"Cutting for Stone" an Excellent Novel

Just the other day I finished an excellent novel by Abraham Verghese titled, "Cutting for Stone." It tells the story of two twins, Marion and Shiva stone from how their parents met to their tumultuous birth through their childhood and adolescent years and then into adulthood. The majority of the novel takes place in Addis Ababa, the capitol of Ethiopia. And while the location may not seem like it would be all that important, Verghese makes that country and city come alive. He does this by telling some of the history and describing the world around Addis in a way that make syou feel like you're there. In addition to the excellent character development, the way he brings Addis Ababa alive is a huge bonus to this lively tale.

Marion and Shiva's life, from conception through their young adulthood is spent on the grounds of Missing Hospital (Verghese explains that the word "Mission" is not pronouncable to the Ethiopian tongue and so comes out as "Missing"). The hospital is run by Carmelite nuns, one of whom is the boys' mother and staffed by two doctors from India and up until the boys' birth an English Surgeon named Thomas Stone, the boys' father.

Although this may sound pretty far fetched, it is a beautifully, well written story with some very poignant vingettes. For example: before having to operate on an Ethiopian Colonel who is one the outs with the Emperor we get this beautiful confession of what the priorities of the nation should be;

"My journey, my pain, my operation...," the Colonel went on, "God was showing me the suffering of my people. It was a message. How we treat the least of our brethren, how we treat the peasant suffering with volvulus, that's the message of this country. Not our figher planes or tanks, or how big the Emperor's palace happens to be. I think God put you in my path." page 184

At another point in the book there is wisdom of another sort as Marion is sitting with his terminal step-father, one of the Indian Doctors named Ghosh:

"I spent as much time as I could with Ghosh. I wanted every bit of wisdom he could impart to me. All sons should write down every word of what their fathers have to say to them. I tried. Why did it take an illness for me to recognize the value of time with him? It seems we humans never learn. And so we relearn the lesson every generation and then want to write epistles. We proselytize our friends and shake them by the shoulders and tell them, "Seize the day! What matters is this moment!" Most of us can't go back and make restitution. We can't do a thing about our should haves and our could haves. But a few lucky men like Ghosh never have such worries; there was no restitution he needed to make, no moment he failed to seize.
Now and then Ghosh would grin and wink at me across the room. He was teaching me how to die, just as he'd taught me how to live." page 424

"Cutting for Stone" is a beautiful novel, well worth your time and attention. I hope you allow yourself the opportunity to allow Abraham Verghese's amazing story of life to wash over you.

Visit from Mom

My mom is visiting from Pennsylvania this week. We got her into Twin Falls safe and sound on Tuesday after some airline mistakes and her bag arrived on the first flight into Twin Falls on Wednesday. She seems to be having a nice time, especially enjoying Eric whom she has not seen since February 2008. Granted she talks to him just about every Sunday afternoon so she has known for some time how far he has come and we've sent many photos so she and dad can see his growth, but it isn't quite the same. So she is very much enjoying his expansive vocabulary and equally expansive diet.

We are having a nice visit, even though we haven't been able to spend all that much time together. I was a little concerned about leaving her at LOGOS with all of my responsibilities, not to mention Kathy's. But she was able to talk with several different people and hear about how well adjusted and happy we are in Twin Falls and that means a lot to mom. I do often wonder how they felt about me interviewing in Pennsylvania and New York along with Idaho and feeling God leading us here. But the longer we are here the more certain I am of God's call and it seems the more at ease my parents are with the idea; even if it means seeing Eric seldomly.

Hopefully today will be a little calmer for mom. She is going to book club with one of her pen pals in the congregation and then she and I are picking Eric up from school instead of him riding home on the bus so that they can have a full hour more of time together. Kathy has book club at the house tonight, so that will just mean that much more time for Grandma and Eric to spend together. It's a short visit, but it has meant a lot to mom, Eric, Kathy and me.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 19: Special Meals

Yesterday was a good day, after the jam jar jumble, that is. It turns out that I was trying to pry the lid off when it was simply a twist top. Live and learn, I guess.

