"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.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 2010

It's Friday morning at 10 a.m. and Eric and I are only about 12 hours away from being reunited with Kathy, if for only a little while. After frozen dinners, sleeping in later than we should on school days, probably a little too much junk food and throwing the football in the front yard even when it isn't exactly warm outside, tonight Kathy comes home to Twin Falls before taking Eric to Walla Walla, Washington early tomorrow morning.

Yes, she's been gone a week and will be home for all of maybe six hours before heading out again. This time, however, Eric and I will be joining her; but I will be only joining in for about two hours. You see, the plan was for her to fly into Boise tonight where our other car is and then Eric and Kathy would spend the night in Boise beofre heading out early Saturday to attend a family funeral in Walla Walla while I drove home on Friday night. But yesterday United robo-called to say that Kathy's flight from Denver to Boise had been cancelled.

So this morning, in Grand Rapids, Kathy got on the phone and rerouted her travel arrangements through Salt Lake and getting her to Twin Falls on the last flight tonight. So she'll get to sleep in her own bed for a bit and then we'll all head to Boise where I'll jump out and bring our second car home and have a day of preparation and rest before Holy Week begins on Sunday when Kathy and Eric will come home midday Sunday.

It has been a good, if sometimes stressful week. And even if it is a little bit much sometimes it is a good reminder of all that Kathy does that allows me some room to blow off steam when I need to. It has also been good for Eric and me to bond by playing football, getting special snacks and spending more time together than we sometimes do.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 2010

Today started with tears. To understand why started with a conversation last night. You see, the second and fourth Wednesdays of every months are "Men's Breakfast" in our church--a tradition going back a generation or so--where men of the church gather at seven a.m. at a local restaurant to talk about what's going on in the church and various issues of the day. Of course, with Kathy in Michigan, going to Men's Breakfast would mean that Eric and I would need to be up by no later than six a.m. to get us both ready and the dogs and cats taken care of if I was to bring Eric along and I didn't know whether he wanted to do that and miss the bus. So when I posed the question to him last night he gave me a firm "No."

Of course, by now you can guess, when my alarm went off at 6:40 a.m. he heard it, got out of bed, came in and confidently said, "I've changed my mind, I want to go to Men's Breakfast." By then it was 6:45 a.m. and there was no way that we could both get ready, get the dogs and cat taken care of and have gotten there to do anything more than order before they all got up and headed off on their day. I didn't explain all that to Eric and I'm not sure that he would have understood or believed any or all of it, so I simply said, "It's too late, there's not enough time." To which he marched out of my room and into his own and started wimpering and gradually dialed it up so that I could hear every sob and imagine his whole body shaking with disappointment.

I did not, however, change my mind. There was simply not enough time. And besides, it was a relatively harmless way for him to learn that sometimes you have to stick with your decisions. That being said, I did bend a little and told him that after his "Rocket Math" awards ceremony at school today we'd stop somewhere special and get a treat--I'm thinking Daisy's and Volcano Drinks; no doubt he's thinking Target and a toy. Time will tell and hopefully Kathy will weigh in throughout the day via text as to what the treat should be.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 2010

Today's parenting adventures in the world of single-parenting has been relatively easy thanks to many who helped make the day go smoothly.

Even as Eric and I are sitting here watching Discovery Channel's "Life" I am grateful to the life of our congregation which made Kathy's absence in Grand Rapids possible. Eric and I started the day early, at 7:30 a.m. when we left the church for my preparation time. After listening to me read through the sermon and watching me read through my Sunday School lesson, Eric headed off to the nursery with Margaret Harris who helped him let things out ahead of worship. By the time I was done with my 8:30 a.m. Sunday School Class Eric was taken to be with Wendy Neilsen, a most capable and gifted teacher who was preparing her class for Sunday School. And then in the afternoon Eric spent the day with Tina, Lawrence and Christopher Flournoy while I went off to afternoon Sunday School, a Premarital Counseling Lunch and then the Installation service or the new Lutheran Pastor in Twin Falls, Scott Berner.

All of this is to say, that if it weren't for Margaret, Wendy, and the Flournoy family, how would I have gotten through the day and how angry would Eric feel after going from event from event? Of course, he may well have persevered, but I'm glad I didn't have to find out thanks to the many caring people who made this day go so much more smoothly: Thank You!

Mr. Mom 2010

Well, Kathy is off to Grand Rapids Michagan and I am at home with Eric. It turned out to be a busy day, but very satisfying. We all slept in this morning and when I did finally get up Eric and Kathy allowed me to read a little before I was out of the house for a mid-morning appointment which ended up being cancelled. After that it was home for a little before off to lunch out with the family and then off to the church to meet with a local artist who is helping the church get ready for a new baptismal font.

