I am a Child of God

About a month ago the oldest daughter informed me that Shad was going to be singing a solo in their ward's primary sacrament meeting program.  As the dutifully doting grandmother that I am, I was determined that I would be there to hear him perform, and put a red star next to September 22nd in my calendar book.

Well, fast forward to today and there I was, sitting in the Hillsdale ward watching the primary children share their testimonies in word and song, but without Shad.

I offered to stay at the hospital so the oldest daughter and the son-in-law could attend church today, but they decided it would be too sad.  I wondered if I wanted to go, since I was pretty sure it would be too sad too, but my desire to go to church won out.  Since our ward's primary program was today as well, I knew if I didn't attend here I wouldn't get my yearly primary program fix, so I loaded up on the tissues and arrived early enough to find an inconspicuous spot in the back of the chapel.

Apparently last week the primary president announced to all the children that Shad wouldn't be able to sing in the program because he was going to be in the hospital.  They were all very sad.  Then the primary president announced that they would need a replacement soloist and they were no longer sad, but jumping up and down with their hands in the air shouting "Me! Me! Me!"

You've just gotta love kids!

Then the primary president had the difficult job of choosing just one of the many hopeful children to take Shad's place. A little girl, who the oldest daughter described as "very shy", was finally selected and today she performed her little heart out, possibly better than the grandson would have managed when he was actually faced with a chapel full of people, unlike the empty chapel he sang to during practices.

I guess we'll never know.

I barely shed a tear during the song, but when the bishop got up as a substitute, to recite Shad's speaking part, I will admit I cried quite a few.  This is what the bishop said (prefixed by "I am substituting for Shadrach Smith who, as many of you know, is in the hospital today having chemotherapy"),

"Just like we have a physical body that can get sick, we have a spirit that can get sick too. Jesus Christ chose to suffer in the Garden of Gethsemane and then to die on the cross so that we would be able to repent and return to Heaven."

This paragraph came from a talk that Shad gave earlier in the year in primary sharing time, one that I helped his mom write, and one that has deep significance to me. Physical disease and spiritual disease - two topics that I have given a lot of thought to over the past year. In fact, I have spent countless hours pondering them both and wondering if one is better or worse than the other. I have found that both physical death and spiritual death are horribly painful ideas to contemplate, especially where those I deeply love are concerned. Over the course of the year I have solidified many beliefs on these topics and raised even more questions in my mind and heart, but that is definitely fuel for another blog post.

Back to this post - at first I thought that it was somewhat random that the bishop was chosen to read Shad's "talk", but after thinking about it for awhile I decided that it was definitely an inspired choice.  Who better to share the message of spiritual sickness and the antidote for this disease than the Master Physician's designated representative, the bishop of the ward. One of the bishop's most important roles is to assist the spiritually sick in repenting and using the gift of the atonement to become well again.

The primary children did a great job sharing their thoughts and feelings about the topic "I am a Child of God" and I was glad that I chose to attend. It was worth any sad that I felt.

I do not know why Shad is sick.  I do not know why he had to be in the hospital today instead of in church performing with all his primary friends, where we would have all preferred him to be.  There are a lot of things I don't know and I am daily reminded of that fact, but there are a lot of things I do know and today and every day I will try to focus on what I do know.

I do know that last November we accepted the possibility that Shad would never really get to attend primary as a Sunbeam, that he would be too sick to go to church while he was 3.  However, he was blessed beyond our expectations.  He was in church more Sundays than he missed and every time he was there he walked with his class to and from sharing time and sat in a little chair (or chose not to sit in his chair and stood up or rolled on the floor) and colored pictures and listened to lessons and sang songs and gave talks and scriptures and prayers and learned about being a Child of  God.  He was a Sunbeam in every sense of the word, much more so than we could have imagined, and we have been blessed.

I do know that Shad didn't have to sing in sacrament meeting today or recite his memorized talk to be remembered by many of the members of the Hillsdale ward. His smile and his bravery and his sweet spirit have touched many lives and made a lasting impression. Perhaps his absence will have more impact in the life of some struggling soul than his presence would have had.

We may never know.

I do know that disease is devastating, both physical disease and spiritual disease. But I also know that through the atonement of Jesus Christ we have the ability to overcome both and live with Him and our Heavenly Father again. What a wonderful message that has become emblazoned on my heart during this past year.