As for Eric he had a "green light" day at school and after I blogged I was able to get the bulletin & some worship preparation done at the office in the morning. As things fell in place with the bulletin and Sunday planning the rest of the day kind of rolled along. Of course it helped that my afternoon had been planned out with the help of Margie Howard as we went and took home communion to several different people.

Those visits really bolster me. Even though I know it's not about me, that is, the reason for taking home communion to people is that they are not able to attend worship and so the church through their pastor (me) and one of our deacons (Margie) shows up at their door and live out Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” It is one of my responsibilities that I enjoy the most, especially when someone else does the planning for me and I can just show up, visit, share the scripture and we all break bread together. It really makes for a very special spiritual meal.

One of the highlights of those visits yesterday is that we took communion to a couple who are members of FPC, but who haven't been in worship for many years. Their names are Ron and Miriam Watson and Ron is Margie's cousin. When we showed up at their door Ron said that his oldes son would be joining us and so I got to meet three new people who know a whole lot about our church. And what was really fun was telling them who we had been to see before and who we were going to see after and hear about their connections with Lois Matheney and Fern Lewis which led to even more fond memories of their time at FPC. They really lit up when talking about the good times they have had at the church and it seemed to give them a deeper communion with their faith as lived out at the Presbyterian church in Twin.

The other special meal I had yesterday was with Eric. After he had a good day and after I realized that we needed to stay home and not go to a meeting at church I asked if he wanted to roast some hot dogs over the fire pit. Well you can guess his answer. And so he and I got some wood out, I lit the matches and we watched the fire for a while then had some high quality father-son time roasting weenies. It was a great way to end a really great day of special meals.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 18: How Spoiled I Am

With Kathy off to exotic locations once again, this time Richmond, Virginia for the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators Board meeting, I am reminded once again how spoiled I am. More on that later, now let me recall yesterday.

Granted, things went pretty for the first couple of hours. We all got up around 5 a.m. on Monday, got Kathy out to the Twin Falls airport and then after a little more sleep and breakfast Eric successfully made it to the bus and I had a very relaxing day at home. I managed to do just about nothing which felt really good. About the only thing I did get done was a sketch of a Star Wars the Clone Wars storm trooper design for a stained glass piece that Eric has been asking for for some time.

Unfortunately Eric did not have such a good day. It seems he cannot wait until recess to tell his neighbors all sorts of things. And since he doesn't text yet he simply leans over and starts talking in the middle of lessons. That he was put on yellow light and then red light means that he had to do it and get caught not once, not twice but at least three times; not to mention the times he wasn't caught. And to top it all off, when he got home, after watching a little TV he announced to me that he thought he had to fart, but something more came out! Not only was he off his norm at school, but then to have an accident, it serves me right for thinking this would be a smooth week. So the punishment at home was that as soon as the pre-game show for Monday Night football came on ESPN his shows went off and mine went on. That and it was to bed early, though he's got me reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban a chapter a night so even though he went to bed at 7 p.m. I did not leave the room until 7:50!

So why am I so spoiled? Well, most every morning Kathy takes care of things around the house so I don't really have to turn on my brain until after I've showered, dressed, driven to church and made a pot of coffee. But not when Kathy's gone. Oh no. Now I have to get up early enough to get Eric showered, dressed, groomed, fed, lunch made, etc. And if any one thing goes a little off I'm not the most warm and cuddly dad, since I'm not used to the routine that Kathy and Eric have.

So the result today? I couldn't figure out how to get the blasted top off of the homemade apricot jam for Eric's school lunch. And in my frustration in thinking that I needed an engineering degree to remove the lid from the jar so I could make a PB & J sandwich I somehow managed to drop the plastic jar into the sink and break it! And of course Eric doesn't want hot lunch and he doesn't like grape jam, so he had to settle for peanut butter and honey sandwich. I'm sure I'll hear about that this afternoon.

