All the discretionary time in life quickly disappears when a family member is hospitalized, as my mother-in-law has been since last Sunday. We are running from one thing to the next trying to spend as much time as possible with her.
She is 92 and confused. Whether this is just another step in a progressive dementia or whether she has had a stroke which triggered the abrupt escalation of her confusion is still unclear. Because her situation has not stabilized yet, we aren't sure what the next step will be.
It seems apparent that my 93 year-old father-in-law cannot care for her at home and that the amount of time we previously had caregivers in the house will now be woefully inadequate. Where to from here?
What a difficult time for a family! Nursing home care is not really what we desire, but the logistics of round-the-clock home care are enormous.
Thirteen years ago, my mother had a massive stroke. I took care of her at home 24/7 for 5 months. But....I am 13 years older now. I wish I could do for my mother-in-law what I did for my mother, but I am just not physically capable of it now.
Life is full of extraordinarily difficult decisions!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Idol
A Meditation on Isaiah 21:9
“Babylon has fallen...All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!”
That most precious thing,
Tenderly cradled,
Fiercely protected,
Held to my heart,
Does not fall until I do.
The image of a god,
Cherished possession,
Object of affection,
Captivator of my mind,
Falls only as I myself die.
I can choose to cling,
Through the seasons of life,
Ignoring better judgment,
Against divine wisdom,
Until death opens my hand.
Or I can choose to let go,
Cast down the image,
Yield to undeniable truth,
Let the god crash to the ground,
As I fall to my knees...
And cry, “Holy, Lord God Almighty!”
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Oedipus...Most Miserable of Men
Alas, poor Oedipus. No matter how hard he tried to do right, it ended up all wrong.
Now, there have been times in my life when I felt as though the harder I tried to do right, the worse my predicament became. But, I just finished reading Oedipus, the King, by Sophocles, and I have never, NEVER been as miserable as poor Oedipus.
When Oedipus was born, a prophet predicted that he would someday kill his father and marry his mother. Therefore, shortly after his birth his parents, who were king and queen of Thebes, sent him with a servant to be abandoned on a mountain, supposing that he would die there. However, by a series of circumstances, which might have at the time seemed fortuitous for the helpless infant, he ended up in another land as the adopted child of the king and queen.
Eventually he heard a rumor that he was adopted, but when he questioned his parents, they denied it. As he became an adult, a prophet again predicted that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Not wanting to be guilty of anything so vile, he decided that he must leave those he supposed to be his parents.
Unhappy man that he was, he headed for Thebes. On the way he ran into the king of Thebes and had an altercation in which he killed him, thus fulfilling the first part of the prophecy. Eventually the second was fulfilled also, as he married the queen of Thebes who was, in fact, his biological mother. They were married long enough to have four children before the disaster became apparent.
Everything in Thebes was going badly...crops were failing, disease was rampant. When counsel was sought of prophets, they declared that someone who had committed a vile deed was among them Being a conscientious king, Oedipus decided this evil must be brought to light no matter who the guilty party was.
When his guilt was revealed, he was filled with self-loathing. His mother/wife committed suicide, and he blinded himself by stabbing his eyes with her brooch pins.
My high school Latin teacher apparently didn't have this quite right. He declared to us that Oedipus had gouged out his own eyeballs. He thought a reenactment of this should involve Oedipus throwing two grapes into the audience. (But then, he was strange in multiple ways.)
You have got to feel sorry for the guy....that is, Oedipus, not my Latin teacher. Each step he took in what appeared to be the right direction was, in fact, the next step toward horrific grief.
The last paragraph of the play, which is spoken by the chorus is:
...while our eyes wait to see the destined final day, we must call no one happy who is of mortal race, until he hath crossed life's border, free from pain.
The truth is that none of us crosses life's border free from pain.
Another sorry spectacle, Job, in the Old Testament, said:
Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.
We live in a troubled, fallen world full of pain. Current events make that abundantly clear. How do we keep from blinding ourselves? How do we awaken each day and see the agony that surrounds us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:2-3)
Now, there have been times in my life when I felt as though the harder I tried to do right, the worse my predicament became. But, I just finished reading Oedipus, the King, by Sophocles, and I have never, NEVER been as miserable as poor Oedipus.
When Oedipus was born, a prophet predicted that he would someday kill his father and marry his mother. Therefore, shortly after his birth his parents, who were king and queen of Thebes, sent him with a servant to be abandoned on a mountain, supposing that he would die there. However, by a series of circumstances, which might have at the time seemed fortuitous for the helpless infant, he ended up in another land as the adopted child of the king and queen.
Eventually he heard a rumor that he was adopted, but when he questioned his parents, they denied it. As he became an adult, a prophet again predicted that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Not wanting to be guilty of anything so vile, he decided that he must leave those he supposed to be his parents.
Unhappy man that he was, he headed for Thebes. On the way he ran into the king of Thebes and had an altercation in which he killed him, thus fulfilling the first part of the prophecy. Eventually the second was fulfilled also, as he married the queen of Thebes who was, in fact, his biological mother. They were married long enough to have four children before the disaster became apparent.
Everything in Thebes was going badly...crops were failing, disease was rampant. When counsel was sought of prophets, they declared that someone who had committed a vile deed was among them Being a conscientious king, Oedipus decided this evil must be brought to light no matter who the guilty party was.
When his guilt was revealed, he was filled with self-loathing. His mother/wife committed suicide, and he blinded himself by stabbing his eyes with her brooch pins.
My high school Latin teacher apparently didn't have this quite right. He declared to us that Oedipus had gouged out his own eyeballs. He thought a reenactment of this should involve Oedipus throwing two grapes into the audience. (But then, he was strange in multiple ways.)
