By the Numbers

One
sick boy.

Six
days of fever.

Zero
hours spent at school (Sean).
hours spent in the office (Meg).

Ten
choices of beverages in the fridge
in hopes of keeping the sick boy hydrated.

Three
hours of History Channel viewing (average daily).

Six
DVD episodes of "Everest:Beyond the Limit" (four consecutively).

Too numerous to count
segments of "Spongebob Squarepants".

One-tenth (approximately)
the usual nearly-fourteen-year-old appetite.

Twenty or less
miles put on my car this week.

Hundreds
of precious minutes alone with my boy
bringing drinks,
monitoring temps,
editorializing on TV shows,
exchanging expressions of care disguised as sarcasm,
and taking care of my almost-high schooler
who doesn't require mom's services
for much of anything anymore.

One
morning without a fever.

One
recovering boy.

and

One
slightly cabin-fevered,
weary,
but happy
mom.

Just One

I wish I could start AND finish a project at my house.
Just one.
I don't even care WHICH one;
Any of the many will do.

I'm a great starter and a lousy finisher.
"Highly distractible" perhaps.
Can you spell A.D.D.?

Maybe putting this JUST ONE desire in writing
will be the motivation I need.

I'll keep you posted. :)

You Win Some, You Lose Some

I really like March Madness.
I actually got to watch a number of games and most of the Final Four this year.
I was rooting for Memphis; don't know why, I just was.

Tonight's championship was a great game, overtime and everything.
Both teams performed admirably.
Memphis blew a moderate lead.
Kansas hit the do-or-die shots.

You win some, you lose some.

Memphis didn't manage the clock well.
Memphis didn't make their free throws.
Memphis' big guy fouled out.
Memphis lost the game.

I know how you feel, Memphis.
A lot of days, I don't manage the clock well either.
I don't hit the clutch "shots" when the pressure's on.
I even take myself out of the game for making too many mistakes sometimes.
Some days I feel like I've lost "the game" for my team -
whether that team is my family, my friends, my work colleagues, or even the Lord.

But the reality is that
You win some, you lose some.
I'm not going to be as "on" everyday as I'd like to be.
The high expectations I have of myself may not reflect
the Lord's expectations of me.
My idea of "winning" may not be winning at all, the way He sees it.
And my perceived "losses" may not be losses at all in the Lord's eyes.
A few failures, even those connected into a chain of negative events,
doesn't diminish what HAS been done
and what is YET TO BE.
My perception of what IS must be submitted to the One who alone sees the divine "final score" of each day.
The win is Christ living in me;
an invitation for Him to reign in me;
to work for, in, over, around, before, behind, and through me.

Chin up, Memphis;
It was a fantastic ride,
and who knows -
maybe the best is yet to come.

To any of my friends who feel like they've been losing more than they've been winning lately -
Press on.
I know first-hand that we don't have to be defined by
past failures,
weaknesses,
or brokenness of any kind.
Tomorrow, I still may not win,
but I can be a better competitor.
I CANNOT lose the most important thing -
the loving salvation of my Lord Jesus Christ.

Chin up, friend.

Really, REALLY.

Our boy is back.
Tired, but otherwise intact.
Glad to be home.
Decompressing - quietly, as is his wont.

Overall - a good trip.
Souvenirs - in typical Sean fashion -
two crowns from Burger King and
a bag from Stanford Bookstore. A plastic bag. The kind you get when you buy something, only he didn't bother to buy anything (too expensive, in his estimation).
Stories so far - a few. It might take a few weeks or months before they make their way out.

And while I'm oh-so-tempted to sit and pepper him with ten thousand questions,
I'm restraining myself.
We'll hear about it in Sean's own laid-back time and way.
His re-entrance back into our lives has, so far, been VINTAGE SEAN.
Glad to be home. Glad to be among his stuff.
Did you have a good time?
Yep.

Alrighty-then. It must've been good.
Oh, I love this kid!
It's good to have him back.
Really, REALLY.

Really, really?

Did I really send my 13 year-old off to California this week?
Without me...or Jim...or any other immediate family members?
I did.
Really, really.

Did he really fly on an airplane,
with his school group,
share a Bible verse with all of them,
go to Alcatraz,
the Exploratorium,
Pier 39,
Stanford U.,
the GGB,
and Monterey Bay Aquarium?

Did he
manage his money,
buy his own meals,
keep track of his wallet,
manage not to lose any clothes (or other necessities),
buy souvenirs,
take good notes,
shoot some pictures,
learn a lot,
make good memories,
and store up
great stories to tell?

We'll find out at 1:30 AM tomorrow.
We'll see if (and how) he did it.
I CAN'T WAIT.
Really, really.