So why am I so spoiled. In a nutshell, Kathy smooths out my day so I have very little to worry about other than church stuff. So as usual when she goes away I am very grateful for how much Kathy does that I rarely see or acknowledge. She sure is a strong person to put up with doing so much and going so unrecognized. Thank you Kathy!

First Grade

We are all up and ready to go! Eric has on his new Bakugan T-shirt and Z-Strap sneakers. He was a little disappointed that he couldn't wear shorts, but the weather is starting a little cool for the first day so he's got jeans on. Meanwhile Kathy and I are ready to go off to CSI for the exercise trail without having to pay for a babysitter!

Eric seems excited enough, though most of his excitement is due to his new shirt and shoes so we'll have to wait until after school to find out how much of his giddiness is for school. So how are Kathy and I feeling? That's an even more difficult question. In part we are looking forward to our extremely extroverted son having interaction with more people on a daily basis, plus the bus picking up at 8 a.m. and dropping him off at 4 p.m. gives us both some quiet time. Then again, that he's on the track of speeding life along is difficult to watch as well; especially as I watch people at church with newborns and vaguely remember those days as well, but now my baby is into Bakugan and Legos instead of sleeping and messing his diaper. In other words, he's well on the way to not needing me.

Perhaps that's a little to melodramatic for the first day of First Grade. It isn't as though its his first day of college or his wedding day. But it is easy to see how fast kids grow up. That cliche hasn't meant much to me these last few years, oh sure he's grown, but his days have remained relatively the same. But not any longer, now I'll only be able to have lunch with him on Saturdays and Sundays from September through May. I guess I better not get myself in this kind of funk, Eric won't want to see anything from me but a smile and well wishes here in a few minutes--off to Elementary school!

GREAT DAY!

WOW! What a great day!

Saturday started off with a very productive Worhship Committee. Among other things we talked about how the Baptismal Font is falling apart and how the sound system could use a 21st century upgrade. It was a long meeting; at nearly two hours, but well worth it nonetheless.

On another front today was the wedding of Kelly Wrigtht and David Ruggles; if ever there were a couple meant to be together; I don't know of them! Today's ceremony took place at 2 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church and everything went off quite well; even with the pastor trying to immitate the "Impressive Clergyman" from Rob Reiner's classic "The Princess Bride." This purely 80s film captures the beauty and wonder of marital as well as familial love. Thankfully, God on High was watching over me as I attempted to recite some lines from this movie by saying: "Mawage! Mawage is wot bwings us togeber tooday! Mawage, that bwessed awwaangement; that dweam wiffin a dweam!" From those classic 80s lines I attempted to tie-in the Apostle Paul's message about the abiding quality of God's love.

Whether Rob Reiner's stunt was what did it or something else, God worked God's miracles and the wedding was a success! Watching Kelly and David Ruggles make their way into God's future was a joy and priviledge! If it weren't for their love for one another the wedding would not have been half of what it was; but for their love we all experienced a JOY that transcended the wonders of MARITAL LOVE!!!

Thank God for the wonders of two people coming together; of finding one another in spite of their pasts and because of where God is leading them!

Mr. Mom Chronicles 17: Water Battle Supreme

Despite the title of this post the day started much more sedate with Eric sleeping in while I said the "morning office" and got ready for church. After a breakfast of reheated waffles we made our way to 209 Fifth Avenue North for Eric's time with the child care worker and my own preparation for worship. Worship went fine with Eric sitting with two much older boys who helped him get through worship without me even noticing they were in the sanctuary.

After Fellowship time we went to Fred Meyer's for sandwiches and snack food, of which we have gone through an awful lot while Kathy has been in Sheridan for LOGOS. Then I filled up the kiddie pool and settled in with a novel expecting to pass the afternoon in peace. That is, until Eric pestered and pestered and pestered me to join in a water battle until I couldn't pass it up any longer.

