COVID-19, Stay Home KC Weeks 7 & 8

April hours (of staying home) bring May flowers (of messy growth and brightness).

Week 7: May 4-10th

Prayers answers, precious arrival, pure joy…on May 4th Ada Drew joined our family. We were so happy Zach and Christine could safely partner together to bring their daughter (Surprise! It’s a girl!) super cute and healthily into the world.

While watching the Young Life State of the Mission address on Friday May 8th with my three kids, I couldn’t help but weep. The scope of hope around the world as people believe, without assurance of an end date and in the midst of hardship, felt so profound. Young Life is a tiny piece of ministry with worldwide reach and seeing and hearing hope in different places and languages moved me. So did sitting in the sadness of loss with seniors who have missed milestone moments and vulnerable kids losing even more when so much support is cut off.

We got to enjoy a special surprise gift of meeting Ada outside, in masks, on Friday night. Then we were even more blessed to connect with family on Mother’s Day at HQ.

The questions of precaution, wisdom, protection, boundaries, priorities, and permission continue to befuddle us. So much unknown, unproven. We didn’t embrace each other but we did embrace proximity and oh my, we got to hold that baby!

 

Week 8: May 11-17th 

Work, Weariness, and Wonder

Work. Work. Work.

Mom and Dad had tons to do (ADS2, Staff conferences, Training Department meetings, reopening contingency plans, tax preparation, firm functioning) and little ability to help each other. Hours and hours of needing to focus, prepare, present, and lead left our kids to motivate and learn on their own. Only 10 days of school left means every effort matters and each assignment will have an effect on what grades come out of this crazy semester.

Work on our house?! We started gathering bids and asking for help with ideas for a new deck door, new flooring, less walls and fixed fence posts.

Weariness. 

Heard around the house:

• “I’d really like something to look forward to…even if it’s what we are having for dinner…Yay! Spaghetti!”
• “We can do a sleepover with our cousins who’ve been careful right?”  “Okay.”    “Actually no.”    “Well, if….”  “No.”
• “I’m sad.”… “You’re annoying.” …”I’m frustrated.” …”I’m over it.”
• “I’m lonely.” …”Leave me alone.” …”I really, really, really need to be alone.”
• “I’m counting down the days til we don’t have to do this anymore.” 

Wonder. 

• Those baby geese huddled together at the big pond.
• That train track James and the girls built that Oaks got to enjoy too.
• The smell of spring flowers. And my beautiful bouquet from my kids for Mother’s Day.
• The notes we get in the mail.
• Eli learned a standing backflip! And built three grind rails.
• The promises of God made real in the lives of people staying strong. Way to go single moms we love.
• That first workout back at the gym. CFN opened with precautions Friday May 15th. Yay. Ouch!
• All the creative and generative work of people in my house (Andi makes soap, Eli makes movies and mods scooters, Oaks builds LEGO and draws Mechs) and all over the neighborhood, KC, and the world.
• Wondering what God is revealing in us and our usual agenda being upended. Thanks Pastor Tim for ideas about apocalypse (a revealing of what’s hidden) and discernment (seeing God revealed through Jesus in our life’s pain or problems).

While work, weariness, and wonder, filled these past two weeks, we weren’t without watching. After hours outside and getting all the work done, we, all together or in some groups, enjoyed:

• YouTube skate park trick videos
• Church online, Youth Group online, Boy Scouts online, Wyldlife Online, YL senior club online
• The Greatest Showman
• Late Night 
• Little Women (1994 version)
• Mary Poppins Returns
• Five Feet Apart
• Shawshank Redemption 
• Clone Wars
• Nailed It.
• Task Master
• SGN
• Frozen 2- because Drew still hasn’t seen it.