Monday, Muffins, and Back Pain

Happy Monday, y'all!

I somehow jacked up my back last week. I don't know how I did it. It wasn't an "ah-HA" moment, where I did something, and felt it immediately. I just kind of woke up with it messed up.

I've tried to do the stretching exercises my P/T friend recommended. Of course, she told me that, since I have a history of back problems, I should be doing them every day...and not just when it starts hurting.

And I SAY that I'm going to do them every day, but then I don't. I'm a slow learner, I guess.

Anyway, I was supposed to keep my baby grandson today, and I was praying that my back would be "good enough" for that. With Joshua here to help me, I wasn't too worried.

I typically don't sleep a lot. I am usually awake once during the night, for no reason at all...and then I wake up very early. I always try to go back to sleep, but I'm not always successful.

This morning, I woke up at 3:30, or something outrageous like that. I finally started settling down, and then my husband got up a little after 4 to go run. I mean, seriously? I stayed awake while he was gone. I planned on getting up when he left for work at 6:10, but Holly texted me that she'd been canceled for the day, because their census was up (she's a nurse in the NICU)...so that meant I wouldn't keep Rhodie today.

Jim told me to look at it as a gift, because this would "give me the whole day to rest my back and take it easy."

Which, we've been married for almost 38 years, and I'm realizing that he STILL has no idea what it takes to run a home and all of that.

Because I HAVE tried to rest my back, and use the heating pad...but I've also done 4 loads of laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, loaded the dishwasher, and changed the sheets on two beds (so far). I warmed up and served lunch to Joshua and Holly and baby Rhodie...and cleaned up after. Not because I'm some sort of martyr...but because it needed to be done.

I gave the housekeeping fairies the week off.

Every time I've sat down in the chair to rest my back with my heating pad, all I can think of is, "I need to touch up the paint on that trim," and "I wonder if these shelves would look good painted gray," and "if I moved that small china cabinet into the entryway, I might have room for the pictures of the kids on that wall."

Oh, and "the dryer just stopped."

Which, none of this is really the point of my story.

I rarely have a point to any of my stories.

If you've read here long, or followed me on Facebook or IG, you know that Joshua is a creature of habit. He loves routine, and his routine is that we have muffins on Mondays. Nothing fancy, or anything. Just blueberry muffins from a box. NBD.

But we must have them on Mondays. Or some kind of muffins.

Well, after Holly told me she got canceled, that meant I wouldn't keep the baby. Jim told me to go back to bed, and try to rest. So I did. I went back to lie down. I had the lamp on, and the TV on. I was not asleep.

In about 30 minutes, Joshua peeked his head in the door, and asked me where the baby was...and if I had made muffins. I told him we weren't keeping the baby today, and that I would make the muffins in a minute.

He said, "do you need my help getting out of bed?"

Um. NO, I DO NOT. PLEASE GO AWAY...is what I THOUGHT about saying, but I responded in a much nicer way. Please don't think he was worried about me and my sore back. He might have been...but it was a teensy-tiny bit. He was mainly concerned about the muffins: where were they, and when could he expect them to arrive on his plate.

Ha.

He left, and I thought he had gone back upstairs to his room...but in a minute, he was back at the side of my bed. He said, "I got the muffin pan out for you."

REALLY?

And then he kissed me on my head.

And then he went back upstairs.

A few minutes later, I heard him at the top of the stairs. He was sniffing the air...trying to see if he could smell anything cooking. He came back downstairs. I was in the kitchen, making the muffins. I told myself, "don't look at him...don't make eye-contact...just see what he does." He walked in the kitchen, and surveyed the situation for a minute. Then he turned around, and went back upstairs, muttering the whole way...ithoughtthemuffinswouldbereadybynowbutiguessnotiwonderwhy...

It was at this point when I started wondering if he had put me on his small group's prayer list.

Apparently, his small group, at church, has a group text, where they share their needs and concerns with everyone in their class. We found out about it last week, when Rhodie was sick. Joshua disappeared up to his room for a long time. When he came down, he said, "I put Rhodie on my small group's prayer list." I said, "you did?" He said, "yes," and looked all proud about it. He said, "right now, there are 2 people praying for Rhodie...as we speak."

His phone goes, "ding!" He read it, looked up at me, and smiled. "Make that THREE people praying for Rhodie."

We were all thinking, "OHHHHHMYYYYYWORRRRRRD what has he been sharing about us?" Because Joshua doesn't always get the "gist" (or the facts) of some things we talk about at home, and he tends to blow things out of proportion.

I told Jim I could just see him, in his room, with his phone, "tick...tick...tick...please pray for my mom she is still in bed and won't make my muffins and I'm starving to death thank you."

This guy...I love him. He keeps us all on our toes.

And now I must go and fix dinner, because I KID YOU NOT...I'm sitting at the kitchen table, doing some writing, and he came in here, and started putting out plates, napkins, and silverware.

It is 5:18 p.m.

"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." Colossians 4: 6

I Don't Know About You...But Clark is 22!

Twenty-two years ago, I gave birth to our 4th child. 

He was 12 1/2 weeks early, and he weighed just over 3 lbs. He spent 7 1/2 weeks in the NICU, and then we brought him home to live happily ever after with us. 

But, at age 2, he was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a form of cancer. He had surgery to remove the tumor and part of his liver, and, within a couple of days, he started his chemo regimen. 

People who know Clark's story may get tired of me rehashing it every year, but that's okay. I just never want to forget what God did in our lives...what He did for Clark. 

Because, by God's plan and provision, Clark turns 22 today. 

I've seen God's hand on his life every step of the way. 

So now, when rough or uncertain times come...and they have, and they will, I go back. I go back to the tiny baby who was born way too early...and to the toddler who endured what no child should. 

I go back to the fear and the unknown and the sleepless nights of crying out to God...and I remember the faithfulness of God. 

And I remember the love, attention, and constant support of family and friends from near and far away. 

I am grateful to everyone who has walked, and continues to walk, this journey of life with us. You are a part of this day, because God used your prayers to sustain us on many occasions, and I never want to forget that. 

Psalms 139 reminds us that the number of our days was planned, before we were even born...so none of what happened to Clark came as a surprise to God. 

And I remind myself that, before the foundation of the earth, God made a plan to send His own Son to die for me. And for Clark. 

And for you. 

It's because of this, if you know Him, that any of us are able to face the difficulties and challenges of life. Amiright? 

Jesus alone gives us strength when we are weak. Jesus alone gives us peace in the midst of trials. And Jesus alone fills us up when we are empty. 

So, I will keep telling Clark's story, every year of his life. Really, it's God's story of what He's done in Clark's life, and in ours. 

It's a story He continues to write. 

Happy 22 years of life to Clark! So thankful to be his Mom. 

"You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." Psalm 139:16