The World is Flat

Gary talks about this book all the time, and now I have evidence that it is true: you just never know who is going to find your blog and make a comment. I now know there are people on the internet who actually know what my screen name means. Amazing how the world has changed!

Thanking God for Growth

For those of you who know me IRL and care about me as a real person, you know that all too often over my life I have worried about Rachel. Always worried about this or that or the other thing. Or maybe I should say, "this and that and the other thing all at once." And sometimes I've let that angst show in this blog.

So I feel like I should now say that I am really pleased with the changes and progress I've seen in her life since March: She's re-learned how to drive and is doing better at that than I would have imagined possible. (Which isn't to say I expect her to ever become one of the world's top 10 drivers. :-) She's purchased her own car and her own car insurance. She has looked for and found numerous families to babysit for. She has completed substitute teacher orientation for two public and two Christian schools, and is regularly finding sub jobs. She teaches children's church once a month and works in the church nursery once a month. She has started a system for keeping track of both her income and her expenses. She does her own meal preparation, cleaning and shopping (though sometimes she tricks me into helping :-). She has learned how to cook a couple real meals. She has taken on full financial responsibility for herself (and her cat :-), although the amount we charge her for our garage apartment is not quite up to market value. In other words, she has done a lot of social and emotional growing in the past six months and I want to acknowledge that.

I suppose these things might not sound like such a big deal to any random person reading this blog, but if you knew the history, you'd know why I'm making a point to mention how self-sufficient she has become. I've spent a lot of my life worrying about things Rachel could not do, or could not do as easily, quickly, or gracefully as her peer group. So now I just want to give her credit for getting on with her life.

And I also want to give thanks to God, who has worked in my heart to let go of Rachel in a slow but steady way, and who has helped Rachel to grow in a slow but steady way. (Without doubt we both have many remaining "issues" that can always use prayer; but in this post, I'm not talking about them.)

Empathy

How does it make you feel when you turn your sandals over and discover a thumbtack stuck in the sole?

A Note of Thanks

Sometimes I drag myself down in a pool of self-pity when I feel unappreciated or ignored or looked down upon. I know, I'm stupid and shouldn't do that. So I try to just put my hurt aside and go on with life.

But today, it was the opposite. I got a thank you note from a young man thanking me for sticking my neck out for him two years ago.

Matthew 13:45-46

You are the pearl:
precious,
priceless,
worth more than all other things

Put together:
your irritating dirt,
My soothing nacre,
surely it will happen

With time:
the beauty,
the value,
is of great price.

I gave up everything to get you.