I do know that each one of us is a beloved Child of God. He loves his children - those who are physically sick and those who are spiritually sick and those who are trying to be like Him.  He loves each one of us, with a never-ending love that we cannot even begin to imagine. He wants us to come back to Him.

And I do know that if Shad had sung his song in sacrament meeting I would have loved every minute of it, but I wouldn't have recorded it and been able to enjoy it again and again.  I hope you enjoy it too.

Today I am thankful for

a primary teacher and a presidency member who made the trip to the hospital to bring Shad a card from his primary friends and an "I am a Child of God button" for him to proudly wear.

primary music.  I love the spirit it brings.

children.

crockpots, so dinner could cook right in the hospital room.  We really should do that more often.

A Shot in the Dark

Shad has to have a shot 24 hours after his last treatment with each round of chemo. Yesterday the doctor didn't want them to have to wait around in the hospital until 8:00, just for the shot, before they could go home so the oldest daughter was given a couple of options:

A. she could come back Friday morning by 9:00 and one of the nurses could give him the shot or
B. she could take the shot home and give it to him herself.

The son-in-law would have most definitely chosen option A, since he isn't a big fan of needles, but he was on an underway and not available to consult or to be a possible shot shooter. The oldest daughter knew she didn't want to give the shot either so she chose option A.

When the youngest daughter and I got to the hospital and the oldest daughter shared her decision with us, I said, "Well you know your sister has given your dad his insulin shots on occasion and she is pretty good at it. Maybe she could give Shad his shot."
 She chimed in, "Yeah, I could do it."
 "Really?"
 "I think so."

We threw the options back and forth for a while.  None of us really wanted to come back to the hospital the next day, and the youngest daughter was willing, so the nurse was informed that mom had changed her mind and the shot would leave with us.

For some reason, when the shot instructions were actually given before our departure, the delivery time had changed from 8:00 to 11:00 PM. We decided that maybe this was better since there was a possibility that Shad would even stay asleep until the shot had been administered. Obviously Shad doesn't enjoy getting the shot, but the anticipation is usually worse for him than the actual delivery, so we were hoping we could perhaps make a quick, surprise attack and then it would be over with before he realized what had happened.

Shad went to bed around eight and when the time came for the shot the youngest daughter got out the information sheet to review the directions. There was even a handy-dandy picture to show her exactly what to do.

It was determined that the shot would go into his thigh and we all quietly went upstairs and proceeded to carry out "Operation Shot in the Dark".

Unfortunately things didn't go quite as we had hoped. As soon as his mom started to pull down his pajamas to expose his leg Shad woke up and wanted to know what she was doing. Believing that honesty is the best policy, she informed him that we had to give him a shot - the doctor said. Shad started to cry. The oldest daughter started to cry. I grabbed his arms, his mom grabbed his legs, and the youngest daughter inserted the needle, pushed the plunger, and was done. A band-aid was quickly applied as Shad and mommy continued to cry. The youngest daughter and I quickly exited the room while the oldest daughter stayed to console Shad.  He was mad at her, since he assumed that she was the one who had administered the shot, and let her suffer for a few minutes, but it didn't take long for him to go back to sleep.

Fast forward to today.

Shad seems to have survived the middle of the night adventure and isn't holding any grudges toward any of us. I am adjusting his pants and he informs me to be careful because the band-aid on his leg might pull.  Curious about what he remembers, I ask, "Why do you have a band-aid on your leg?".  He thinks for a minute and then says, "Why do I have a band-aid on my leg?"

We all plead ignorance. Honesty may be the best policy, but in this case we felt the less said, the better.

The youngest daughter and I are both happy with the Option B choice.  The oldest daughter is still undecided if it's the route she will go with next time. I guess only time will tell if there will be an "Operation Shot in the Dark - Take 2". The youngest daughter is going to be around for a few more shots though, so at least it's an option.

Today I am thankful that

Shad is home from the hospital and doing well.

the youngest daughter is willing to attempt new things and has a dad that lets her practice giving shots.

I got to fly home from California instead of drive.  The actual trip is a lot quicker.

Big Steps for a Little Boy

Today Shad and his mom and dad said they wanted to come down and meet us when we got to the hospital. When we called to tell them that we were almost there, they said they were on their way, moving slowly, but surely. First we heard Shad yell "Grandma!" at the top of his lungs and then I located them in the very far distance.

It was hard to see him, but I sure could hear him.

As they got closer I was VERY surprised and VERY excited to see that Shad was WALKING!

