A Lincoln (b)Log

 On 3/29/23, a most pleasant palindrome date, at 4:48 am, 

Lincoln Joseph Hughes was born.

Lincoln Joseph Hughes
8 lbs 6 oz
20.75"

He is our 6th Grand on earth.

We have one in heaven. 

At this posting, we have yet to physically see Lincoln because of that nasty, disrupting virus that has been plaguing us all for the last three years. When one grandparent has it and the other has been exposed, you certainly don't want to go hang around a family anticipating and having a baby. 

Happily, recent tests have come back negative, so plans are being made to meet this guy in person.

However, during those first couple of days, when the reality set in that I was not going to be there to help when Lincoln was born, there was grief and weeping - then I'd be ok and not weep for a bit, then there'd be a sniper attack of grief and more weeping.

But with his birth on Wednesday morning, only tears of joy flowed as we jumped to look at our phone with every ping of a notification that the shared family album, "Lincoln Joseph,"  had just had a new picture added. 

Not being there helping meant I had a day or two of unexpected/unplanned time on my hands. I felt a bit inspired to write a poem for Lincoln, on the occasion of his birth. We've been studying Jeremiah 1 this week in BSF, so with Jeremiah 1:5 front and center, you can see where my inspiration came from. 

So, without further ado, an inspired Grandmother's thinkin' about the birth of our dear Lincoln! 

God’s Hand

Lord, what must you have thought,

when our Lincoln you wrought?

Before he was born

You knew his whole form

You wonderfully wove

Each cellular trove

His heart you deemed beat

You fitted his feet

Lord, what can be whispered? What is our prayer?

You know our Lincoln. Your hand was there.

Lord, what is all done -  

what is given this one?

A father, a mother, 

Both love like no other

A sister and friend

A blood bond til the end

A time and a space

A lifetime to race

Lord, whether these gifts are long or are spare

You know our Lincoln. Your hand is there.

Lord, what would you see 

those who love him to be?

May we warm and close hold

And give us love bold

May we listen leaned near

May we listen and hear

May we pray and show You

Saving, coming, and true.

Lord, please give us these graces, guide now our care.

You know us and our Lincoln. Your hand is there.

 

A GRAND Calls

Nora calls me in the morn,

And on my face, a smile is born.

The magic of the phone begins

And poof! I see my daughter’s twin.

Nora loves her mother’s lap

And from that perch, we launch our chat.

First comes, “Good morning, dear!

What’s all about in your sphere?"

She ponders and shy smiles a thought

That comes out when her words are caught.

She wants to see a grapefruit round

But only other fruit is found.

The wonder, though, is not undone.

An apple is a lovely one!

A strawberry…and lemons too!

Oh Nora, may we see like you.

We talk about her hair, her dress.

I see her lace, and am impressed.

We talk about her dog, her dad

And all the food and fun she’s had.

The clock, it ticks; our time winds down.

She’s off to see and charm her town.

“Bye! Love you!” Both are told.

Then I am left with a screen to hold.

2021: A Brief Look Back

When you're already halfway through January 2022 and your 2021 recap isn't done, you sum it all up as best you can and go with it. 

Lou started the new year with back pain from a bulging disc, but by February, he was tormented no more thanks to prayer and modern medicine, i.e. successful back surgery.  Staying at home and recovering paired well with our record cold (-14º) and significant snow (9"). 

Another Grand was added to our clan on April 7. 

        Hello, Oliver Isaak Pearson!

 God had you be born and how glad we all are. Welcome to the world.

 I'm happy to talk about him - or any Grand❣ - at any time so feel free to ask 😉.

And if you see Faith and Isaak, be sure and ask about Ollie's birth story. 

(Spoiler - almost had a home/car birth😳)

Mary Grace was the focus of late spring. We made the easy 2 hour drive to KC many times, watched her compete in her last collegiate tennis match and watched her walk across the stage at Rockhurst University's graduation. 

Go Hawks!

Celebrating Mary Grace
Luke, Hannah, Faith, and Elizabeth

              And now, we have 6 college graduates. 

                      Can you say "#payraise?" 😉

Covid reared its ugly head in July at a most inconvenient time, as that unwelcome virus took up residence in Lou right before a scheduled vacation to Seattle. Cue a quarantine Staycation. Thanking God his was a mild case. Yay for prayer, vaccinations and monoclonal antibodies.

Faith made August exciting by getting appendicitis right before we moved Mary Grace to New York for law school which was right before I began my 6th year as Teaching Leader for BSF. We obviously met ourselves coming and going.