You have got to feel sorry for the guy....that is, Oedipus, not my Latin teacher. Each step he took in what appeared to be the right direction was, in fact, the next step toward horrific grief.
The last paragraph of the play, which is spoken by the chorus is:
...while our eyes wait to see the destined final day, we must call no one happy who is of mortal race, until he hath crossed life's border, free from pain.
The truth is that none of us crosses life's border free from pain.
Another sorry spectacle, Job, in the Old Testament, said:
Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.
We live in a troubled, fallen world full of pain. Current events make that abundantly clear. How do we keep from blinding ourselves? How do we awaken each day and see the agony that surrounds us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:2-3)
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Our own special March Madness
I discovered yesterday that he is all set for the games that are part of March Madness. He is working on a project on his computer and apparently doesn't want to miss the games, so he has come up with the arrangement in the picture.
Yes, that is my ironing board. Evidently it is the perfect size for a laptop and keyboard, and since the height is adjustable....well, you get the picture.
I'm not complaining too much, as it gives me a good excuse to ignore the ironing.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Monkey Business
Last evening, two of our granddaughters (affectionately known as Big B and Little B) came over to the house. The older one wanted help from my husband in putting new inner tubes in her bike tires. She needed both his help and his tools. The younger one, who is six years old, tagged along, As we sat in the kitchen together listening to the sounds coming from the garage, we had this conversation:
Little B: "Grandma, do monkeys make and use tools?"
Me: "No."
Little B. "That's what I said, but it was wrong!"
Me: "How did your teacher explain this to you."
Little B: "She didn't."
Me: "Well, monkeys do use things like sticks to reach for food that is too far to reach with their hands, so I suppose that is considered a tool. But, they don't make tools. It's not like they sharpen a point on the stick, so they can stab the food with it. Was this question on a test?"
Little B: "No, it was on the computer."
Me: "Did your teacher say anything about it?"
Little B: "Yes, she said, 'Move on!'"
When I related this conversation to my husband, he said, "Why on earth would you even ask a child that age such a question?"
Why indeed?
It is a perfectly logical question, if you have an agenda.
If you believe in evolution undirected by any intelligent being, then it is important that there isn't too big a gap between monkeys and men. If you don't want to accept that man was created in God's image, then he can't be allowed to be too much of an improvement over his primate relatives. So, you want to be sure to instill the idea early that monkeys are nearly human. The notion that they make and use tools is one way to do that.
A young child does not have a sophisticated understanding of the word "tool." I expect most of them think of a hammer or screwdriver or saw....none of which any monkey has ever made as far as I know. Monkeys use items they find in nature such as sticks and rocks. They do not significantly alter them or put them together with screws. They may use a rock to break open something containing food, but they don't wire the rock on to a stick to increase leverage, and thus create a primitive hammer.
So, I think I helped my granddaughter to a correct perspective on the actual ability of monkeys. I don't suppose, however, that the other 20-some children in the class had a conversation that clarified the concept.
Knowledge is built little by little, piece on top of piece. When misinformation is part of the foundation, the result is a perversion of truth.
Little B: "Grandma, do monkeys make and use tools?"
Me: "No."
Little B. "That's what I said, but it was wrong!"
Me: "How did your teacher explain this to you."
Little B: "She didn't."
Me: "Well, monkeys do use things like sticks to reach for food that is too far to reach with their hands, so I suppose that is considered a tool. But, they don't make tools. It's not like they sharpen a point on the stick, so they can stab the food with it. Was this question on a test?"
Little B: "No, it was on the computer."
Me: "Did your teacher say anything about it?"
Little B: "Yes, she said, 'Move on!'"
When I related this conversation to my husband, he said, "Why on earth would you even ask a child that age such a question?"
Why indeed?
It is a perfectly logical question, if you have an agenda.
If you believe in evolution undirected by any intelligent being, then it is important that there isn't too big a gap between monkeys and men. If you don't want to accept that man was created in God's image, then he can't be allowed to be too much of an improvement over his primate relatives. So, you want to be sure to instill the idea early that monkeys are nearly human. The notion that they make and use tools is one way to do that.
A young child does not have a sophisticated understanding of the word "tool." I expect most of them think of a hammer or screwdriver or saw....none of which any monkey has ever made as far as I know. Monkeys use items they find in nature such as sticks and rocks. They do not significantly alter them or put them together with screws. They may use a rock to break open something containing food, but they don't wire the rock on to a stick to increase leverage, and thus create a primitive hammer.
So, I think I helped my granddaughter to a correct perspective on the actual ability of monkeys. I don't suppose, however, that the other 20-some children in the class had a conversation that clarified the concept.
Knowledge is built little by little, piece on top of piece. When misinformation is part of the foundation, the result is a perversion of truth.
Friday, March 11, 2011
My Prayer Today
The statistics feature on blogger allows me to know what country hits on my blog are coming from. Recently, I have been getting almost one hit per day from Japan. I have wondered if the same person is routinely reading my blog. If that is the case, I want you to know that I have been praying for you and those you love today. I hope you are safe.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
When March Winds Blow
The wind began roaring like a freight train last evening and continued through the night. This morning we awakened to gray skies, rain, swaying branches and retreating snow. The combination of rain and wind seems to make the snow disappear rapidly.
On days like this, the background music in my head always begins playing a song I learned in early grade school.
When March winds blow over valley and hill,
You hear them go with a trumpeting shrill,
And you may know springs coming,
When you hear the March winds blow.
I suppose we learned that song for a spring concert. It has been rumbling around in my head for nearly 60 years now and always bubbles to the surface on a windy day in March giving me hope of the warmth, sunshine and new growth of spring.
It may be a gloomy miserable day, but it is full of promise.
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