Cabin Fever

We've all heard the stories of people getting snowed in at some remote cabin in the wilderness, and becoming raving lunatics by the spring thaw. Well, our little bunch is fast approaching that point!

My husband had sinus surgery last week and has been a miserable soul! I really feel sorry for him as he tries to mend. For our family, being homebodies has been quite a switch! Unlike the cabin dwellers, we have had plenty to eat this week. You see, Monday night was very stormy. After returning home after the procedure the next morning, I was busy looking after Barry and didn't venture into the garage to open the freezer. The next morning, I opened it and discovered that the circuit breaker it was on had tripped during the storm and the items in the top had started their "spring thaw." I spent that day cooking all kinds of stuff!!! We had catfish, ground beef, salmon, and lots of chicken, so we discouraged family members from dropping by with food for a while!

I have discovered many things this week. When you make chocolate chip cookies, make sure to hide half of them from everybody until the next day. You don't have nearly as much laundry to do if you just stay in your pj's on the weekend. Our satelite receiver picks up hundreds of channels, but there is nothing worth watching most of the time. And the number one thing I have discovered is that nothing happens around here until I doze off. The phone doesn't ring, no one runs out of toilet paper, the boys are quiet, and the birds are content to sit with Barry. Let me close my eyes for more than a minute and chaos ensues! The only thing that comes close is when I go to the bathroom - at which point the world beats a path to the door!

Now, here it is...Sunday night. We have survived the week without a severe case of cabin fever. We have not frozen to death, chopped up the furniture, nor eaten the children. In the morning the kids will escape to school, Barry will emerge into daylight for his first post-op appointment, and I will go to work once we get back home. Spring thaw - here we come!

Freedom Isn't Free

My grandfather visited my older son's history class today. They were discussing World War II, and he had told his teacher that Papa had been an Army medic who had gone ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day. She enthusiastically asked him to bring Papa in. Like most of the WWII veterans I have met, Papa has never spoken much of his experiences until this year when Aaron did a report on D-Day and interviewed him. My mom even said she had never heard the stories that Papa related to us.

When I entered the classroom I found that two classes had combined and were sitting motionless as his tale unfolded. Papa and Aaron stood at the front of the class, with Aaron looking like his biggest fan. Papa had bought a brand new shirt for the occasion, and stood very tall and straight for his 80 years. Through his words we were all transported back in time. He told of how the troop train he was on in Texas broke down in the desert in the broiling sun. He described the violent rocking of the ship that carried them across the Atlantic to England, made even worse by having to zig-zag to avoid submarines. Then he spoke of the D-Day invasion itself. You could almost feel the tension and anxiety of the men on the landing crafts. He told the kids about all the gear the men were wearing, and how fortunate he was that the craft he was on put them off in chest-deep water. Some men, weighted down by all the gear, jumped from other landing crafts into deeper water and were swallowed by the sea. Others trying to swim to safety were crushed underwater by the heavy ramps of other landing crafts. Papa said that he got to shore about two hours after the invasion began. One boy raised his hand and asked Papa how it felt to go ashore. Papa stopped and thought, and considered the wording of his answer. He simply told the boy it felt bad, bad because the water was icy cold and he was having to crawl over those who didn't make it. Papa and the men lay there all night. To put things in terms the kids could understand, Papa told them that more men died in the invasion that day than live in Rockdale County. He told of waiting three days for food, and of how the Germans destroyed anything they might have been able to use. Papa reminded the kids that they had no helicopters then, so wounded soldiers had to be cared for and moved as best as they could. He talked on about making it to Paris, and then moving on up through Belgium. He spoke of the bitter cold, the foot-long icicles, and the fact that they had shoes and canvas gaiters instead of boots. He told them of sending V-mail home to the family. Then he told them of being loaded onto another ship heading to join the fighting in the Pacific. The captain came on the PA system and told the unbelieving soldiers that the war was over and they were heading home, and to prove it he turned the ship around hard. Papa reminded the kids several times that he and all those who served did what they did so the kids could be free. He told them to remember that the soldiers were thinking of the flag and about those left behind. He said he had done it for each and every one of them, and his voice broke a little when he glanced over at Aaron. His words echoed so many others when he told them to respect the flag and the soldiers because "freedom is not free." I'll bet Papa never dreamed while lying on that beach at Normandy that 60 years later he'd be standing in front of his great-grandchild's peers as a piece of living history - as a hero.

I stood in renewed awe of this man and the others of the "Greatest Generation" as I listened to his tale. I used to wonder why they were referred to that way, but now that I have talked with so many of them I understand. We owe so much to them! I was proud to stand there, knowing this brave man was a part of me and my children. I thought about Granny, who waited patiently outside the school because "this is Papa's day." This couple braved separation and war, built their first home with their own hands, and brought their children to another state to make a better life for them. They have never been afraid to work hard to reach their goals and are absolutely devoted to their family. I can honestly say that they love all of us (two daughters, three grandchildren and spouses, and four great-grandsons) equally and completely. The Greatest Generation is not selfish nor lazy, and does not take things for granted. They are patriotic, loyal, hard-working, and respectful people - people who have literally laid down their lives for others.

Today our soldiers are fighting for the same ideals of freedom and liberty, but unlike the Greatest Generation they are taken for granted. The people at home fuss because the war isn't over yet. We have become a nation of people who don't want to get their hands dirty to accomplish what needs to be done. But men like Papa and Barry and scores and scores of others have always been there to pick up the slack and get the job done.

No, freedom is definitely not free, but it is certainly worth the price.

Angel Smiles

WOW!!! Today is certainly a beautiful one! The outside beauty was surpassed this morning only by what happened with one of my special ed students. Started my day off REALLY well!!!