So I grabbed one of his Super Soakers (one of three he received for his birthday last weekend) and surprised him by starting the battle without his permission. As to my secret plans that unfolded while I was reading, once my super-soaker ran dry I made my way to the hose and nozzle and unleashed what can only be described as water-battle field cannon fire. Eric was none too pleased in the middle of all his giggling at getting completely drenched. He was the only casualty until I allowed him his fare share of time at the controls of the field-water-cannon where he unleashed the fury of being too drenched upon his dear-old-dad. Needless to say he too drenched me to the bone when we decided that the battle came to a draw and we retired to the house for a change of clothes and a much more sedate form of recreation like watching a movie.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 16: Picnic, Pool, and Quiet

Saturday was a great day! Eric climbed into my bed around 6 a.m. but quickly fell back to sleep when he realized I wasn't quite ready to get up. That simple, but loving act of his really exemplified his whole attitude throughout the day. For example, the rest of the morning I needed to finish getting ready for Sunday worship by making final adjustments to the sermon, printing off a new copy and looking into Children's time all of which took a few hours and he graciously allowed me to get all of that done with occasional check-ins to see where the progress was.

We then got done with two of his birtday thank yous and made our way to Centennial Park for the Twin Falls County Democratic Party's picnic as guests of Chris and Cathy Talkington. Again, Eric could have easily melted down as it was well into the 90s and there were no other little boys his age and many adults instead. But somehow he made it through the lunch and a speech or two and through his good behavior and politeness walked away with an Obama Jigsaw puzzle in the raffle.

Though we were both tired or so I thought when we got home Eric asked to have the kiddie pool filled with water, which I did and he played for another two hours in the water as I read a novel, texted Kathy and then later talked with her on the phone. By the way, she and Wendy are having a good time and enjoyed their nine hour drive to Sheridan as well as meeting others and talking about LOGOS at the weekend's workshop.

So the whole Price family had a Saturday worthy of restful preparation for the work of a pastor's family on Sunday.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 15

Kathy and Wendy left for Sheridan, Wyoming Friday morning at 5:30 a.m. (which meant Kathy got up around 4:30 which woke me as well) leaving me with a weekend with Eric. Fortunately for me, Eric didn't get out of bed until just a few minutes before I left for running and the baby sitter showed up.

We had a nice quiet morning of being in our separate corners, Eric played Legos and watched TV in the family room while I read my alternative history novel up stairs. We then did some errands including buying junk food, a card for my sister's birthday and going to the church to see if a package showed up for me. There was no package, but Eric played with Virginia while I checked email, packed a few things for the weekend then we headed home.

Eric enjoyed the free lunch in the park and playing while I enjoyed the shade of Sunrise Park and reading a Thoughtful Christian article on Benedictine Spirituality. Then we traipsed off for home where I had my lunch and I read for a little while longer. We then enjoyed about an hour and a half of the Wii stopping for gummy bears and gummy worms between levels after which Eric allowed me an hour nap to recoup after waking so early in the morning with Kathy.

Even though it was approaching 95 degrees when I woke up Eric still wanted to roast polish sausage over the fire pit so off we were once again, this time walking to Smith's to buy firewood and marshmallows. So dinner was a nice quiet affair after which we played the Wii again for an hour or so before heading to bed and starting to read "The Adventures of Captain Underpants."

It was a really nice way to start a weekend of the boys. Hopefully today will go as smoothly.

Midsummer Doldrums

Yes its the middle of the summer and I'm feeling lost in the midst of a wide open stretch of windless water, a bit ironic I must admit as yesterday's winds in the Magic Valley were gusting above 30 miles per hour. It's not that I'm bored or that there is nothing to do, not with a week and a half of evenings full of meetings or social and family times coming up. No, it's more about being between the wonderful things that have happened over the past few weeks in worship and things that are unfolding over the next month or so.