When we left after Christmas he was walking a little bit, but only very short distances so this was a BIG difference.

On the way back to the room Shad was chasing a little white bird "fluff" and he got moving pretty fast (relatively speaking).

Every time he would try to step on it it would float a little bit further away.

It was pretty entertaining watching him - scurry, stomp, step, scurry, stomp, step, scurry, stomp.  Finally the air from his foot pushed it forward quite a ways so I decided to catch it for him - scurry, stomp, step, scurry, stomp, step, scurry.

Apparently I looked even more entertaining than he did.

Good thing the camera was in my possession.

I am so proud of this little boy!

Aunt Kevra made him this cute Mike Wazowski  hat.  I love it!

He is so willing to do hard things.  Way to go Shad!

Today I am thankful for

every step in the right direction.  Shad is making progress in so many ways.

the move to a bigger hospital room.  The nurses moved Shad as soon as one was available "due to our frequent flyer miles."

lots of together time playing games

and watching HGTV with my daughters. The oldest daughter came home with us tonight to get some sleep and to go to church in the morning.  Thanks son-in-law!

Patience

Today I found myself back sitting in a hospital room waiting with Shad to start his 3rd round of chemo.

He and his parents arrived at the hospital this morning around 9:45, about the same time the youngest daughter and I drove out of the driveway to head to California.  They were pretty sure that they would actually get to stay this time, after being sent home on Monday and Wednesday because his counts were too low to start the Chemotherapy.

Shad was given the thumbs up and they were taken to a room around lunch time, right around when the youngest daughter and I were waiting in the longest, slowest line at the Wendy's in Yuma to purchase our value items from the value menu.

When the youngest daughter and I arrived at the hospital around 5:30, after a stop at the oldest daughter's house to unload and unpack for a little while, Shad was still receiving his pre-chemo hydration and was scheduled to start chemo around 7:00.

Shad was put into one of the smaller rooms in the ward today, because all the other rooms were full.

This  room has two doors.  The first enters into a small room with a sink, trash, supplies ... and then the second door opens into his actual room.

Every time the nurse would come into the outer area Shad would look up and excitedly exclaim, "Chemo time!"  Then the nurse would come in and he would questioningly ask, "Chemo time?"  and the nurse would say, "Not yet. This is just to get you ready for chemo or I just need to check your pee pee or I need to see why your machine is beeping..." and he would say, "Oh, OK."  (This happened EVERY time someone came into the room.  I lost count around 15.)

During one of these visits the nurse reported that there was a little blood showing up in Shad's urine and they were going to send a sample to the lab.  This is pretty normal since he has the catheter tube, but protocol says it needs to be checked out and run past the oncologist before the chemo can start since one of the medications can cause bleeding.  She let us know this might slow down the start of chemo.

Shad's dinner arrived and we spent some time getting him to eat and some more time listening to him explain all the reasons why he shouldn't eat any more and a little time all sampling the food he chose not to eat.

Then we spent some time discussing what WE should eat.  The son-in-law's vote is always for Mexican food, but the oldest daughter was not in the Mexican mood.  We aren't the best decision makers and so we finally decided to try to come up with a genre (the school teacher's word) of food that sounded like what we wanted. Immediately the son-in-law chose Spanish.  Shad, who had been entertaining himself with his i-pad and seemed to be ignoring our discussion until then, piped up "That's Mexican food" and the girls in the room all laughed and thanked him for watching out for us so his dad didn't trick us.

We finally decided on pizza and wings and eventually agreed on where to get it from, what kind we wanted, how to order it, who was going to go get it, and which car was going to be driven.  The two daughter's left to get the pizza,  the son-in-law returned his attention to the football game and I enjoyed having Shad show me all the new things that have been added to his i-pad since my last visit.

His mom found a Disneyland app that takes you on a little tour of all the attractions.

You can click on the various places and play a short game or experience part of the ride...

Wow! Woody is really moving on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

 It is fun, but made Shad wonder when he was going to Disneyland again.  He was content with the answer, "When you aren't sick anymore."

Shad has lots of movies on his i-pad.  He likes to watch them, applying the skip button liberally, and it seems that at the moment his favorite part of any movie is the closing credits.  He can watch those over and over again and either hums the musical score or sings along if there are words.  Wall-E is his current favorite.  "We're Going Down...".