In September, wonder of wonder and miracles of miracles - the OG family, et al., was in the same place at the same time. It was the only time in 2021 we were all together as typically, we are spread far and wide. 

Normally... 

Luke and Sofia - Denver

Hannah, Alex, and Nora - Kansas City

David and Makenzie - Austin

Faith, Isaak, Elaine, and Ollie - Springfield

Elizabeth and Caleb - Fayetteville, AR

Mary Grace - NYC

But over the weekend of September 11, everyone descended on Bolivar to mark a birthday milestone in a way that I would recommend to absolutely everyone. 

When you turn 60, line dance with your family and friends in a barn. 

My thoughtful children put on just such a birthday bash for me. I don't think any of us had had such fun since the pandemic started. It all felt so free and simple and joyful. 

For Lou's birthday on Sept 26, we rode across The Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock, AR. This ride will forever be a favorite as we happened upon a group from TX who were riding in a peloton. We kind of jumped on the back of it, and for about 10 miles, we were pulled along quite nicely. I am now a BIG fan of being at the back of a peloton. Because of that, we ended up averaging 15 mph for those 50 miles. Let's go!

Lou, Marla, Shelley, Wes

In October, we headed to Waco to watch David in the Waco Half Ironman. He was in beast mode - smiling every time we saw him. And talk about inspiring! David was, of course, but seeing women older than me completing such an event kind of lit a fire in my 60 year old bones - at least to exercise consistently!

This was before his 5:51:05 finish after:
 swimming 1.2 miles
cycling 56 miles
running 13.1 miles

We ended the year feasting and visiting with our kids & co (& dogs) at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It is a joy to see your adult children and their spouses enjoy each other's company.

We did have to bob and weave a bit at Christmas as Mary Grace joined the ranks of those who have now had Covid twice. 

Good grief. 

It messed up her being here for Christmas Day, but grateful for FaceTime and mild cases.

            So. Done. With. Covid.

I also ended the year looking back over the Gratitude Section of my Prayer Journal, where you record brief entries of daily gratitude (based on Ann Voskamp's 1000 gifts) 

A few of them below...just because:

Jan 1: Warm fire; electricity is off

Feb 7: The joy of local teams (KC) going to the Super Bowl. The Kid vs The Goat.

March 17: Thankful for Eply maneuvers and vertigo leaving.

June 23: Light and the wind dancing in the leaves of the oak trees 

July 12: Elizabeth born 25 years ago

July 23: Corndogs and walks with Wes and Marla

Aug 4: Luke and Sofia called with big news -> expecting a baby - due March 1; also moving to Denver

Aug 5: Eddie Lollar blessing Mary Grace in our kitchen before leaving for NY

Aug 30: Sweet time in KC yesterday with Hannah, Alex, and Nora

Oct 27: Homemade bread; space heaters

Dec 7: The joining of words: "deeply and enduringly happy." Hadn't thought of "enduringly" before "happy" - but so good. 

I've already started my gratitude entries for 2022 and would highly recommend the practice. It beautifully reorients your everyday life - reminding you of the sovereign care and goodness of God.  

May God bless us all as we seek to find our joy in Him in 2022.

2020 in Review

December 31, 2020

I passed the marquee of Bolivar's Methodist Church this morning and read these words:

                                    Hindsight is 2020

I join the world in shaking my head at the year we all just lived. 

For me, I knew things were serious when news came that March Madness was cancelled. Lou and I had a weekend trip planned to Nashville March 13 and we didn't go because Nashville was a hotspot with 2 confirmed cases of Covid-19. 

One of Lou's standard statements regarding Covid is:

         "Covid is the great disrupter." 

Four of our six children have had it (including a couple of spouses). We are thankful to God that their cases have been the typical for their age bracket, with mild symptoms. We've all done the quarantine thing, and we've lost count of how many times my doctor husband has been tested. 

Since the whole thing started, like you, we've made life adjustments. We've had (and are still having) multiple conversations about the pandemic/masks/the vaccine/politics/quarantine/jobs/trips...and what the future holds. 

As Christians, who have put their faith in the salvation that comes through Jesus' death and resurrection, we know that our future is secure. One day - either through our death or Christ's coming back for us - we will be with him. And between this current reality and that coming reality, He has promised he will never leave us or forsake us and supply all we need to live this life. (Romans 8:32) 

So, in this strange year of 2020, we thank God for the help and the hope he's given as we've lived these days. 

I've attempted to document a few of those days below. The first are BC (before Covid).

In January, we traveled to El Salvador with our church
for a medical mission trip. Lou did the doctor thing.
I helped in the vision clinic. 