In the midst of this low time I pulled out a resource about Sabbaticals, as you may know I'm eligible for one in the summer of 2011. As I've been dreaming about that I've been following Jan Edmiston's blog, www.achurchofstarvingartists.com which is chronicling her sabbatical this summer. It is fun and interesting and eye opening all at the same time. She has visited with former members of the church she serves in Alexandria in places like Texas and Istanbul. She led a workshop at the conference I attended in North Carolina. She also blogged about church members not really understanding the sabbatical once she was gone. So I've picked up some ideas and hopefully will be able to implement them in the two years leading up to sabbatical.

I've also been using this in between time to practice some new prayer forms. One that I'm really excited about is "Praying in Color" by Sybil MacBeth. The basic idea is that many of us get hung up in prayer in trying to figure out what words to use, but this new prayer form encourages us to hold a person's name or a desire of our heart or even scripture before God and doodle, yes drawing shapes and using various colors, as a way of holding that person or idea before God in order to keep our mind from wondering. It has been a great way for me to pray with and for our congregation, especially in this in between time.

I've also been reading a lot of fiction, in particular alternative history. It has been a good escape without having to leave Twin Falls.

I'm sure this season of my heart will pass and the next few weeks of meetings, Eric's birthday, Kathy's trip to Sheridan, two weddings, and Kathy and Eric's trip to Seattle will ease me through the doldrums of the summer.

Glad to be Home

It has taken me about a week to realize that I'm home after two weeks on the road. North Carolina was great, probably the best insight I picked up from the conference for "young" (under age 40) Presbyterian Clergy was to be more open to God and strive to fear God more than the congregation. Pretty much what this means is seeking God's will more than listening to the competing egos that make up the congregation. Sounds simple, right? Well, it really isn't not after a generation or two have been taught that if they kick and scream enough their wants and felt needs will be met. I'm not saying that FPC, Twin Falls is too addicted to getting their way, but I do see such behavior (mine included) in the midst of all the wonderful things that have happened in our first three years together.

After a 12 hour "lay over" in Twin Falls it was off to the Oregon Coast to spend upwards of ten days in the South Beach neighborhood of Newport. We really had a phenominal time with uncharacteristically warm (60-65 degree) weather for seven of the full days we were there and it rained on the day we left! Like a lot of people we opted for a really simple holiday, eating most of our meals at the house and doing cost-free things like beachcombing and sand castle building. We did manage to go to Rogue Brewery's resturant on our Anniversary, no better way to celebrate our first 13 years of marriage than with Imperial Stout, Porter and India Pale Ale, is there?

Since I've been home we've planted two aspens in the yard, removed a 26 foot by 4 foot section of sod in the back yard. I've been to Ketchum for an Investigating Committee meeting and have attended several church social functions along with a few meetings and worship this past Sunday. And now I'm getting ready to put together the bulletin for Sunday's worship. So I'm back in the swing of things and glad to be doing it with and among the people I've been called to serve in Twin Falls, Idaho!

Mr. Mom Chronicles 14: Poptarts & Wiffle Ball

All in all Sunday was the best of the three days that Kathy has been gone. Eric and I got up with the sun, both showered, dressed and were off to Albertson's by about 7:15 a.m. We bought strawberry poptarts, grapes for the children's sermon, a Red Bull for me and a 7-Up for Eric. Then we drove over to church where I practiced the sermon in the sanctuary while Eric sat in the first pew eating his poptart and drinking his 7-Up. We then took care of some chores around the building and he went off to the nursery while I set up for adult Sunday school.

Worship went well with Eric sitting with Doug and Judy Pollow. Honestly, other than seeing Eric during the children's sermon I didn't even know he was there. After worship there was cake for Mother's Day, time in the gym shooting finger-rockets and then off to an Italian Restaurant as guests of Jack and Terry Miller. Although Eric usually has a good time with that group of twenty or so adults, Bob & Judy Wright's daughter and grandson were visiting and so Eric enjoyed brunch with Ethan while the adults talked.