Shad also has some doctor/hospital related videos that he enjoyed sharing with me tonight.  One of them, a music video, shows a little girl who is sick hanging out in her room while her friends are playing outside her window.  I don't know what the song is called, but the refrain that plays numerous times, accompanied by a catchy little tune, says "You've got to be patient to be a patient."

I enjoyed my i-pad/grandson entertainment and then I enjoyed my pizza.  The nurse came in and said she had talked to the oncologist and he wasn't worried about the urine culture and that she could go ahead with chemo, so she started the pre-chemo meds and told us the night nurse would be in in a while to begin the chemo.

We were left to our own devices for some time, our electronic devices that is.

Shad on his i-pad, the girls playing Skip-bo together on their phones, the son-in-law watching the TV and me with my camera.  Then the night nurse arrived with the message that she just had to double check the chemo bags and she would be in to start.  "Yeah! Chemo!".  The first round of chemo in the 5 day series lasts for about 4 hours so we were happy that it would be starting soon, around 8:00, so it could be finished at a somewhat reasonable hour.

About 15 minutes later the nurse returned, a little flustered, with the unfortunate news that one of the chemo bags had leaked all over inside its Ziploc and that it would need to be replaced with a new bag.  However, the pharmacy was closed for the night so they were going to have to call a pharmacist to come back to the hospital to make it.  She wasn't sure how long this was going to take, but she needed to stop the pre-meds and put Shad back on fluids again.

I felt bad for the nurse, who obviously was upset at the delay. As she worked on changing out all the bags, I had to smile as Shad's i-pad provided the background music, "You've got to be patient to be a patient", over and over again.  Apparently you also have to have patience to be a nurse, or a parent or a grandma too.  I think we are all going to learn to be a little more patient in 2013, whether we want to be or not.

Patience is a good trait to have though, so this is probably a positive thing.

Chemo finally started about 11:30 and ended in the wee hours of the morning.  It was a long night for Shad and the oldest daughter.

The rest of us were lucky enough to be home patiently sleeping.

I think the son-in-law was probably grateful for the small room, with only enough space for one pull out chair bed, tonight.

Today I am thankful for

one on one time with the youngest daughter while we drove to California.

a husband that stays home, works, and takes care of things while I go play with the grandson.

Shad's positive attitude about the hospital and chemo and everything that goes along with it. He is truly amazing.

Shaved for Shad

Ever since the sons found out about Shad's cancer and learned that he was going to lose his hair they have talked about shaving their heads in his honor. Well, yesterday they decided it was time to take the plunge.

The oldest son was more committed to the idea, so he went first. The son-in-law was drafted to be the designated barber and he did a great job getting rid of a lot of hair. 

After the first swipe, there was no going back.
 

I think this is a funny picture.  It's hard to see, but there is one really long wing poking out of the oldest son's head.  It makes me smile.

Eventually there was no more hair on his head to shave

and Shad enjoyed watching the whole process.

All too soon it was the youngest son's turn.

You need to know that this son is VERY attached to his hair.  He takes great pride in it and works hard to make it look just the way he wants.

He vacillated for a little while, but eventually he decided he could let it go for a good cause.

I was smart and restrained his arms by his sides so he couldn't grab the razor out of the son-in-law's hand as he made the first few cuts.



In almost every photo I took of this son, he is looking up trying to see what is going on.  I find it entertaining.

When the hair was all gone, it was time to take a photo.



Shad wasn't too sure how he felt about his uncles gestures of solidarity, but they were feeling pretty good about their new looks.   (This was actually taken before either one of them had looked in the mirror.)

After they viewed themselves in the mirror, the youngest son determined that he was still the more handsome of the two and the oldest son pointed out that it was a good thing he could rock the look since his younger brother is already getting a receding hairline and might actually experience being bald in his lifetime.

Together they determined that there was still too much black stubble showing and they decided they needed to use a Bic and get an even closer shave, so today we held the second session of the head shaving experience.

It started with a lot of shaving cream

and then a nice shiny head.

The youngest son didn't trust himself with a razor next to his brother's noggin so the youngest daughter stepped in to offer her assistance.

You'll be happy to know that Shad has decided he likes his uncles new looks and appreciates their love and support.

I think they are pretty awesome uncles too.

Not wanting to be left out, all the girls in the family committed to shave their underarms in support of the hairless effort.

Fortunately, no pictures were taken of those shaving sessions.

Today I am grateful for

the opportunity to be all together in California.

the bonding moments that come with Shad's cancer.

after Christmas sales!

