Category Archives: Faith

7 Quick Takes: My Week, Requests for Help, and World Series Musings

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Relief. Jon is home after being gone since Monday to our denomination’s pastor’s conference. It’s good to have him home and I’m not just saying that because I now have someone to do the laundry/dishes/cat care. I’ve had a sick kid since Tuesday night and had to haul butt to UCD Pediatrics Urgent Care yesterday — it’s good to not be handling this alone.

— 2 —

The sick kid. Daniel refused to go to sleep on time on Sunday and Monday nights. I thought that it was probably due to Jon being gone on Monday night but he went down super early on Tuesday night which would have been great had I not been hit with restless leg syndrome. (Fibromyalgia, you suck!) Wednesday, he got sent home from school with a fever of 100F and I got the call right as I was putting my feet in the warm water for my pedicure. (I know… #firstworldproblems) His temperature started spiking so that it was 102F by mid-afternoon and I called the advice nurse at UCD Pediatrics Urgent Care to ask what they wanted me to do. The answer: “GET. UP. HERE. NOW!!!!” Diagnosis: a bad ear infection in his left ear and an upper respiratory infection which was setting off his asthma. He’s on antibiotics and I was alternating Motrin and Tylenol to lower his fever. I’m hoping he’ll be back to school tomorrow.

— 3 —

Forty to Forever. From my Facebook wall:

OK… I’m the social media person for the Forty to Forever fundraiser and we’re trying to raise money for families adopting kids internationally who have special needs. We need two things:

1.) We desperately need churches who are willing to sponsor families with prayer and also with funding to a degree. This doesn’t have to be costly and there is information on the website about what to do. If you ladies could talk to you church councils/pro-life groups/ missions people/women’s ministries/whoever, I’d greatly appreciate it. If you can’t find the answer to one of your questions, let me know and I’ll get the information for you. You can find most of what you need here.

2.) We need people who can commit to being prayer warriors and praying for us/the families/the kids one day a week during Lent. (We could also really use it right now.) It’s a fifteen minutes per week commitment and if it would help, I can send you prayers, a litany, or whatever you need in terms of help in how to pray. The page for sign-ups is here.

The website is http://www.fortytoforever.com/ and we’re also present on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks!

— 4 —

NaNoWriMo fundraiser. I’m taking part in NaNoWriMo this year and I’m pondering the idea of making it into a fundraiser for Brett. I’m thinking of offering to let people read my manuscript for a $10 donation. What say you, readers?

— 5 —

World Series. The Cards just took Game 2 and I was happy that they showed up to play tonight instead of sending their middle school doppelgangers. (Obviously, I’m rooting for them and not Boston.) The series goes to St. Louis next and I’m hoping the Cards do better on their home field.

— 6 —

Orphans. Do you see these two cute children?

L-R: Brett and Iris
BrettIris

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and their dossier is on its way to Iris’ country.

— 7 —

World Series fun. You have to love it when the *ORCHESTRAS* from the cities of the World Series teams start trash-talking. 🙂

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: October 20, 2013

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY October 20, 2013

Outside my window… sunny and in the low 80’s.

I am thinking… about NaNoWriMo and possibly making mine into a fundraiser.

I am thankful… for the chance to have ice cream last night. (It’s a rare treat for me.)

I am wearing… gray “Run for Hope” shirt and black shorts.

I am creating… NaNoWriMo plans and blog post skeletons for the week.

I am going… to focus on getting through this week with Jon gone. At least he’s only a couple hours away by car instead of across the country.

I am wondering… why drivers in Elk Grove and on CA-99 heading to Sacramento are of the opinion that my turn signal indicates that they should pull up alongside me and refuse to let me change lanes. Seriously y’all, it’s not a race.

I am reading… Pastorix by Nadia Bolz-Weber.

I am hoping… my nausea goes away because it has made today miserable.

I am looking forward to… my pedicure on Wednesday.

Around the house… vacuuming and mopping to do tomorrow while Daniel is at school.

I am pondering… various plot devices to use.