The afternoon was time for dad to read a little and then a marathon session of wiffle ball in the back yard. We each got to bat and pitch and Eric not only enjoyed himself but looks like he's getting a handle on both batting and pitching, we still have to work on the catching thing, but he's making progress.

The rest of the day was Wii, pizza, TV and bed for us both. So that was a really nice way to end the weekend, don't you think?

Mr. Mom Chronicles 13 CHARCOAL!!!

Saturday without Kathy started off GREAT! We got up with the sun and walked over to the grocery store and bought two donuts each. We enjoyed breakfast with cartoons, coffee, juice and some special guy time and then I worked some more on the sermon and did a little reading. It really was a great way to start the day.

By midday we were outside enjoying the wonderful weather with some wiffle ball, frisbee and then firing up the fire pit for roasting weenies for lunch. Shortly after lunch we watched some baseball on the TV and Eric allowed me to take a nap. What a day, right? Well things went down hill fast after my nap. While I was talking on the phone with a friend, about four hours after our fire pit lunch Eric decided to take the top off of the fire pit. I was sitting right there talking on the phone and watching all of this transpire. So as he took the top off of the fire pit I didn't think anything of it. And as he took the fire pit tool and raked the cinders and pulled out a charcoal I didn't think anything of it either until he reached out with his left hand ... to ... pick ... it ... up!

At first shock, then tears and then a blister started forming on his left thumb and fast! I hung up with our frind and called Kathy who directed me to a first aid kit in the car and let me know I might have to drive to the Emergency Room. So, among hysterical cyring and copious tears I applied ointment and a band-aid to his thumb and instead of going to the ER I called our friends Jennifer and Dan Pruecil who are doctors. They graciously encouraged us to come over to their house to look at Eric's hand. When we got their they confirmed that it looked like a second degree burn and told us to go to Walgreens for some Polysporin. We talked and Eric played with Will and Josie until Eric discovered that his middle finger was beginning to blister too! So we were off to the pharmacy and home.

Thankfully with the polysporin, some rootbeer and ice cream and television and Eric was off to a quiet time and rest for bed. Which allwed me to watch the third Mummy movie (which wasn't as good as the first two) and get ready to write this blog and look forward to bed and soon. Pray for me that Eric and I get through tomorrow with far less interesting times.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 12

Today started WAY EARLY for us! Kathy's alarm went off some where in the neighborhood of 5 a.m. and Eric and I weren't too far behind. By 5:30 we were off to the Shilo Inn and the Boise Shuttle to get Kathy off to her weekend of Kennedy Family Fun on the Olympic Peninsula. Kathy, her mom, sister, aunt, cousins, grandmother and other assorted Kennedy female family are off to a weekend of quilting, crafting and girl "stuff" until Monday.

So we got Kathy to the bus stop and then we came home for an hour more of sleep before getting ready for school, which went o.k., that is the resting, breakfast and off to school bit. Then I went for a 45 minute run/walk at CSI before a little quiet time of my own at home. The day really started off quite well, that is, until I pulled up at Harrison Elementry to pick up Eric. I was hoping for the sight of him running across the green grass yelling at the top of his lungs, "Greeeeen Day!" (meaning that his behavior was o.k. at school). Unfortunately as his class dismissed and I got out of the car and headed over to collect my son I saw him sit down by his teacher. So I made my way over to him as he waved me over.

When I got to Mrs. Standley she said something to the effect of, "Well at least it is something different." And then she proceeded to tell me that Eric would be written up on Monday and miss "specials" because on the feild-trip to Roper Auditorium Eric spit at a second grader! He spit at someone else, can you believe it? I mean, spitting at his age, at the ground, may just be part of figuring out what it means to be a boy, but spitting at another person whom he does not know?!?

Needless to say, Eric spent a large part of the afternoon in his room and went to bed early without a story. Hopefully Saturday will bring a brighter and more happy child.

