Wednesday's Winning Words: Run for Boston

                                 
Monday during prayers, Justus said "...and please help the people who set off the bombs in Boston and don't let them hurt any more people."  Afterward, I told him that was a very nice thing to pray for and he told me "I don't like that all those people got hurt, mommy."  I know baby, me either.

I'm not even going to go into my thoughts and feelings about this whole thing, in part because I still haven't wrapped my mind around it.  The horrors of the mind that envisions setting of bombs to harm as many people as possible at the end of what is supposed to be an achivement of human perseverence... What I do know is that the innocence of a child's perspective always just hits me in the pit of my stomach.  They have no filter and are not yet jaded.  It's beautiful!

I ran for Boston this morning!  Unfortunately, since I have to run so early, I was alone; but I wore my blue and did it anyway!  I hope you consider being a part of this neat event.  Even if you are not a runner, just go to a local one and show support.   After events like this, people always question, "What's happening to humanity?"  My hope is that we see the humanity in the response, rather than looking at the tragedy as a means to question it.  Don't get me wrong--I am more than fearful about what has become an unfortunately more common occurrence (efforts to do mass damage), but I choose to focus on the goodness of people and how we pull together when something like this happens.  It is really amazing!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Run-For-Boston-417/613135315380603?fref=ts

Wednesday's Winning Words: A kind heart

I can't believe it's been a whole week since my last post.  Wait, yes I can.  Sorry!  I'm still coming off the blood pressure spike from the Aggies' late night football antics in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

I digress.  This was such a sweet thing my boy did, I just had to share.

At the soccer game Saturday, one of the boys on Justus' team was not feeling well.  His tummy was upset, but bless his heart, he was trying to play through it.  His dad said that he had mentioned before the game he wasn't feeling well, but wanted to try to play.  Despite his best efforts in the first half, the poor kiddo permanently came out of the game vomiting after just a couple minutes of play in the second half.  While I was very concerned for the boy and simultaneously privately stewing with my so-help-me-if-he-has-a-virus-and-now-our-kid-has-it-and-we-have-to-keep-him-home-this-week thoughts, Justus interrupts my internal dialog with: "Mommy, I think we should pray for him during prayers tonight so he gets better soon."

 

God, I love that kid!

A History Lesson

Back in February, I wrote a post about how Justus randomly brought up 09/11/01 and the deep fear and concerns that came to me as I thought about discussing it with him.  One would think that would help me get my rear in gear and be prepared when the actual 09/11 anniversary came around.  Wrong.  I failed again.

Justus' school encouraged all the kids to wear red, white and blue today in memory of that terrible day.  I am grateful that the school makes an effort to memorialize the day.  Both of our kids are wearing red, white and blue today.  But, I know they will talk about it at school today, and am bracing for the dinner time conversation that is to come tonight.  So, last night at dinner, I mentioned that we needed to remember to pull out something red, white and blue to wear today.  He asked why and Kidd told him because it's something special we can do to show that we remember the day.  Of course, then he reminded him about the bad guys that flew planes into really large buildings and a lot of people died and were hurt.  Justus remembered.  In his own way, he remembered. 

He doesn't remember the way that we do: recalling exactly where we were and what we were doing at that very moment, fighting back the tears (or not) as we watch the horrific footage again on television, feeling the lump in our throats and the pangs of horror in the pits of our stomachs as we recall what it did to us, and the pride we felt in our country in the following days.  It's not possible for him to, nor should he be burdened with that kind of detail.  He just remembers the story, at it's very basic level.  Right now, that's all I need him to know.  I am ok that for him it's a history lesson and nothing more.   The rest will come, and sadly, there will probably be some unthinkable event in his lifetime that makes him feel the same way.

Even now, 11 years later, how do you answer when your child asks "Why?  Why would they do that?"

 May God bless and keep our country strong and free, and protect us from senseless acts of violence like those that day which forever impacted our country.  May our children never know the kind of pain we experienced in those moments and days.  May they only feel the camraderie that came out of it.  Bless the families and friends of all those directly impacted by deep and immeasurable loss in that tragic event.  Lord, continue to help us heal and rebuild, but never forget.  Amen.

Wednesday's Winning Words

Picture it: Bedtime in Justus' room with the three of us (Delaney was sleeping peacefully in her crib) kneeled down at his bed.  We finished "Now I lay me down to sleep..." and had moved on to "God Bless _____" where we name all the people we want God to bless (I thank my dad for this one because I can remember kneeling beside my bed at night saying it with him).  It's still a fairly new addition to our  bedtime routine, so it's a work in progress....as is evidenced by the following:

Justus: "...and God bless the Abominable Snowman and--"

Daddy: "Justus, this is the time we ask God to bless the people that are important to us, not your toys.  God doesn't want to hear about your toys right now."

Justus (in his very serious voice):  "No, no Daddy.  I'm not talking about my Abominable Snowman toy up in the attic.  I'm talking about the REAL Abominable Snowman, like the REAL Rudloph, from Christmas time."

***PAUSE, as I quickly turn my head away from my child so he doesn't see my snickering.  I'm dying to see how Kidd handles this moment***

Daddy:  "oh.  ok.  Carry on, then."

Well done, Kidd.  No reason to shatter the poor kid's Christmas expectations now, right?!