Grace and Glory

Musings from the Threshold

Never Forget…

I don’t believe I’ve written before about my memories of September 11. We lived in South County, St. Louis at the time, in a 3 bedroom townhouse. Both Jonathan and my Mama worked at LCMS, about 15 minutes away from us.

Sometime during the 8.00 hour (central time), I got a call from Mama. She was crying, and I couldn’t really understand what she was saying. Something about turning on the tv, they’d hit the towers. I spent a minute or so trying to figure out what had happened, then she urged me to just go turn on the tv; we said our I love you’s and hung up.

I ran upstairs to our bedroom, turned on the tv, and watched in horror. Both of the World Trade Center towers were burning. I’m sure many of you relate when I say I was transfixed. It was horrific to watch, yet it was impossible to tear myself away. There I sat, for most of the day, my precious children (3 months, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years old) wandering in and out. I let them watch or leave the room as they wanted, and did my best to give them what information I had in whatever doses I thought they could handle. Few days in my life have seen more tears travel my face.

This moment, when the first tower started to fall, is when I first started to realize that my world had changed forever:

Another moment of the day that is forever burned in my mind took place in the early afternoon. I’d talked to Jonathan and was still hoping that he would be able to come home early. It was a gorgeous sunny day, but not too warm, and our bedroom window was open to the breeze. I heard a car door, and hurried to the window. It was our townhouse neighbor, Jose. His wife Marguerite ran out to meet him. Again transfixed, I watched as they embraced and sobbed together. Two immigrants, from two different countries, mourning this great loss for their country. More tears fell as I wept with them.

A memorable moment from a week or so after the 9/11 attacks…
We were stopping with friends at a fast food place connected to a truck stop. The truck stop is one of those that puts up the biggest possible flag that they can fit on their pole, and like all U.S. flags at the time, it was flying at half mast. As I looked up at the well lit flag in the night sky, I noticed how worn it was. Ripped and torn, yet enduring. I was again overwhelmed by grief, yet also filled with hope that our country, too, tough ripped and torn, would survive.

Here are a couple of my favorite post-9/11 songs:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_-x9kMPauc&hl=en&fs=1]

This one has bits of the footage that some folks would like us to forget.  I pray we never do.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW8puRqE4Sc&hl=en&fs=1]

Realization

I realized when I saw this picture that my hair is getting a bit long. I’m in the midst of an experiment to find out how long it will get if I just let it grow and keep the ends trimmed, but it’s usually hard to get a perspective on how long it is.

A Bit of Catch Up . . .

Because I’ve been a lazy camera unloader!

Introducing Ruth and Cocoa, who were given to us on Aug. 21. Thanks Brian and Melissa! They even gave us the neat little chicken run.

Aug. 22 was the previously mentioned Game Night at BBC. Lots of pictures here. Lots of craziness at Game Night – like new photography techniques…

On the 25th, we stopped at the riverfront park in Washington, MO, before heading to our home school support group meeting – quick but fun!

And just the other day, we finally found Stephen a pair of shoes that are wide and tall enough for his feet. They’re size 5, which is huge for a 15 month old Smith Blessing.

Parental Affirmation

A quick thought here…

I was just reading an email from someone who included a thank you to her parents . . . “for being proud of me in my darkest days.”

That struck a chord deep within me, because I have been thinking similar thankful thoughts.

I cannot express what a difference is made in my life by the knowledge that my parents think I’m wonderful. They know that I am far from perfect, far from who I will someday be. And yet, I know that they really truly think that I am a nifty, special, accomplished person.

They speak this to me in so many ways – they tell me in written words, in spoken words, in hugs, in looks that say so clearly, “I’m so glad that you’re my daughter and I think you’re great.”

Papa and Mama believe in me. They know God has sooo much more work to do in me, but they see what He’s done so far. And they like me.

I want to pass this same gift on to my children.

Lord, help me see the wonderful gifts and strengths my children have. Help me to appreciate them for who they are, Your precious creations. Help me to see the work You’re doing in them, and to affirm and treasure them in ways that give them an assurance of my love and appreciation of them as individuals. Please make me a flesh-and-blood representation to them of Your unfailing love and compassion, as my parents have been to me.

More about Jonathan’s copperhead bite

Here’s the copperhead bite story and an update.

Last night was our chapel Game Night. As usual, the canasta game (which always includes at least a couple members of our household) didn’t finish up until after 11. Jonathan and I helped clean up and work on various tasks, and some of the kids went out to the volleyball court to look for some missing shoes. When Jonathan went out to check on them, they told him they thought they saw a copperhead snake. I’m so thankful they knew enough to recognize it and to leave it alone (if they hadn’t recognized it, they would have tried to catch it… it’s in their genes).

I wandered out to the volleyball court after a while to see if the shoe search had been successful and found Jonathan poking around in the grass and trees next to the court, looking for the copperhead. We sent the kiddos to pack up in the van, and shortly thereafter, Jonathan comes up with the copperhead. As he walks towards me with it in his left hand, he’s shaking his right hand and saying, “Fast little booger.” Apparently, when he first caught it, it managed to keep enough of its neck free to get a fang in him.

We went inside and took some pictures of the snake. I was going to say, “first things first” about that, but the first thing actually was Jonathan sucking and spitting, trying to get any poison out of his finger that he could. After we got pictures, Jonathan went out to let the snake go, and I went out to find some plantain.

After we got some plantain on it, I called the hospital. They said to keep an eye on it and bring him in if the swelling got so bad that it started to constrict his circulation. So we packed up and headed home.

Once home, I went googling for more information. There was so much conflicting information (elevate, don’t elevate; ice, don’t ice, etc) that we decided to check with Poison Control to see what they recommended. They insisted that we needed to get to the ER right away, and since the bite was so close to his bone, Jonathan was more willing than usual to go in. So Dad and Mom Smith came over to be here for the sleeping Blessings, and we headed out for a late night date!

They didn’t really do anything at the ER besides look at him a couple of times. The doctor explained that only in very extreme cases do they use the antivenin, as it can be much more dangerous than the bite itself. So we sat in a freezing cold room for a couple of hours, read, chatted, and waited. After a couple of hours, it was obvious that the swelling was not out of control, and we got to come home. We got home shortly after 5 this morning.

We’re a bit frustrated the Poison Control people were so insistent that we go in right away last night, We could have sat together at home for a couple of hours in a lot more comfort than we had at the ER, and for a lot less money! 🙂 But the Lord knows all about that, so there’s no need for us to fret.

Jonathan’s actually doing pretty well this (to us) morning. His hand is still very tender, but the swelling hasn’t gone past his hand. We have been using some natural remedies, and I think they are making a difference. From what we’ve seen as we’ve explored online, it will likely be a couple of weeks before he is mostly back to normal, and a lot of bruising would be typical. We’re not sure yet what impact the pain and swelling will have on his ability to work, but we’re thankful that he has the weekend to recover somewhat.

Here’s Jonathan’s blog from when we got home this morning.

Thanks for praying!

Update

Just got home from the ER. Looks like he’ll make it. 🙂

The swelling isn’t too bad at this point, so we headed home after a couple hours sitting around in the ER. We’ll see how much he’s able to do over the next couple days and how much bruising develops.

I’ll post more after some sleep!

Unexpected Excitement

Jonathan was bitten by a copperhead snake tonight after our chapel game night.

Here are pictures of the snake and of Jonathan’s hand a few minutes after the bite.



After we got home, I called Poison Control, and on their advice we are headed to the ER as soon as Dad and Mom Smith get here to keep an ear out for the kids. It’s 1:24am.