Piano

Yesteryday the Price family was graced with the generosity of Phyllis & Terry Fletcher who gave us a piano for Eric's use. A piano was something that Kathy's family had when she was a child, but not something that my family had so I didn't know quite how Eric would react. My own musical experience began in the fourth grade when I took up the Alto Saxophone which I played with the band through graduation from High School. For my part the daily practice quickly became drudgery, which I'm sure most of you who have ever practiced a musical instrument have experienced the same as well.

So these first hours with the piano are a lot of fun, mostly because Eric just gravitates to the keyboard of his own free will, for now. In fact, well before I wanted to get out of bed I heard Eric creating a new musical piece around 6 a.m. Hopefully his curiosity and creativity will not wane as he ages and maybe just maybe he has found something that will really capture his imagination and light a passion within. Thanks especially to the Fletcher family for sharing such a wonderful gift with us.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 11

Well, many of you who read this blog know that Kathy made it safely home from New Mexico and that Eric and I survived yet another "Mr. Mom" period of bachelorhood. Thankfully as well we have a little longer stint with Kathy at home, she won't be heading out of town again until the second weekend in May; at that time she will be joining the women of her family for a crafting weekend retreat.

After several days away we all really made the most of the weekend. We spent all Friday afternoon together as Kathy unpacked and Eric and I settled in to the idea that we weren't totally responsible for ourselves any longer and that Kathy would provide a moderating role. On Saturday we spent the morning lounging around the house and then in the afternoon joined Rick and Rene Horner and Becky Bratt for 18 Holes of Disc Golf at the College of Southern Idaho. It was a very nice day to be outside with warm temperatures and plenty of sun. Unfortunately the weather did not stay nice, but that just drove us toward another day together with church in the morning where we actually got to sit together as a family (as I took a Sunday from preaching before Holy Week) and then an afternoon lounging on the sofa with Eric watching TV, Kathy playing games on her laptop and me drifting in and out of a nap or two.

Today we are back to regular routines. Eric is off to school. Kathy is working in her home office. And I guess for me it's not so regular. I usually drink coffee and enjoy a few hours of quiet reading time, but in about an hour I'm headed off to Burley, Idaho for a day-long meeting. This time, though it is not as tense as my Investigating Committee work for Kendall Presbytery. Instead I am acting as the advocate for four churches in the presbytery that have submitted grant proposals to our Presbytery's Board of Trustees. So my role is to provide that group of people with compelling reasons for granting the funds to three small rural churches and our one New Church Development in the Teton Valley of Eastern Idaho.

Thankfully, though, I don't have to worry about Eric, so I'll drink a little coffee and maybe read a very little bit before heading east on I-84 for a day in the Eastern Magic Valley secure in the knowledge that when I come home both Eric and Kathy will be home.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 10

Day Three of Kathy's latest trip has turned out to be a breeze, especially after yesterday's shoe-finding, Ketchum driving, late night getting to bed, Tuesday.

Somehow I managed to get out of bed at a responsible time and got the trash and recycling out. Eric's shower went smoothly. And even when Eric asked to do something different from our regular routine; namely, he wanted to make sure that Zlatko--the custodian at the school he attends and also the custodian for our church--passed the citizenship test and Eric wanted to draw a picture for Zlatko. Of course, Eric came up with that idea within forty-five minutes of needing to head to the bus along with needing breakfast, teeth brushing, and shoe-finding. Thankfully Eric had a week or so before drawn an American Flag so all we had to do was write the words "Congratulation" and "Zlatko" at the bottom in order to make the morning chores and gift complete.