This particular little angel turned 12 yesterday, though she has no idea what that means. Yesterday was just another waking moment. Cake is not something she can eat, but she does like vanilla pudding and is learning to drink from a sippy cup. Now a tall, thin 6th grader, she entered the world twelve years ago weighing just over a pound. She is blind and deaf and has cerebral palsy. I have struggled all this school year to just break into her world. Some days she ignores me, curling up in a ball and pushing my hand away. Some days I become a human jungle gym that she climbs. Today I put on the vanilla-scented hand lotion I think she associates with me and went to see her. While she was in her wheelchair she took my hand and put it on the back of her neck. Pats and neck rubs are her treat. I moved my hand down to the seat belt she wears, and she helped me get it off and stood up. Immediately she dropped down to her knees and started to do her "If I curl up in a ball this person will go away" routine. Not today, chickie!!! I tapped on her feet and began to remove her shoes, braces, and socks. Since her hands are usually occupied by having the right one in her left ear and the left one tapping on the right one, her two feet are her main means of exploration. After her feet searched around for a couple of minutes I pulled her up by one hand to stand. (That other hand just isn't going to let go of the ear!) She wanted to go back to the floor, but I pulled her up again and again and encouraged her to take a couple of tentative steps. Her mom says she will take a few steps at home with help, but until today none of us had seen it. Suddenly she began to smile and giggle and off we went in a kind of crab two-step across the room. At the other side I sat her beside me on the mat table and she promptly climbed into my lap. This time when I put her on the floor, her hand sought mine and up she came for more standing and walking. I got to my knees and made a loose ring around her with my arms. She stood and twirled around and leaned - but smiled like this was the best entertainment you could buy! Though I usually struggle to get 10-15 minutes of some kind of activity out of her, today we played and stood and walked for 45 solid minutes!!! The top distance we made was 20 feet! When I finally convinced her it was time to sit down, I put her socks and shoes in her hand so she'd know what I was about to do. Today she didn't fight or fuss when I put them back on, and when I took her hand and placed it on the wheelchair, she stood and climbed right in. The teacher couldn't believe that what is often a 3 adult task was accomplished with minimal assistance of one person. I hugged the birthday girl and gave her an extra back rub for her hard work. She smiled to herself, a smile that simply meant that all was well in her world that she for nearly an hour had shared with me.


The Queen of Smiles, however, is her classmate. Only when she is sick does she not brighten the room with a wide-open smile from ear to ear. This precious one was thrown against a wall when she was an infant. Now as a 6th grader she can activate buttons to answer simple yes-no questions most of the time, and loves to play with objects such as my car keys with one hand. She can't speak, stand or walk, her hands are contracted at odd angles, and she requires a padded prop to keep her head upright when she sits. I put her in the standing frame today, and she patiently lay and watched me adjust all of the pieces and parts of it to fit her. When I turned the crank to raise her to standing, she squealed and smiled and reached out for me. She rubbed the back of her hand on my cheek, and the teacher said she was saying "thank you".

How I have prayed all year to be able to do something for these children! Often I have felt like a complete idiot when nothing seemed to work. But then days come along when smiles from these angels are worth more than gold!

Today was golden.

Spring Fever

The high temperatures in New York this week are around what our lows are here in Georgia. According to the weather folks, we'll be between 70-80 degrees (Fahrenheit) by this weekend! That should be a great "welcome to your new home" present for our new neighbors. I haven't met the Mrs. yet, but I already like the older gentleman who just moved in last weekend. Through a heavy African or Island accent he told me they were from New York, and how he was looking forward to never having to shovel snow again. I assured him that around here, 3 flakes can close the schools, and an inch on the ground paralyzes the city! They returned to New York for a few days and are expected back mid-week. What a treat it will be for them to see the Bradford pears covered in white blossoms, and all the daffodils peeking up in the yards! Spring, apparently, is in the process of springing! I caution to say it has sprung, because I have seen too many Easter snowstorms around here! Everything and everyone, however, is definitely showing signs of Spring Fever.

Last week was truly beautiful. I love having the pretty days at the schools so I can take the kids outside. What a joy it was to take one little girl with Rett's Syndrome outside and see her turn her smiling face toward the sun! Warm days mean I can take one of my favorite little guys, a four-year-old cotton-top with Downs Syndrome, out for a romp on the playground. The only trouble I have with him is when I tell him we have to go in! Thankfully he is small enough to scoop up when he decides to plop down in protest!

I enjoyed some time outside with my own little rascals as well. They played out at Granny & Papa's house, as well as Mama's. Yesterday we took a picnic to the armory for lunch with Barry. On the way through the post I saw an older soldier in ACU's go up to one of the beautiful Bradford pears and just look at the blossoms. I could only imagine that he had recently returned from "The Sandbox" and was taking in one little bit of what makes this country such a wonderful place to be! My boys have tried to smell every flower they have encountered. They informed me that although daffodils are very pretty, they stink. I informed them that after an afternoon of running around at Mama's and rolling in the grass and dirt, they stink too!!! I learned other stuff from the boys this weekend too. Did you know you can play basketball while wearing Moonshoes? Moonshoes don't help you when you're throwing boomerangs though. I also learned that little boys grow right before your eyes when placed out in fresh air and sunshine. Honestly, I think my older one grew 5 or 6 inches today alone!

Though you realize how big your kids are getting when you watch them play, you realize how small they are when you watch them sleep. I found my little one in bed smiling and running in his sleep early this morning! The big one was curled up with his arm around his teddy bear. I just kiss their fuzzy little heads, and thank the Good Lord for these precious little gifts!