     

We also heard about The Chosen.
If you haven't, now you have and we heartily recommend! 

Also in January, we might have celebrated the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl.

In February, we headed to Mexico to celebrate David and Makenzie getting married. 

Can I just say how thankful we are this was scheduled BC?!?

This view has all the beautiful symmetry feels for me.

Cue: MARCH

Sooooo thankful for Zoom!!

The Zoom life continued for me as BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) went completely online.

The Zoom life continued for Mary Grace as she came home from Rockhurst University and finished the semester here. 

The Zoom life continued for everyone else except Dr. Lou and Nurse Faith. They masked up and went to the front lines. 

But thankfully, the Grand life continued as we soaked up every moment we could with Nora and Elaine.

here they are at 10 months, reppin the 90th and 11th percentile

The slower pace of the new normal and good weather was really good for our cycling life. 

This is part of what is now affectionately called "The Covid Route"

In July, we headed to the mountains to hike - probably the most Covid friendly vacation you can take. 

We might have headed back to the mountains in the fall with 
our good buddies, Wes and Marla.

I am now a big fan of fall hiking.

Also a fan of fall pics.
 A merry Christmas gift from Hannah
and Faith

Also a fan of a new Grand on the way.
Due March 2021

Ended 2020 with a 12 hour window where we were all together. Thankful for God's gift of family. 

Luke, David, Hannah
Mary Grace, Elizabeth, Faith

Lord, thank you for your hope and help in 2020.

Help us to trust you more as we move into 2021.

Your kingdom come!

A Grand Greeting

I have watched this 13 second video of Nora at least 30 times since it was uploaded in the "Nora Marie" shared album on my phone. 

I love everything about it. 

I love hearing her sweet breath sounds (that, I guess, we can hear so well because they are bouncing off that wooden chest).

I love her glance upward and the break of her face into a smile at seeing something that delights her.

I love the little burp that escapes as she begins wriggling toward the new target.

I love how that delighted, determined little human expends every ounce of energy she can muster to get to what she loves.

To get to what we love is worth that kind of energy!

And I love that it's the dog, Zeke. 

It all still makes me smile.

Now the reason I'm blogging about it is not just because Nora's one of my cute grands and I want to show her off. But seeing this made me think about some premarital advice Lou and I got that we actually took to heart. 

We were encouraged to always welcome each other home. Like stop whatever we were doing and go to the door and greet the returning spouse.

And, for the most part, we have done and still do that.

If I'm home and hear the garage door/back door, I know he's home and I "stop, drop and greet" if possible.  And Lou does that for me too.

 No condemnation if that's not you and your spouse's jam. Different strokes for different folks. But Lou and I have found that simple greeting practice so sweet. 

          Now, how in the world did I get from cute little Nora crawling and burping her way to Zeke to premarital advice?

I have to confess, sometimes the associations my mind makes surprise even me, but this connected because, like Nora's face breaks into a smile at the thought of being near the source of her delight, my face breaks into a smile for the same reason. 
As she does whatever it takes to get to her delight, we do too. It may sound silly, but sometimes I am in the middle of something that I don't want to necessarily interrupt, but I "make" myself go greet because, well, Lou's worth it. 

One other thing I love about the Nora clip. She is completely free in her delight. She loves Zeke and doesn't care who knows it and doesn't care how much energy she's got to expend to get to him. Why do we sometimes get to a point where we aren't as obvious about our delight in someone?  Or as determined to let them know they are the object of our delight? 

Thanks for so many good reminders, Nora girl. I'm guessing that while this might be the first thing I glean from a grand, it won't be the last. 

For David

My sentimental side has been activated as our David is getting married to his Makenzie on February 16, 2020, Lord willing.

I hadn't really planned to wax poetic, but a couple of lines occurred to me the other day, so I sat down this morning and put a few more with it. It's been good for my heart. 

And along with very amateur poetry, random pictures are attached...just because. 

Love to you, David and Mak. Thanking God for you both. 

A Poem for David

“A son’s a son til he takes a wife,”

Is the mantra boy mothers all hear.

On the brink of that point in my son’s life

I know I’ve nothing to fear.

I want my David to love this one.

She’s first in his heart and eye.

His love for her that is second to none

Makes my heart both sigh and fly.

I sigh as I look back in time

At the boy I used to hold

Who’s made me laugh; who’s made me cry

How did he and I get old?

It flies because his heart has wings

And so - mine does too!

He loves! And his heart sings

Mine throbs and grows..who knew?

I grow in love for this boy now grown

And this woman who has his heart

I pray God’s peace and grace are sown

Until death does them part.