Our meeting at the church with the artist was very informative and led to a nice afternoon of outdoor sports with Eric before Kathy headed off to Boise. He and I walked over to Doug and Judy Pollow's home for an hour and a half of basketball in their driveway before walking home to wish Kathy off well on her trip up to Boise.

Since then I've spent time out in the garage working on two stained glass projects while Eric played with neighborhood kids. He had a really good time form about four p.m. to just after seven when I finally had to tell him it was time to come in and get dinner. And now we are about to get ready for bed--a story for Eric and some more TV for me.

Mr. Mom Chronicles 21: A Much Quieter Day

After the highs of Wednesday and LOGOS Thursday brought a much quiter and reflective day. Eric got up and dressed while I packed his lunch and started our day. Thankfully Eric's day was another "green light" day, but other than that he didn't have a whole lot to say once he got home from school.

As for me I spent a good deal of time readying myself for tomorrow's worship committee meeting by looking through resources for Advent & Christmas Eve along with a surprise catalogue that came in the mail. When I first saw it I thought it was a joke; it is the "Spiritual Expressions: Worship Dancewear 2010" catalogue. In fact I did chuckle a little until I opened it and saw something that the worship committee has been talking about for some time. That is a two foot long "wand" to which streamers are attached. What you do with that then is put different color streamers on the end of the "wand" and wave it over the heads of worshippers during a processional. I saw something like it when my friend, the Bishop of Idaho Brian Thom was consecrated as Bishop: it was a stunning effect. Saw hopefully sometime soon the Presbyterians of Twin Falls will give this effect a try in worship.

The balance of my day was taken up with working on the sermon as well as a pleasant morning visit with Stan Hoobing, the interim at Our Savior Lutheran Church here in Twin Falls. In the afternoon David Mead dropped in for a nice conversation for nearly an hour.

In the evening, after Eric got off the bus, he let me read a little while he unwound from school and then we throught the frozen dinners in the oven and played some Wii Sports. We watched survivor, read Harry Potter and headed off to sleep. All in all it was a really nice day, both as pastor and as parent.

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!

Thoughts on this Week's New Testament Reading

Sunday's Gospel reading, according to the Revised Common Lectionary, contains two stories of healings; the first of a little girl from a distance and the second of a deaf man. While the RCL contains both stories, for various reasons I'm just going to focus on the first story. A less serious reason for focussing on only one of the stories is that it is communion Sunday and I'm conditioned as well are most people at FPC for preaching to endure no more than about fifteen minutes and the more serious reason is that I believe the first story speaks to us more than the second.

So what about the first of the two healing stories is more relevant? Well, for one it speaks to all of who are parents because the little girl who is healed from a distance receives the blessing as a result of her mother persistently pestering Jesus to heal her daughter. The first part of the passage appeals to anyone who has ever had a sick child and wants to see her made well. I can't imagine anyone upon hearing Mark 7:24-30 not feeling the aching heart of the mother who boldly approaches Jesus and asks for her daughter to be made whole.

Although this mother goes unnamed by Mark, she is a model of persistent faith and prayer. She is someone we can all bring to mind when faced with adversity. She is someone whose trust in God gives us all an idea of what it means to trust in God no matter what we are facing. It is a powerful story in the middle of Mark's Gospel and one I am looking forward to preaching.

Though I must say, since it is about healing it is awfully tempting to bring up the healthcare debate and make the sermon that much more "relevant". That being said, the problem with those kind of sermons is that they really don't proclaim the gospel, the good news that no matter what we face, God walks with us. So I won't give into that particular temptation no matter how alluring it may be.

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!

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.

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.

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!

Single Parenting

Well, Eric and I are nearly through in our adventure of being without Kathy/Mom for half the month of October. She is in Orlando and will be home late on Friday, October 24th! Being without Kathy has made me appreciate the overwhelming responsibility and need to acknowledge, pray for, and seek to reach out to those whom we know who are parenting without the benefits of a spouse.

Typically Kathy gets Eric up and my responsibility is to put him to bed, when I am at home. Not to mention, that when he is not in Kindergarten, every afternoon, Kathy is there to parent while I am being a pastor. Then on weekends I typically spend more time with Eric while Kathy gets a little "time off", but she is not far if my skills become insufficient. All in all--it works!

But for the last three weeks, minus a few days and twelve hours, it has just been
Eric and me AND I AM POOPED! Not only do we both miss Kathy/Mom, but I find myself in awe of single parents and have been moved to be more mindful and prayerful on behalf of those single parents that I know. For no matter how good of a kid Eric is, he is still quite a handful by myself with no relief.

All of this is to say or to reiterate, if you know someone who parents alone, give them a call, offer them a helping hand, or just offer a prayer to God for their patience, sanity, and love.