gently), I set a folding chair out in the yard to sit and keep an eye on him, offered stories and was rebuffed for a week. I took the baby and burped her after she was fed so that Mommy could pay attention to her son, I kept the little one while Mommy could go rest, I watched the older one while he zoomed trucks around, and I did lots of laundry and most of the dishes. Even though they knew I was there, the sisters brought food over for several days, and I have to admit that was nice. We could put our energies into the children, and take the rest we all needed.
It was wonderful. It is both good and hard to be home again. We're too far away.
I have the opportunity to be part of a new venture titled the Nauvoo Times, an LDS online journal which will launch on Monday, May 14. Everything had to be in the managing editor's inbox (herself out of town until today) by the end of yesterday. I had the pieces written--though one of them was clear with me that it had to jump ahead in the lineup--to cover the requirement plus the next couple of dates, but it was still crunch time. Maybe lurch time is a better description. With the blog, I can pull and amend something if I need, and with this, once it goes out from me, it's set in stone. A whole different audience will either find value in what I have to say, or not. The auxilliary items (pic and bio) were really the biggest stumbling blocks, because the columns themselves were written before I left. (Mine will run every other Wednesday.)
I had a really blessed trip! I mean that literally. I asked for a priesthood blessing before I left, because I knew that my infirmities, if you will, would not let me be able to be the help I wanted to be, with the strain of the traveling and unaccustomed physical actions. (Holding a baby for half an hour is no big deal, but if you have a neck and shoulder injury, it becomes a problem pretty fast. When my back is fatigued, my ability to stay on my feet ends. Etc.) It doesn't take much to put me out of commission.
I am so grateful for my Father in Heaven's help. I had strength beyond my own, and help felt at every point when I started to fade. My prayers were constant and fervent, and they were answered. One evening, going up the stairs to family prayer, I just started to sag; my body said it was weary. As I reached the top step, I felt a wave, as if a hand started at the top of my head and passed down to my feet, of simple strength in an instant, and I was immediately fine. Every night when I went to bed, I identified to the Lord the spots that hurt or rebelled and asked him, with faith, to touch and heal them, and every morning I was better.
I was counseled to be careful, but promised that I would have sufficient strength for what I needed to do. I felt so good a couple of times that I had to remember that I was supposed to be careful. I wasn't going to try to do anything like pick up and carry the toddler, but boom! kick the ball with him was fun, just to feel like I could get into it. I had to back off, but it proves that even after years, the impulse is still there that we want to just dig in and do it. In this case, "it" was throw myself into playing with my grandson. I had to remind myself that a couple of minutes of glee would be paid for, possibly with a couple of days of trouble. Glee can be found in other ways, even with less physical vigor.
So we threw balls, I kicked balls (gently), I set a folding chair out in the yard to sit and keep an eye on him, offered stories and was rebuffed for a week. I took the baby and burped her after she was fed so that Mommy could pay attention to her son, I kept the little one while Mommy could go rest, I watched the older one while he zoomed trucks around, and I did lots of laundry and most of the dishes. Even though they knew I was there, the sisters brought food over for several days, and I have to admit that was nice. We could put our energies into the children, and take the rest we all needed.
It was wonderful. It is both good and hard to be home again. We're too far away.
Well, keeping busy, even in 'lurch' time, keeps one from being bored. At my 6 month assessment, my social worker asked a bunch of questions, one of which was, "Are you ever bored?" Me? Bored? I haven't got time.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm glad you had a good time.
Love it. Go Marian! I so know the feeling of being too far away; I'm so glad you got to go and that it went so well.
ReplyDeleteWould that we could spin them around and around till we all fall down like Mom used to do with us.