A favorite quote for today… “??…my idea of God is a not divine idea. It has to be shattered from time to time. He shatters it Himself. He is the great iconoclast. Could we not almost say that this shattering is one of the marks of His presence?..?? — C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

One of my favorite things… Daniel bringing me blocks and practicing saying words or letters with me. The hearing aids are helping.

A few plans for the rest of the week: ABA therapy every afternoon from Monday to Friday, pedicure on Wednesday, leading Bible study on Thursday, and massage on Friday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: Posts To Write, Prayer Requests, and A Favor

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

No guarantees. Probably 7 years ago (maybe more?), I received a comment on my old Livejournal from a young Russian woman named Anna who runs a Christian website called Pravmir. (The English site is here.)I helped her edit a few English translations of articles for the site before I ended up with a job and ran out of time; but I’ve kept track of her on Livejournal. A few months ago, her husband died suddenly, leaving her widowed in her 30’s (I think she’s my age) with a little daughter named Natasha. She has been a beautiful example of faith in the midst of all of this and wrote a beautiful piece called “No Guarantees” today. You can find it (in Russian) here. If you open it in Chrome, the browser will translate it for you.

— 2 —

Posts to come: Birch Box. I registered for a Birch Box and received it on Tuesday. I’ll try a couple of the products out this weekend and let you know how it goes. 🙂

— 3 —

Forty to Forever. From my Facebook wall:

OK… I’m the social media person for the Forty to Forever fundraiser and we’re trying to raise money for families adopting kids internationally who have special needs. We need two things:

1.) We desperately need churches who are willing to sponsor families with prayer and also with funding to a degree. This doesn’t have to be costly and there is information on the website about what to do. If you ladies could talk to you church councils/pro-life groups/ missions people/women’s ministries/whoever, I’d greatly appreciate it. If you can’t find the answer to one of your questions, let me know and I’ll get the information for you. You can find most of what you need here.

2.) We need people who can commit to being prayer warriors and praying for us/the families/the kids one day a week during Lent. (We could also really use it right now.) It’s a fifteen minutes per week commitment and if it would help, I can send you prayers, a litany, or whatever you need in terms of help in how to pray. The page for sign-ups is here.

The website is http://www.fortytoforever.com/ and we’re also present on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks!

— 4 —

Orphans. Do you see these two precious children?

L-R: Brett and Iris
BrettIris

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and they are compiling their dossier to send to her country.

— 5 —

Wow. A couple weeks ago, I posted a prayer request for Elizabeth of Keep on Spinning. She’s been fighting breast cancer for the last 5 years and the cancer this time is back with a vengeance. She was supposed to get chemo on Tuesday but her white cell count had tanked and made her ineligible. Instead, she showed pictures of her son Danny (who is looking GOOD despite his own medical issues) and her husband Dixon shaving her head.

OK… seriously, it’s incredibly humbling to see a woman brave enough to show her head being shaved. I mean, this is probably totally normal for her now but still… I don’t know that I would have the courage to show mine being shaved if I was in her position. Keep praying for her because she’s got a “hard row to hoe”.

— 6 —

Posts to write (maybe): potty-training. This isn’t a for sure yet but I might be writing on potty-training Daniel. I haven’t decided because I don’t know if I want to let some things in my life be private and if that is really one of them yet. In the meantime, I’d love tips if y’all have any.

— 7 —

The shutdown. Attention Congress:

YOU. SUCK. BOTH PARTIES. (Note: I’m a blue dog Democrat and I am criticizing my own party. That’s how pissed I am.)

This was 16 days and billions of dollars flushed down the toilet that did not have to happen. There are people who had to borrow money to pay their rent and mortgage, feed their kids, and keep utilities on while Congress got paid and got to keep their gym memberships. To the Congresspersons who either gave up their paycheck or is donating it: you rock and I will gladly support y’all with fundraising if I happen to find your arguments convincing. To everyone else, let me reiterate that YOU. ALL. SUCK. I will make it my mission to get your butts out of office in 2014. Count on it.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Religious Climate in My Part of the World

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Jen Fulwiler of ConversionDiary.Com is doing her “What is the religious climate in your part of the world?” post and it has been really interesting to read the comments on it. As there are people who have commented and linked up who are from the USA, I thought I’d share as I live in a place that is a bit different.

1. WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

A small town that serves as a bedroom community for Sacramento, California.

2. WHAT IS CHURCH ATTENDANCE LIKE? ARE THERE MANY CHURCHES?

According to my husband the Lutheran pastor, our town is about 50% unchurched. We’ve got a range of Protestant churches: Lutherans, Methodists, Church of Christ, Episcopalians, Assemblies of God, a couple non-denom churches (which in Tim Hawkins’ words are “Baptist churches with a cool website”), Southern Baptists, a couple Spanish-speaking Pentecostal groups (one of whom borrows our church building for worship twice a week), and Seventh Day Adventists. We’ve also got a Kingdom Hall (Jehovah’s Witnesses) and a Mormon meetinghouse that has two wards. The Catholic parish in town has 5 masses on weekends, 2 of them Spanish-speaking. I have no idea how full the masses are because the Catholics tend to keep to themselves here and not do anything ecumenical with the ministerial association. (It’s a bummer – I loved the ecumenical stuff we got to do in other parishes.)

As you get into the immediate suburbs of Sacramento and then into the city, you’ll find more ethnic churches and non-Christian communities.

3. HOW APPROPRIATE WOULD IT BE FOR A PERSON TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HE OR SHE IS A BELIEVING CHRISTIAN IN CASUAL CONVERSATION?

I tend to err on the side of not making a huge deal out of my faith because I was raised agnostic/unaffiliated and I find the “do you know Jesus?” questions to be a bit irritating as a result of dealing with overly enthusiastic people trying to convert me. Having said that, I usually find out where people fall on the spectrum of practice the second I comment nonchalantly that my husband is the pastor at Metanoia*. They usually tell me their entire religious background as well so it doesn’t surprise me to hear that someone is an ex-Baptist, ex-Lutheran, ex-Catholic, etc.

4. WHAT KIND OF FAITH DO THE POLITICIANS CLAIM TO PRACTICE?

It actually took a fair amount of searching to find out what my Congressman claims to be (Catholic) and what my senators are (both Jewish women). Our governor is CINO as far as I know. Unless you’re really lobbying hard for a certain religion’s vote, people don’t bring their personal religion into politics.

5. HOW COMMON WOULD IT BE TO SEE A FAMILY WITH MORE THAN THREE KIDS? WHAT ARE THE ATTITUDES TOWARD FAMILY SIZE?

4 kids is usually of the upper limit for most families here with 2-3 being “normal”. I’m sure there are probably some families with more but I don’t run into them. A family that size is usually a blended one. Having 5 kids under a certain age would probably draw stares, have allusions made to the Duggars, and would likely result in comments like “Do you know what causes that????”

6. WHAT WAS THE DOMINANT BELIEF SYSTEM IN YOUR AREA 50 YEARS AGO? WHAT IS IT NOW?

I’ve only lived up here for two years (I’m from San Jose originally) so I don’t know for sure what it was in the past. My guess is definitely Christian but I couldn’t tell you what the split was between Catholics and Protestants. I do know that the Catholic community 50 years ago was largely Portuguese as we’re a big wine-producing area and one of the members of my husband’s (Lutheran) parish is from a founding family.

These days, it’s mostly unaffiliated. The Protestants seem to be part of the non-denom/Baptist/AOG crowd. The Catholics seem to be mostly Hispanic, given the number of Spanish masses at the parish in town.

7. DO THE PEOPLE WHERE YOU LIVE SEEM HAPPY WITH THEIR LIVES?

People tend to be “busy” and find that being busy gives meaning to their lives so I guess the answer is “yes”? It really varies depending on what is going on with the economy and what the state reps are doing at the Capitol.

*Metanoia isn’t the actual name of the church. I value my privacy so I use a pseudonym for the church’s name.

52 Weeks of Blogging with a Purpose: Random Facts About Your Other Half

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This week’s topic: random facts about Jon.

