We Are Moving
Submitted by kim on Thu, 06/05/2014 - 15:07 in Character Building, Lessons for Mom
This is happening.
We are packing boxes. Loading trucks. Storing belongings. Planning to move.
If you search for a 2,200 square foot, four bedroom home in the St Louis area on real estate listings, you might find my home. My kitchen counter and my closets and that spot on the couch near the fireplace that I love to sit next to my husband. We are selling our home. It feels surprising even to me as I type the sentence.
Seeing My Work and A Graduation
Submitted by kim on Mon, 06/02/2014 - 20:43 in Lessons for Mom, Parenting
Sometimes I am jealous of Rich's work. As a carpenter, he can stand back at the end of the day and physically see what he created. In fact, we can drive around St. Louis and see evidence of his thirty-five year career. Subdivisions at dusk when the lights are on inside, but the shades not yet drawn reveal staircases and bookshelves and kitchens that he installed. Once we met a couple that had recently purchased a house he built twenty years ago. Most recently, his labors are seen in commercial buildings. A Siteman Cancer Center. The Lutheran Senior Services Center. The trim, wood columns, and bar in the clubroom at the Peabody Opera House pictured above.
My work as a mother is not so clearly seen.
Back to the Hospital
Submitted by kim on Thu, 05/29/2014 - 22:18 in Nathaniel's Story
If I have learned anything in the last ten months as Nathaniel's mom it is to trust my mother's intuition. I could kick myself for the not doing so in regards to a hunch I had that one of our night nurses was sleeping through her shift. Her inattentiveness Wednesday night landed Nathaniel, Rich and I in the emergency department Thursday morning.
Another Day in Surgery
Submitted by kim on Wed, 05/28/2014 - 19:41 in Nathaniel's Story
Nathaniel and Mom waiting for surgery
I walk Nathaniel back to the operating room beside the anesthesiologist chatting about her twins and my eight and the first time I handed a child over to a doctor for surgery. Twenty-four years ago this summer. So many surgeries in between. But a mom never gets used to that moment when the baby or child disappears behind the doors. A lump in the throat. I bite my bottom lip. I walk quickly back to his pre-op room where I can wait in prayer. It does not matter how many times I have done this, my faith is stretched every time.
When Dad Works Away From Home
Submitted by kim on Mon, 05/12/2014 - 19:07 in Lessons for Mom, Marriage
We hardly had time to process that our family is no longer caring for Grandpa when Rich was sent out of town for work. We do not do husband-working-out-of-town well. As a family or as couple. His job as a carpenter is not one that we would expect him to work away from home. I was thinking about the by-line for this blog… “preserving the fruit of life through tough times.” Rich working out of town is a tough time for us.