The rest of the day involved going to the "Fellowship Lunch Club", a group of women from church who get together monthly at Idaho Joe's where Eric was the perfect little gentleman. Then we came home and he let me read while he rested in front of the television and we did homework, Wii, Dinner, a little TV and bed. So, all in all, it really was a good day to be Mr. Mom. Granted, we are both looking forward to Kathy's return on Friday afternoon, but hopefully we will get through Thursday as smoothly as Wednesday.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 9

Wow! What a day! It started by, admittedly, sleeping in too late. Part of the blame goes to me because I just LOVE flannel sheets and I sometimes can't pull myself away from them even when the "snooze" feature on my alarm clock is smoking! Of course part of it had to do with Monday beginning at 5 a.m. But eventually Eric and I each managed to get our showers; yes, at 6 he is learning to shower each morning, though the whole shampooing of the head thing seems to be a very mysterious and difficult thing for him to figure out.

So we made our way to breakfast and thankfully Eric decided on toast. Yes, toast, how easy is that?!? But then things went downhill for a bit as I tried to pump out a blog on "The Unforgiving Minute" and simply asked Eric to find his shoes and put them on. Lo and behold, though, he had no idea where his shoes were. And so we nearly stripped the house clean trying to find his shoes, with my blood pressure rising and Eric trying to help by asking to wear everything from sandals to snow boots (there was no chance of snow at all in Twin Falls today and there hasn't been for several weeks). And guess where the shoes were? They were ... right ... behind ... the ... chair ... I ... was ... sitting ... in. Lesson learned, dads need to chill out and take in their surroundings before jumping to conclusions.

The rest of the day after we just barely made the school bus was blessedly better. I made my way through a chapter of another book and Eric headed off to a good day at school. Then I got Eric to a sitter before I made my way to Ketchum for a three-and-a-half hour meeting that was draining but necessary. And thankfully, Eric had a fantastic day at the sitter--a friend of Kathy's and mine who gave up about eight hours with our darling child.

So here I sit after a full day and Eric is sleeping upstairs after I had read to him of Robin Hood and we will both get a night's rest before another day of adventure. Thank you for your prayers and interest.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 8

Eric and I got Kathy off to the airport this morning by 5:28 a.m. And needless to say we both are feeling as though it is much later at night than this sun-still-hanging-over-our-heads leads us to believe. Then again, after a full day of being up we both should have a good night's sleep.

Thankfully Eric got his shower and I did too and we got off to the bus stop just in time. Thankfully as well Kathy made her way out of Twin Falls, through Salt Lake and on her way to Albuquerque without a hitch. Actually, Kathy's layover in Salt Lake lasted an hour or so longer than she had planned thanks to wind and snow, but by midday she let me know that she got to New Mexico without incident.

This afternoon at home went o.k. Though, I just can't get past the homework with Eric. I'm sure that doing his work fast is important, but it seems to me that some reasoning would help beyond just memorizing the formulas of addition, even in Kindergarten. Thankfully, we got through his homework and made our way to the Wii, when "wee" enjoyed "Boom Blox", "Celebrity Sports Showdown" and "Mario Kart" before a dinner of lasagna and some special TV dinner for a little boy.

All in all, this new adventure in Mr. Mommism is starting off on a good foot. I look forward to seeing what tomorrow has to bring with Eric going to a friend's home after school and me going to Ketchum for Presbytery business! Your prayers are MOST WELCOME!

Dances with Wolves

I was pleased to see, as I made my way through the on-screen TV guide that the 1990 classic "Dances with Wolves" was on the Country Music Channel. I was relived because, as a pastor I don't get to spend a lot of time with family during the Christmas, New Years, Epiphany Holidays and when I saw that Kevin Costner's masterpiece was on TV it was like, Wow, I can watch a piece of this movie with MY SON.

I say that because, in 1990 when "Dances with Wolves" came to the big screen I wen to see it with my dad and here I am, sitting in my living room and my son can't wait to see what happens when Kevin Costner first meets the "Indians" on the plains and here I am choking up with the memory of seeing it with my dad.

I don't know what the overall critical response is to "Dances with Wolves" but it is a movie that I love, if for nothing else than the memory of going to see it when it first came out on the big-screen with my father and now I am able to share some of that fatherly memory with my son, Eric.