[+] His foreign language in high school was Scots-Gaelic. Seriously. His teacher was at our wedding. He even did some study abroad in college on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.

[+] He loves jazz. I got him a membership in the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society for his birthday which is something he can do on his own… because I hate jazz. Oh yes… I also got him a CD of some jazz I could mildly stand and let him listen to it in the car on the way back to northern California.

[+] He is about 9 inches taller than me. I’m 5’1″… on a bad hair day. He’s 5’10”. He dwarfs me in pictures.

[+] He is an extrovert. About 80% of clergy are introverts so he’s the exception. I’m an introvert so before we had Daniel, we used to go to events in separate cars so I could leave when I was overstimulated.

[+] When he is on a long phone call, he micro-folds pieces of paper. I’ll find pieces of paper folded into really tight squares around the house. I need to get him an origami book or something.

[+] He is a Dodger fan. Don’t look at me! I don’t understand it either. I mean, it works this year when his team isn’t “cellar-dwelling” but usually, they’re sucktastic at best!

[+] He is an Ole. Translation: he is a graduate of St. Olaf College in Minnesota. Um Ya Ya! Like most Oles, he studied abroad. (Seriously, the first question I ask people when I find out that they’re an Ole is where they studied abroad or will be studying.)

Now go see Becky and what everyone else shared.

Please Say It: Things to Say and Ways to Help Moms with Kids Who Have Special Needs

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This past week, I had a guest post over at Worthy of Agape about things not to say to the mom of a child with special needs. In one of the comments, my friend Mandi suggested that I write a post about things to say/things to do to help moms like me. Here you go, Mandi!

I really try not to complain about life with Daniel because I love him and there are so many amazing moments in life with him. However, it *is* hard at times and there are days when I’m not sure how I’m going to make it until bedtime. I know that there are a lot of really well-meaning people who would like to help and don’t know how, so here are a few things you can say/do that will make my life easier:

Compliment me on something… ANYTHING related to Daniel. Seriously, hearing that I’m doing something right in raising Daniel does help. I have a wonderful woman in the parish who finds something to compliment me on every Sunday that I make it to church, even if she’s just saying that Daniel was… exuberant that day.

Tell me how good it is to see me when I’m out doing errands by myself. If you see me at the grocery store by myself, it means that I either found a qualified respite worker to watch Daniel or that Jon is home with him. Asking me pointedly where Daniel is and mentioning that you never got to go do errands by yourself when you had kids is not going to do anything except make me ponder how best to make you shut up. Pleasepleaseplease ask me how I’m doing, compliment me on the fact that I escaped the house to go shopping, and if all else fails, compliment me on the fact that I’m wearing pants and managed to slap on some deodorant before heading out in public.

If you see me struggling with a door or having trouble wrangling the bear child, please ask me how you can help. I don’t know when it stopped being common courtesy to hold doors open for people who are having trouble entering a room or building; but I wish it would come back into fashion. Seriously, opening the door for me and keeping it open while I wrangle a stroller or try to keep my hands on Daniel will make my day better. If I’m in the checkout line at the grocery store and am having trouble getting my items on the belt, feel free to ask if I need help. It might just mean entertaining Daniel in the cart for a minute while I quickly empty all my purchases from the cart’s basket.

Treat Daniel like you would treat any other 4 year old. The people at the Trader Joe’s in Elk Grove are great examples of this. One of my favorite workers will stop and have a conversation with Daniel (albeit a one-sided one) on his way to the back of the store for something and another worker will make race car noises when he’s pushing the cart as he helps us out to the car. Both of these things will make Daniel smile and make my day nicer.

Be patient with us. I know that you’re probably in a hurry and we’re blocking your exit — I’ve been in that situation as well. However, I’m doing my best to keep things moving and if I have the stroller with me, I’m pushing close to 45-50 pounds of dead weight. If you have to brush past us, just say “excuse me”. It’s the polite thing to do.

These are my two cents. I know there are other mamas like Mary, Kelly, and Kathleen who could probably add to this list.