LaughingSeven

It’s no secret that I love college football (wooo pig sooie) … and that I love to talk trash to my fellow SEC fans, especially the Wunder sisters (Karen) and their Auburn Tigers/Eagles. And with that intro, I give you:

Come by for a latte or mocha, sometime (and I make birthday cakes that swim in purple icing).

The pink icing was rocking … not so much with the purple. The end product wasn’t exactly what I was going for, but it tasted as good as ever. Happy birthday Gabby (4).

I generally don’t engage in political discussions because it’s an area that I have historically had very little interest in (for a number of reasons I won’t go into here) nor have I had much understanding or knowledge of how government/politics works (Sorry Ms. Smith, your 9th grade Social Studies class wasn’t THAT bad). But this morning is different. I’m going to briefly offer a few thoughts on Obama for president given that he was on primetime last night. Much of these thoughts are the result of questions I have been asking myself, even though I’m unsure of what specifically those questions are in written form. I digress.

As a matter of theological/philosophical standing, I love Obama’s offering of hope. This blog, though not maintained on a regular basis, was founded with the idea that there is more; more hope. From an emotional standpoint, Obama speaks clearly to me that America, ahem the United States, can and should offer more to the world. And it is promised that he can deliver this change, this hope. And I agree … there is plenty more that we as a country can and should be doing. 

Watching his speech last night at the DNC in Denver, I kept wondering who this man was. My wife and I talked about the emotions on people’s faces as they watched and listened to Obama speak, both noting that on many occasions there seemed to be an air of awe and worship as those in attendance literally screamed, wept, and facially bowed at him and his offerings of hope. Being a therapist, I realize that hope does some crazy shit to people (not to mention me personally). It’ll make folks angry (as I saw on the faces of Hillary Clinton and Al Gore as they each took the podium at the DNC), it’ll make others sad for what should be, and it’ll make others so giddy with excitement that their serotonin levels are probably through the roof. All this to say that Obama creates a lot of buzz (captain obvious, here).

This morning, I am wondering what to do with Obama. My story and theology tell me that I cannot place my hope in humanity. Personally there is danger to believe in the promise and offering of hope in someone, anyone, I have never personally met, let alone someone I do know. But ultimately what scares me about Obama is the god-like status that he seems to command and get from people. Is his god-like status about the message or the man? My guess is that there is some of both … and I realize that my personal hermeneutic comes into play here, so perhaps this entire brain dump is all for naught (though I hope not). But as I watched him speak last night, I couldn’t get away from the faces of those watching/listening to him. There is/was a strange sense of fear mixed with relief that finally, finally we have a person/place/idea to put our (collective) hope. And again, that scares the hell out of me. 

It feels premature to end my thoughts now, but I’m unsure of where else to go. 

In no particular oder, 10 of my favorite things about nature:

1 The flash of lightning followed by the deep rumble and crack of thunder
2 The reflection of a mountain in a glacial lake, then the ability to look 30 or more feet into the lake and see the bottom clear as day.
3 In May, waking up to a cloudless sky in Seattle and seeing Mt. Rainier for the first time in months.
4 The peace and quiet during and after a snowfall
5 Watching a field full of lightning bugs after a long hot day
6 Letting my hands skim the top of the grass as I walk through a field of high grass.
7 The gentle and rhythmic crash of waves on a beach
8 The brilliance and sparkle of a diamond
9 The many colors and shades of life under water.
10 A mountain meadow with Elk or other animals grazing against the backdrop of a snow covered peak.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have notshared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this……

When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”

“Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”

But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…. and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills….and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy… and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away… because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But… if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things … about Holland.

Given that all goes as planned, here’s a link to some pics of our new home in Franklin, TN.

Molly Ann Mutz
6/13/08 - 6/19/08

May all who hear her name know the beauty that she brought to this world. Let it be known that this princess was of royal blood, who’s time to meet the King arrived far too soon for us. Molly Ann, I miss you already.

Glory!

Friends,

Today is Molly’s 7th birthday. She has graced us and everyone who has met her with 7 beautiful days of living. Yesterday my sister and brother got to bathe her for the first time, got pictures with her, and both had a turn holding little Molly’s naked body on their chests. In the words of my brother Jake, “It was Heavenly!” Tragically, the celebration of Molly’s life will turn to mourning her death today around 5pm in Denver.

I can’t help but to keep shaking my head at the thought of what Jake and Bec have to do today. The decision they made on Monday to not pursue surgery was difficult to say the least, but the decision facing them today is incomprehensible. Today is the day they have decided to let Molly go, to end her suffering by taking her off of life support. They are sending her to Jesus. There are no words, just my shaking head that gets more pronounced the more I feel, the more I think.

My goodbye on Tuesday with Molly was sweet. I wrote a note in her journal and then read it to her….I wept it to her. Shortly after, I played the song “Con Te Partrio” (Time to Say Goodbye in Italian). I didn’t want to say goodbye, I still don’t.

I ask that each of you today be reminded to pray for Rebecca and Jake as they inch closer to the time later today when they will take Molly off of life support. When you look at the clock for when lunch will arrive, or when your next appointment is, or when work/school/etc is over; will you be reminded that the Molly’s time is drawing to a close. Remember Bec and Jake as with each minute, they inch closer to giving the final word to remove life support. Pray for a miracle.

Truly truly, her life has been special. If there was a symbol that gives you a picture of her life, it is the exclamation point! She came, she changed, and now she is going. Molly’s work here on earth is done, and what an amazing work she has done. In 7 days, she has accomplished more than most 77 year olds.

I’ll say it again, I pray that you experience the ripple, nay the waves of change that her life has caused.

Here are specifics that you can pray for today (from Jake and Bec):

Please pray for us today.
1) A miracle for Molly - for her to be completely healed when she comes off life support

2) Peace & guidance for us throughout this day & this process.

3) Christ’s tangible & obvious presence to be known & felt as (assuming no earthly healing) we hand her into Jesus’ arms.

4) For us to be able to grieve without a clock (both today & continually), at our own pace, without the pressure of today, tomorrow, others, or each other.

5) For Molly to continue to be medically stable throughout the day until it is time to take her off life support. We assume we will take her off life support this afternoon around 3-5pm. Please pray that God will show us the right time. We know her body is weak & we had a scare with this last night. We won’t ever be really ready but we just weren’t prepared to have to do that last night. (That is a praise she made it through the night!).

6) So more accurately, pray that Molly will make it to her appointed time & that will have prepared us for that time.

7) Finally, that the last people we have to hear a “2nd” opinion from - The Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City - will do so before noon. I don’t want to give up the fight to soon - despite hearing almost a dozen other “2nd” opinions - I am holding on to this last glimmer of hope.

come quickly Lord Jesus, come quickly.