Peter the Military School Cadet

Peter completed the 30 day ROC (recruit on campus) cycle and was promoted to full fledged Military School Cadet.  I attended the Parade and promotion ceremony.

Where's Peter??????? They all look alike!

Oh there is Bravo Company - he must be in there somewhere.

Oh There he is.  I finally found him when I recognized the way he was biting his lip.  (My mom said, "oh he got that from you."  Hum, well I guess I do bite my lip. Maybe we are more I like than I thought.)

Peter actually let me take his picture!  That's progress.

Peter let a friend take our picture.  Now that is down right amazing!

Peter is home for the weekend.  I brought him home following the school's varsity football game this evening. To say he was eager to get home is putting it mildly.  The fun part was that he was talkative (for Peter) and answered my questions without moaning and complaining  The trip to Wendy's and home was fun. (Remember we live 2 miles from the school and even less from Wendy's so it wasn't lengthy but it was enough to satisfy me.) What was he most eager for?  A milkshake from Wendy's like the one he didn't get to finish the day I took him to school (plus chili and fries.)  Popcorn.  His video games -  "I haven't played video games since I went to school!" And his comfortable bed.  

The Parable of the Pumpkin Vine

This is my pumpkin vine.  Last spring my classroom preschoolers and I planted some seeds in little cups. When school concluded in May, I had a 6 inch pumpkin vine.  I took it home and for lack of a garden plot, I planted it in the natural area beside my house and ignored it. That little pumpkin seed has grown into what at the latest measurement is a 30 foot pumpkin vine producing over 50 blossoms.  It is absolutely beautiful. However as fast as it is growing, death seems determined to catch up with it.  I noticed over a month ago that the leaves near the root were developing spots and withering away.  I tried several different sprays until I was informed that my pumpkin, due to our extremely wet summer, most likely had root rot and that there was nothing I could do about it. 

The bottom of this picture is where the pumpkin was planted.
Leaves have withered to about 2/3rds of the way up on this picture.

The crazy thing is that at the time the root rot was diagnosed the vine was probably only about fifteen feet long. It is doomed and yet it keeps just on going and going and going.  I have been extremely sad about my pumpkin vine.  I was SO excited to harvest pumpkins from the seed planted by my little preschool class. Every time I look at it, I get this sinking feeling.  Jonah and his anger over the withered vine keeps flashing in my head. Believing that God waste nothing, I have been trying to figure out the parable of my pumpkin vine. I have been looking for some message for the lost that I could share with others.  The other day as I was feeling frazzled by all I was trying to do and all I felt like I couldn't get done, God reminded me of my pumpkin vine.  I have been spinning my wheels trying to do this, accomplish that, and please this one or another all in my strength and hard work.  I acknowledge God with my arrow prayers but seldom stop to meditate, read scripture or ask for wisdom and strength regarding this "to do list" of mine.  I wine and complain, feeling this bitterness creeping in.  I have this appearance of being very busy and productive.  Yet root rot is eating at it to the point that I fear the fruit of my labor will all be for nothing.  All that I do in my own strength, produces what? A withered vine. I can't say that things have changed but I have been challenged.  If I grieve over a withering pumpkin vine should I not grieve over my own effort to produce something that cannot be, without the power, strength and life of Christ surging through it.

E-mails from Military School

For over two and a half weeks, I did not hear anything from Peter after leaving him at Riverside Military Academy for football camp and the beginning of the school year.  After two and a half weeks, having met my limit of Mom patience for knowing the welfare of my child, I contacted his supervisors.  I received apologies and the assurance that I would be hearing from him that very day.  So with excitement I headed to my inbox to discover this. "hello can you send me som food and snacks and sports illustrated and send me a secdule of gvill highschool football schedule all right thankyo"  I am going to tell you that it wasn't exactly what I had hoped for.  I didn't expect him to tell me how wonderful school was nor thank me for sending him.  I did expect the "I hate it here" that did come in a later e-mail. However I did really hope for some information about his roommate, football, anything.  Basically all the communication I have received since the first one has revolved around what he wants or needs and complaints about my not sending snacks.   I have responded with expectations for appropriate communication that would lead to my wanting to go out of my way to send snacks. And yet I still receive scantly written "give me" e-mails.  

The other day I was praying and realized that my prayers didn't sound much different from Peter's "give me this and that" communication.  Wow.  Now that was convicting

Larry update 3

I told Larry that I ought to go to more of his doctor's appointments.  I got to leave work early and Mom bought me lunch. Lunch did feel rather celebratory. Larry had the staples removed from his incisions, much to his relief. According to the Surgeon, things seem to be healing well.  As for the "other things" the surgeon recommended that no chemo or radiation treatment be done at this time.  This is what mom and I had both hoped for.  So basically now it is a matter of mom and Larry learning to make the most of living with a colostomy bag.  The hope is that Larry's balance and physical strength will continue to improve so that he can be as independent as possible.  Thank you again for your prayers and concerns for Larry.

Wow - Larry Update 2

This evening I went to dinner with my parents and Larry.  The only evidence that he had been through major surgery was the sitting pillow that he carries with him.  All I can say is wow.  Two weeks ago as we anticipated his colon cancer surgery, I had concerns as to how he would bounce back.  He has bounced back from this very well.  There are adjustments for him (and Mom) however Larry's spirits are good and he is recovering much better from this than he did from his broken hip in early May.  He goes to the doctor on Wednesday to have the last of the stitches removed and "talk about other things" as the doctor so told Larry. I am grateful for the doctor who has taken good care of  Larry thus far. We are also very thankful for the many prayers on his behalf and I do ask for your continued prayers as we meet with the doctor on Wednesday.