Just Thinking

I think I will be O.K. with a bald grandson, but oh how I will miss those eyelashes.

photo courtesy of Shadrach photography

Moving Forward

The first 5 days of Shad's chemo are behind him.  He has done amazingly well and to quote one of the nurses, "handled it like a rock star."  He is still eating fairly well, drinking lots and acting like Shad.  We are all very pleased and extremely grateful.  He should now have a 2 week break and then start chemo again.

Today the big news was the possibility of everyone going home on Friday.  This is both exciting and frightening at the same time.  Shad's response to the announcement was, "No thank you. I will just stay here."    I think in some ways that would describe the oldest daughter's feelings as well.

While the hospital is not really where anyone wants to stay forever, it does come with it's perks.  It is a safe, isolated, somewhat predictable enviroment that is stocked with all the necessary supplies and conveniently located to all the doctors, medications and equipment that Shad might have need of.  It comes complete with trained professionals to handle any problems that may arise, consistent food delivery and a competent and entertaining cleaning lady to top it all off. Shad is enjoying the special order menu and almost unlimited movie watching time and the McDonalds in the basement is also a nice addition.

Performance expectations are pretty low for mom and Shad most of the time in the hospital. Mom has been handling her supporting role exceptionally well and has gotten used to the routine of just being the observer, cheerleader and hugger while the doctors and  nurses do their jobs. Going home thrusts mom into the driver's seat as primary caregiver and this job comes with a lot of unknowns and new responsibilities in addition to all of the usual household chores that will still need to be done.  It seems a little overwhelming even before you add in all the trips to the doctor that will be necessary.

CHANGE IS HARD (that's why the grandson has been wearing the same socks for 5 days now), but it's time to be moving forward and forward we will go.

Tomorrow I get to move forward all the way back to Arizona.  Leaving the hospital, ie. Shad and his family, is hard for me too.  Really hard.

Good news though while we are on the topic of moving forward.  We are proud of the son-in-law who found out this week that he passed the test to became an E5.  I'm not totally sure what all this entails, but it is a rank advancement that brings him more responsibility and more money and means he is moving forward in his chosen career.  Way to Go!

Today I am thankful

for a promised visit from Shad's friend Lily tonight.  It got him to do a lot of things he didn't want to do today.  I'm also thankful that he handled the disappointment well when Lily's mom and dad finally arrived, but without Lily. Apparently she got a runny nose and had to stay home.

for Kevin and Casey - I finally got to meet this infamous couple tonight and they are as wonderful as I had heard.  They came bearing gifts, a jar of pickles for Shad and a celebration cake for daddy complete with E (a backwards 3) 5 candles. They brought some needed frivolity and light into our evening and both of the treats were enjoyed immensely.

for insurance that pays for Shad's expensive medication and the equipment he will need to have in order to go home.

that Shad put his brace on and sat in a chair several times today.  Wearing the brace and becoming more mobile is the next big step for him and he was very brave even though it wasn't what he wanted to do.

P.S. While you are keeping your eyes peeled for an ambulance could you look for a moving van too?  They just might need one to get all the stuff home that they are accumulating.

Same Old, Same Old

Today while Shad's mom and dad were gone to church one of his doctors came to visit.

She talked (while Shad turned his back and totally ignored her), 

poked and prodded, 

and then told Shad, "tell your mom and dad 'same old, same old'  when they come back."  

Same old, same old is usually considered a little boring and undesirable, but I was happy with our same old, same old day.

No new challenges.

No new complications.

No new diagnoses.

No new traumas.

A lot of juice and milk drinking.

A lot of ipad movies and games.

A lot of temperature taking, arm hugging and pee pee emptying.

A lot of people in a small room trying not to drive each other crazy.

Familiar nurses.

Familiar surroundings.

Familiar crying each time an IV bag is switched out.

Familiar path to and from the hospital.

Same old, same old.  

I'll take it!

Today I am thankful for

the son-in-law.  I don't know very many guys that get excited about hanging out with the in-laws all day every day, but the son-in-law is very patient with our quirky family and puts up with a lot.  Yesterday he announced, "I think we could live on a space ship."  While rather random, I was happy to know that he felt he could live in a confined space with us and survive.  He is a great dad, a wonderful husband, a worthy priesthood holder and I appreciate all he does for my daughter and grandson.  He is amazing.

Shad's sweet little voice singing while we read "Pete the Cat - I Love My White Shoes".  Remember it's ALL GOOD!

