From the archives of my youth...

Don't Give Up Now!
By Chris Morsink, known to me as "Mom"

On a particularly cold day in February, circumstances at our house were rapidly moving from bad to worse - much worse! Our six person household is usually busy but this day made history so I jotted down a few notes - in case I lived to tell about it.

I was up to my elbows in a cow's stomach that I was hosing out in the basement washtub. Tomorrow this stomach would be part of our cooperative home school study of the digestive system at the VanBronkhorst's (our pastor and family's) house. Grandma and Grandpa Proctor were coming for dinner in about 30 minutes and I wanted to get this chore done before they arrived.

As I worked to clean out the final chamber of the stomach, it seemed that perhaps there would even be time to throw in a load of laundry before our guests came. All four of our laundry baskets / hampers were full of dirty clothes around my feet. Alison toddled by and the smell she left behind meant I would have to get her a clean diaper before I started the laundry.

"Mom, my nose is bleeding again!" Michael came down the steps trailing great splotches of blood. I dropped the stomach and grabbed a towel to hold under the nose. Oh, no! Now the kitchen floor would need cleaning.

"Owwww! Oowwww! Mommy!" John had fallen off a ride-on toy and couldn't seem to walk. With a quick warning to Michael not to bleed on anything I raced to evaluate the bruise on John's leg. "Wahhh - wahhh! Don't touch it!"

RIIIING RIIIING RIIIING "Mom, telephone for you," Caitlin called.

Right. One child bleeding, one child crying, one child needing a diaper change, at least eight loads of laundry, guests coming for dinner, and one enormous stomach in the washtub. And GUESS who was on the phone! Mick O'Hearn, WOOD TV weatherman, calling for details about speaking to our homeschool group. Ha! Sob. To laugh or to cry?

Have you had times similar to my February Crisis Day? The work God has given us to do seems impossible. The stress is too great. The end product of our best efforts is too far off to see. It seems the logical response to the day is to throw up your hands and quit. Scripture disagrees.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that engangles, and let us run with perseverence the race marked out for us." Hebrew 12:1

Coffee and Collisions

Last night I went from lounging in jammies to a last-minute date with my little sister. We spent a completely unproductive 2 hours in a bookstore sipping chai tea and frappeccinos. Any casual passerby would have learned much about us by our respective stacks of books to be browsed. Example: "How to be a Cowboy" (her) vs. "Mennonite in a Little Black Dress" (me). Oh, and then there was the laugh over running into an old acquaintance / wannabe cowboy who once wanted to be my man. It was fun to reminisce but I certainly don't miss the days when my love was still up for grabs. A great, relaxing, refreshing night all around.

And then there was this morning. I lugged the girls to church and back, including a stop for essentials at the grocery store. We arrived home and just as I had unloaded everything and everyone from the car, Claire tumbled out of her carseat - from counter-height - and landed on the tile floor. Directly on her face. Blood and bruises and bellows ensued. Here we are, 2 hours later, and fortunately she finally fell asleep and my nerves are a little less frayed. I'm told I have a talent for staying calm when things come unglued, but when my kids are involved, my serenity goes out the window. At least on the inside! And poor Claire...I think she just realized for the first time today the world's capacity for causing her pain. She cried for almost 2 hours, which is saying something for perhaps the world's most chilled out, happy little chica. My Claire-bear.

Oh well, tonight it's on over to my dad's for his famous dinner of chicken and rice. The day is sure to turn around and end on a happier note!