Practicing Patience
April 17th: my calendar for this date contained a couple of different things. The Husker Red/White scrimmage for which we possessed 12 tickets for ourselves and family members to attend, the Novartis 10K race which I was registered to run in with Cash. The weekend was even more full than this as I also have a project that I am super busy with that would take up any extra time I would have. I didn't anticipate a lot of extra time just because Cash would be here with his girlfriend Annie. On Thursday I was a little overwhelmed. My knees hurt from the shoes I had been running in, so I was fitted with shoes that were more appropriate for my feet, but I hadn't yet run in them and I wasn't successfully anticipating a decent run before the race. My house was a disaster and I was 24 hours from someone's first impression of my home. The children were not listening or obeying and again, I was 24 hours from someone's first impression of my family. I had/have lots of Miela G things on my plate and I was beginning to feel in over my head. How is it that this weekend was going to be a good one? My brother reassured me that I always seem to pull it off and that the only expectation he would have is that we would stay up to visit with him and Annie and that we would have ice cream in the freezer so we could make our ritual coffee icecream treats. Big deep breath and...I knew he was right. I was looking very forward to meeting this new girlfriend...the ONE...the object of his affection and the main subject of his every conversation. It would be ok...she would like us and we would enjoy her too...we would have a great time at the game and at the race.
Friday night, Cash and Annie arrived at 10:30. It was later than anticipated and I was a little concerned because I knew we would stay up chatting and I was already tired by 8 pm. Amelia has been working on her molars and sleep isn't something she's done well lately. It would be an early race morning too. (The house was cleaned superbly though thanks to remarkable efforts of most of the inhabitants.) At around 12 am, Jakob came downstairs and solemnly requested my presence upstairs. The eventual result was a 1 am trip to the ER followed by him being admitted for a procedure the next morning. I returned home at 2:30 and Tim stayed with Jakob. The evening's (morning is more accurate) events ultimately resulted in a rearrangement of our Saturday agenda. The idea of running 6 miles in a race that was less than 6 hours away while leaving my children with our newly introduced guest was not an option. The race was out and now, so was the idea of going to the game as a family. It was salt in my wound as I had affirmed my desire to go to the game together after briefly visiting the idea of staying home to get some more sewing done. Family first, so we were all going. After all, I did have a special Husker hat made for Amelia just for the occasion, so we really should show our spirit! aND, now there would be no good run to help continue my training for the half marathon that is only 2 weeks away or conversation time for Cash and I. I was counting on at minimum an hour of time with him. SIGH.
We arranged all the details to allow Tim to come home and shower and then return to Lincoln with the kids minus Jakob and Amelia for the game. Our recent extra tickets were gladly offered to the Brox family. Amelia and I spent the day at the hospital with Jakob. We dressed up in our Husker attire despite the fact that we would have nothing to do with any Husker anything. I took some of my sewing so that I could be productive while I was waiting. That was silly as I didn't exactly have much time that my arms were free. Jakob's surgery went well though, Amelia was a good baby all day and we were still home by 5pm. Julia, Cash and Annie met up with some friends for dinner, so I even had some extra time to work on my project before they would return and then we could sit up and have good conversation with the cold and creamy espresso treat that at this point in the day seemed well deserved. They got back shortly before 9, but were talking about going back out again by 9:15, and then left at 10, so I again took advantage of the extra time to sew some more, have a bowl of ice cream...and blog. :)
My day has been full of disappointments...nothing has gone the way I thought it was going to, and it started as the clock brought this new day in. It is now officially a new day by a minute. "Yesterday" was a good day to practice patience. I pray that I will have more of it every day. I think God was truly with me all day today, because I think I really could have just as easily had a meltdown and asked "What about ME?" Practicing patience is not easy, and I'm sure I've got A LOT of practicing to do before I come close to getting it right. On the bright side...I did get to spend the whole day with my little Husker and be available to comfort Jakob...and I did get SOME sewing done! April 18th: a new day (to practice patience...and the art of expecting!)