E-mails, blog comments, texts, phone calls and prayers from friends and family.  They brighten my day so much.

Anyone Have an Ambulance for Sale Cheap?

Tonight the son-in-law and the youngest son were going to go to the store to look for a shirt for Shad to wear under his brace.  Just before they walked out the door they asked, "Does anyone else want to come?'

Shad quickly piped up, "No thank you."

His dad replied, "Good, because I don't think they would let you leave."

"Yeah they would.  You could push me in my bed."

I then stated the obvious, "But your bed wouldn't fit in Mommy's car."

Without pause Shad returned with "It will fit in the ambulance."

Daddy reminded him that we don't have an ambulance, just little cars.

"Oh, you can buy one." was Shad's solution.

Daddy checked his pockets and came up with $3.00.

Does anyone know where we can buy an ambulance for $3.00?  Apparently we need one.

The nurse suggested we try Craigslist.

Today I am thankful for

a cheerful boy.  One of the nurses referred to him today as "a little ray of sunshine"  and he usually is just that.  He does cry and get stressed and scared, but over-all he is still his happy little self.

nice nurses.  Shad is becoming an expert at taking temperatures, listening to heart beats and taping up owies on giraffe and the nurses frequently let him have free rein with their equipment and supplies.  (Next time you worry about where your tax dollars are going, picture them making a sick little boy laugh as he shoots his grandpa across the room with a thermometer cover "bullet".  It might make your sacrifice more palatable.)

a chance for Shad to get outside for the first time in a week, even though the experience was a little overwhelming for all of us.

Shadrach and the Fiery Furnace

The past few days have been very difficult for our family, especially for the oldest daughter, the son-in-law and the grandson.  The three year old "light of my life" is seriously ill.  For more on what he is going through you can go to my daughter's recent blog post.

My grandson's name is Shadrach.  His name comes from one of my favorite Old Testament stories found in the book of Daniel - chapter 3. The other day as my thoughts were drawn to him and his parents I felt inspired to re-read this scripture story. Here's a synopsis of it with a little background information.

About 600 years before Jesus Christ was born, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged Jerusalem and took captive many of Israel's finest citizens. Among those deported to Babylon were four young men from the tribe of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

In captivity the youths were given new names. Daniel was called Belteshazzar, Hananiah was called Shadrach, Mishael was called Meshach, and Azariah was called Abed-nego.

These four Hebrews excelled in wisdom and knowledge and found favor in King Nebuchadnezzar's eyes. The king put them into service among his most trusted wise men and counselors. When Daniel proved to be the only man capable of interpreting one of Nebuchadnezzar's troubling dreams, the king placed him in a high position over the whole province of Babylon, including all of the wise men of the land. And at Daniel's request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego as administrators under Daniel.

As was common at the time, King Nebuchadnezzar built a huge golden image and commanded all the people to fall down and worship it whenever they heard the sound of his musical herald. Anyone who failed to bow and worship the image would be thrown into an immense, blazing furnace.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were determined to worship the one true God only, and thus were reported to the king. Courageously they stood before him as the king pressured the men to deny their God.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.  (Daniel 3:14-16 KJV)

Furious with pride and rage, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than normal. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were bound and cast into the flames. The fiery blast was so hot it killed the soldiers who had escorted them.

But as King Nebuchadnezzar peered into the furnace, he marveled at what he saw: "Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like the Son of God." (Daniel 3:25 KJV)

Then the king called the men to come out of the furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego emerged unharmed, with not even a hair on their heads singed or the smell of smoke on their clothing.

I have always loved the imagery of this story - 3 faithful servants being accompanied and protected by the Son of God during their time in the fiery furnace. It is such an amazing picture and as I read from my scriptures, another beautiful picture appeared in my mind.  My grandson was on his hospital bed with his mom and dad on either side of him, their arms around his shoulders, and there standing behind them, embracing them all was the Savior.  I fervently wish I were an artist and could draw that marvelous scene that I beheld.   

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego courageously took their stand before Nebuchadnezzar, they didn't know with certainty that God would deliver them. They had no assurance they would survive the flames. But they stood firm anyway. 

And now, my daughter and son-in-law embrace their brave little man in their furnace of affliction and stand firm also, putting their trust in our Heavenly Father's love and his plan for their family. Their faith in their Savior, Jesus Christ, is strong and He will support them in their time of need.  

