Day: April 9, 2007

missing Kathryn

Now two thirds of the way through her stay in Uganda, East Africa, we are sooooo missing our precious girl.  I’m not sure which gripped me more today… finding out that she’d just received a package that was carried into the country or calling her and getting cut off as she was, in mid sentence, describing to me her delight at the things we sent and how glad she was tha…

I attempted many times to call her back… thirty-seven numbers over and over… and each time hearing: “The number you are attempting to call is not in service at this time…”  So, I wait, and in three hours I will attempt to call again.  I miss her more with each passing day and with each passing day I think of more things I wish I could tell her or show her and I so wish I could hear her play the piano.  But even having said all that, I would not wish for her to have missed this trip for anything and I would not wish her home a day earlier than the time planned for the work there, and I surely would not trade these days here praying for her, watching for her, reading her letters or hearing her long-distance calls; no, I wouldn’t trade these days for anything.

kg josephine

I was thinking of her piano playing and was just reminded of a special blessing of the LORD.  She’s been longing to play the piano… sort of as one is thirsty on a hot day, that’s how she longs to play the piano.  Several weeks ago she began asking different ones she’s met if there was a piano somewhere.   She had been telling us how she so longed to play something – anything!  We smiled and prayed she’d have some opportunity somewhere.  But, pianos are extremely scarce and even keyboards are rare and though she ordinarily does not like keyboards, she would more than gladly play one if even for a short time. So the weeks went by and as God would have it, there was a sweet and unexpected opportunity to play the Good Friday service in a church in Jinja.  She loved that so much and shared with us how much it meant to her.  Anyway, that was just one of many of the sweet serendipities she’s received or experienced while there in Jinja.

I think that opportunity will fill a sweet spot in her heart as she looks back on days in Jinja.  Music is “everything” to her – or so she sometimes says.  I know her favourite to play is the grand piano and we’ve often teased her that that’s how she will know it’s time for her to marry…  a grand piano will be delivered to her home since she’s often said that’s the only thing she really wants.  And, knowing that one would never fit in this old farmhouse – it will have to be in hers ~smile~ someday… that is unless the LORD would have her in Jinja… then… well… pianos would diminish in significance.

A mom’s gotta be pretty sharp…

to stay ahead of boys. And even a semi conscious state of prayer blesses a mom and gives practical wisdom. I have to stop and thank the LORD often for His intercession on my behalf. I suppose I’d lose my mind, otherwise—that, or I’d sure lose a lot of ground each day.

teacuppamela.pngIt was out on the counter… I know, probably beckoning the boys to go by and take a piece or two. And, you know, it wouldn’t have been so noticeable had a knife not been utilized in the removal of bit of the ham. I’d probably hardly take notice of a couple of bits of ham missing. But the knife… that was blatant. So I told the few gathered around me that there are just some lessons in life that need to be learned—not to just hear, but to hear and heed!

So, I had to use some “boy examples” to get my point across—and mom’s have to talk quick, keep rapt attention and be relevant. Well… I remembered that after I gave a couple of girl examples—one being, the example of having six hard-boiled eggs in a pan and an egg plate that will hold 12 deviled eggs. If a boy comes in and eats just one of the boiled eggs, the egg dish will not be complete. So I told them that when things are on the counter, you can just look at them… no touching. Like—don’t touch the eggs or when there’s a ham on the counter and you see it is sitting next to the soup kettle on the stove, don’t touch it—it’s got a use. Well, I saw that I was met with sort of glazed eyes and I could sort of see there might be a response coming… “And so, would you have to boil more?” I nodded and squinted a bit and said, “yes, yes you would.”

Okay… it was time to utilize man sort of logic… so I told them, it’s sort of like hood ornaments on big guys’ trucks. You just don’t touch em. They are not even to be used, in reality. They’re just to look at—it’s something everyone knows: you just don’t touch them. If you’re building a picket fence and you need one hundred pickets, if I just come by and take a couple for some woodstove kindling, that will totally wreck finished appearance of the fence you’re attempting to complete. If you go to someone’s home, do you just go in and start eating their foods? If you’re making a pan of brownies, and I just come a take away the egg (and you don’t have anymore) then you cannot make the brownies.

“Oooo, that’d be so terrible.”

Seeing that I was getting somewhere, I noticed a sparkle in the eyes of one of the boys. And then he gave me an example he’d heard. He told me that guys have to learn when they get married that there are two kinds of towels in the bathroom. Some you use and some you never use. You gotta get that straight: the ones you never use.

I nodded. And I said, “Okay, then keep it straight: there’s some stuff you just don’t touch. Ever. And if you can, I’ll let you know.” That boy said, ” Or my wife will.”

I said, “Right… but get it straight before that happens. And… leave the rest of the ham alone… it’s for the soup for dinner.”

Elation in the kitchen… it’s hailing outside!

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