A Week, Briefly (Thanksgiving)
It has been a week of tremendous heartache and tremendous joy.
Brother loves going to therapy.
Ladybug had a joyful reunion with her school teachers when she went in for her weekly therapy appointment. She'd been asking to go back to school, so I was uncertain and vulnerable when they asked her if she wanted to come back. She answered, "No. I want to stay home with Mommy." I breathed a sigh of relief and blinked back tears of exhaustion and gratitude.
Her behaviors as she struggles to adjust have been quite difficult.
Daily use of our quiet buckets has helped her settle into life at home.
The oldest girls collected goods for servicemen/women and for Syrian refugees with the church youth group.
Belle had her first riding lesson--a combined Christmas/birthday gift. She came home glowing.
We had our dog put down. She was nearly 14 years old and suffering greatly from old age. When she couldn't get up to get a drink of water or go to the bathroom, and she began crying, we knew it was time. It was a hard day for most of the family. She's buried under at the bottom of the hill in our yard--right where the deer she loved to chase will step delicately over her.
We cooked a lot. I told the older girls I was not feeling ambitious enough to do much cooking, so they took over, and I acted as an administrator/facilitator.
We ate much good food with beloved family.
We hiked.
We jumped in mud puddles.
We admired the effects of the freezing rain that fell all through the holiday weekend.
(I share the following at the risk of over-sharing but with the deep desire to be honest about our struggles.)
Rose Red violated house technology rules, had her phone taken away, violated the rules again using someone else's device, and then ran away from home because she was angry at us for enforcing the rules. Fortunately she ran to a church member's home only a block away. This dear friend listened to her, got her to call home, and encouraged her to climb into the car when her dad picked her up. She's talking with us, and we're praying for her heart to soften and for our hearts and minds to be inspired as to how to love and reach our headstrong girl.
We finished reading Cry, the Beloved Country and 50 Famous Stories Retold.
We did no formal lessons, only life lessons of the most important kind.
I'm ready for some "boring" days.
Brother loves going to therapy.
Ladybug had a joyful reunion with her school teachers when she went in for her weekly therapy appointment. She'd been asking to go back to school, so I was uncertain and vulnerable when they asked her if she wanted to come back. She answered, "No. I want to stay home with Mommy." I breathed a sigh of relief and blinked back tears of exhaustion and gratitude.
Her behaviors as she struggles to adjust have been quite difficult.
Daily use of our quiet buckets has helped her settle into life at home.
The oldest girls collected goods for servicemen/women and for Syrian refugees with the church youth group.
Belle had her first riding lesson--a combined Christmas/birthday gift. She came home glowing.
We had our dog put down. She was nearly 14 years old and suffering greatly from old age. When she couldn't get up to get a drink of water or go to the bathroom, and she began crying, we knew it was time. It was a hard day for most of the family. She's buried under at the bottom of the hill in our yard--right where the deer she loved to chase will step delicately over her.
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| We wrote messages on hearts and placed with her leash and bowl in the grave with her. We wrapped her in a favorite old quilt. |
We ate much good food with beloved family.
 |
| We fit 18 children and 4 adults in our dining room! |
We jumped in mud puddles.
We admired the effects of the freezing rain that fell all through the holiday weekend.
(I share the following at the risk of over-sharing but with the deep desire to be honest about our struggles.)
Rose Red violated house technology rules, had her phone taken away, violated the rules again using someone else's device, and then ran away from home because she was angry at us for enforcing the rules. Fortunately she ran to a church member's home only a block away. This dear friend listened to her, got her to call home, and encouraged her to climb into the car when her dad picked her up. She's talking with us, and we're praying for her heart to soften and for our hearts and minds to be inspired as to how to love and reach our headstrong girl.
We finished reading Cry, the Beloved Country and 50 Famous Stories Retold.
We did no formal lessons, only life lessons of the most important kind.
I'm ready for some "boring" days.
Yeah for Ladybug! She got to go back for a moment and still chose home life. Thanksgiving is always a major cooking chore. How fun to have helpers. Beautiful pies. Prayers for Rose Red, and you.
ReplyDeletePraying as always for your successes and your trials!
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought my week was emotionally up and down!--nothing by comparison! Keep up the Good Work; it's just one day at a time: you've got this!
ReplyDeleteRecently, I read the runaway bunny to my almost four years old son. I thought, it's a sweet book about mothers love, my son thought, that it's a good idea to run away... So one morning he managed to opened the door and run outside in a cold rain in his pjs and with bare feet...
ReplyDelete