We do not know what the future holds for our family.  We know that the God we serve is able to deliver Shadrach from this burning, fiery furnace and we have faith and hope that he will,  but if not, we join with other faithful servants in whatever age, in vowing to worship the one true God, regardless of the outcome.  

It's the only way.  

Today I am grateful for 

the faith, love and prayers of family and friends. 

my testimony. 

modern medicine.

Fourth of July in San Diego

Many thanks to my friend, Lucy, who taught me how to make a collage and post it on my blog!

As the Fourth of July holiday approached, the temperature in Phoenix increased and the oldest daughter kept begging for someone to come and visit so she wouldn't have to celebrate "alone", my determination to just stay home and accomplish something for a while once again wained.  The oldest son and the daughter-in-law were happy to accompany me to the cooler climes for their celebration and the hubby encouraged me to go and have fun, promising he would find something fun to do on the 4th too.  (He said he was going to climb on the roof and watch the fireworks, which was almost worth sticking around to witness, but he actually went to a barbecue with the extended family and also enjoyed a break from the heat with a morning rain storm and temperatures in the 90s.)

Those of us in San Diego had a fun-filled day

which started with a 7:57 AM ward breakfast of pancakes, hash browns, bacon, sausage, orange juice and a stirring reading of the Declaration of Independence complete with signers' names and state of residence.  I am truly grateful for the founding fathers and the many sacrifices they made so I could live in this free country and agree that they should be recognized, especially on this day, but I felt bad for the boy scout who had to cook a ton of pancakes and then got recitation duty as well.

The oldest daughter, the grandson and I, along with the young women of the ward and their leaders, gathered last night to make decorations for the breakfast.  The daughter was in charge of pin wheel production and she did a fine job.

I was in charge of potty runs with the 2-year-old and he and I excelled at our responsibilities as well.  We were also excellent cookie and cupcake tasters.

After the breakfast we went home and focused on completing the daughter's patriotic wreath for her front door.  She glued,

while I pinned,

and the oldest son tried to keep the grandson entertained, with some wild chair spinning, so he wouldn't continually steal the spool of wire and unwind it all over the backyard.

His attempts worked a small portion of the time, but eventually the wreath was finished and placed in its official home.

Good job daughter!

After lunch some of us had rest time

and some of us went shopping at the Avenue "store closing sale" where we found lots of bargains.

We had a wonderful barbecue for dinner. The oldest son grilled the hamburgers to perfection and the corn on the cob tasted just like it should on the 4th of July, and then we each made our own personal patriotic fruit tarts

and gobbled them down. YUMMY!

This was followed by some quality time spent taking Fourth of July photos of the grandson.

Which he didn't think was nearly as fun as we did.  He did enjoy having his own opportunity to take pictures though

and pretend bull fighting with his uncle.

I'm glad he did cooperate for a while, because I like to have cute pictures of him to enjoy.

The daughter also made this cute quilt that you see in all of these pictures.  Didn't she do a good job?

We discussed going into San Diego to watch the fireworks over the bay, but decided we didn't feel like fighting the crowds and waiting for hours with the 2-year-old. We voted to stay home and take our chances that we could see the local display out the daughter's bedroom window.  

There were a couple of trees that got in the way of some of the blasts,

but over-all I really enjoyed reclining on the bed and watching the fireworks as the grandson danced around exclaiming with excitement.

It was a good thing we chose not to attend the big city show because they had a computer malfunction and the fireworks all shot off at the same time resulting in a huge display that  lasted approximately 9 seconds.

The son-in-law did his celebrating in Hawaii, the youngest son worked and then shot off fireworks at the park with his friends (and possibly the police), and the youngest daughter went to the rodeo and firework show in Idaho.  Hopefully they all had as much fun as I did!

Today I am thankful for

my American citizenship.
Freedom.
and the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Delaware George Read• Caesar Rodney• Thomas McKean Pennsylvania  George Clymer• Benjamin Franklin• Robert Morris• John Morton• Benjamin Rush• George Ross• James Smith• James Wilson• George Taylor  Massachusetts John Adams• Samuel Adams• John Hancock• Robert Treat Paine• Elbridge Gerry New Hampshire Josiah Bartlett• William Whipple• Matthew Thornton Rhode Island Stephen Hopkins• William Ellery New York Lewis Morris• Philip Livingston• Francis Lewis• William Floyd Georgia Button Gwinnett• Lyman Hall• George Walton Virginia Richard Henry Lee• Francis Lightfoot Lee• Carter Braxton• Benjamin Harrison• Thomas Jefferson• George Wythe• Thomas Nelson, Jr. North Carolina William Hooper• John Penn• Joseph Hewes South Carolina Edward Rutledge• Arthur Middleton• Thomas Lynch, Jr.• Thomas Heyward, Jr. New Jersey Abraham Clark• John Hart• Francis Hopkinson• Richard Stockton• John Witherspoon Connecticut Samuel Huntington• Roger Sherman• William Williams• Oliver Wolcott Maryland Charles Carroll• Samuel Chase• Thomas Stone• William Paca

Strawberries

The grandson is a big fan of strawberries. At dinner tonight we had strawberry spinach salad. Yum! The grandson decided he preferred his strawberries straight from the package without all the embellishments.  He started saying straw-ber-ries over and over again as he ate them one by one. It was so funny the way he was saying it, with his tongue wiggling all over his face, so I decided to make a video of him. Of course, then he just started being silly, but I love the surprise ending of this little movie.

Last month when my sisters and I rendezvoused in San Diego for a week, the woman in charge of restocking our breakfast each morning at the motel was very friendly and told us she was going to Carlsbad to pick strawberries for her anniversary.  Since we were planning a trip to Carlsbad too, we decided that sounded like a fun adventure.  The daughter, the son-in-law and the grandson accompanied us to the strawberry fields.  We (read Kathy) paid a premium price for the berries and the experience, but it was fun.

Carlsbad Strawberry Fields - April 20, 2012

and we picked some very, very delicious strawberries that the grandson called pineapple about half the time.

Just One More Sleep

Almost every day I get a phone call from the grandson.  It goes something like this:

"Grandma coming home soon?"

"Not today"

"After night-night? After one sleep?"

"Nope, not for lots of sleeps."

"Youse come home after lots of sleeps?"

"Yup, I'll come to your house after lots of sleeps."

"OK.  Love you.  Bye."

Even though it doesn't seem to upset him much, it breaks my heart every time I have to say "lots of sleeps", so a couple of days ago when he called I was happy to change my reply to "After 3 sleeps."

"Youse coming to my house after 3 sleeps?" he asked for clarification and the daughter piped in "You're coming to my house after 3 sleeps?"

Apparently the e-mail informing her that her dad and I were coming to visit got lost in transit.  But she is very accommodating and decided we could still come.

At the hubby's work the culture department sends out a daily e-mail with a Pima (Piipaash) and Maricopa (O'odham) word of the day. Recently they have been focusing on words related to time. Today, when we only have one more sleep before we leave for San Diego, he forwarded the info to me.  We both thought it was rather interesting.

Prior to European arrival, the O’odham and Piipaash did not organize time into seven-day weeks. There was no concept of a week at all. Therefore, there was no specific name given to any particular day. If one wanted to plan attendance at a future event, others were told to, “Come after four night’s sleep,” or something similar.

His comment was "See, it's just the Pima coming out in our grandson."

Only 1 more sleep!

Making Sugar Cookies

Today the oldest daughter and I decided we wanted to make some sugar cookies. The grandson thought it was a great idea.

First we had to make the dough.

We have a favorite sugar cookie recipe that came from our next door neighbor, Kate. Every year we would go to their house and make sugar cookies at Christmas time and this was the recipe that we used.

Holiday Sugar Roll Out Dough

1 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar

1 cup margarine

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

½ tsp almond flavoring

2 ½ cups flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

Cream sugar and margarine. Mix in egg and flavorings. Stir dry ingredients together; blend into sugar/margarine mixture. Refrigerate 2 – 3 hours. Heat oven to 375. Bake 7 to 8 minutes.

After the dough sits in the fridge for a couple of hours you need to put a lot of flour on the table where you are going to roll out the cookies.

This is more fun than making the dough.

A lot more fun.

Then you get to cut out the cookie shapes and put them on the pan and cook them.

You have to get really close to make sure the cookies are cool enough to frost and make sure you blow a little if they aren't.

Then you make the frosting.

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp vanilla

Water to make icing consistency.

Try to remember to not add too much water because then you have to add a lot more sugar :).

Then you get to frost your cookie. You have to concentrate really hard and make sure you do a good job.

Then you get to eat your dog bone cookie.

That is the funnest part of all!

We like making sugar cookies!