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StatCounter Props
Looks Like a Tornado Been All Up in Here!
Cooper talks/yells to himself for about an hour after we put him down to bed at 7:30. During this session, he tends to recite the entire list of words and names he’s learned over the past twenty-one months, with a preference for the most recent linguistic achievements. The routine starts with his soft voice, escalates slowly to a yell, and then ends rather abruptly in silence after he’s worn himself out.
This exercise in speech is amusing by itself, but what makes this even funnier is what I find when I check on him before going to bed at about 10:30. Often, I find his stuffed animals and an occasional blanket strewn about the room in various locations. If it’s been an extra fun night, he’s managed to knock something off of the nightstand that used to be out of his reach from the crib. Clearly, it was party time, and the adults were snubbed. As I wonder what went through his mind as he was throwing his toys about and vocalizing, I can’t help but smile and think to myself, “Damn, Cooper. Looks like a tornado been all up in here!”
A Young Life
Today, I attended a memorial service for two of our friends who lost their son a few days ago, just twenty-two weeks into their pregnancy. I wept for them in the days before the service, I wept for them today, and I will cry for them in the days to come. They are two beautiful people who wanted very much to be parents, and their excitement and joy was apparent in every interaction I had with them.
Nature sometimes reminds us in dramatic and seemingly callous ways that it is not a perfect machine. For this couple, that reminder first came nine months ago, when their first pregnancy ended at twenty-one weeks. I didn’t know them at that time, but knowing what I do know of them now, I know that it was their faith, love, optimism, and refusal to be deterred by the past gave them the courage to make this journey again. Nature simply wouldn’t allow it, though.
It’s irrational to be angry at nature, a system that sometimes seems to operate in a very cruel manner. Though probably not any more rational, I choose to focus my anger on an entity which does not exist for me, but is very real for others. I’m angry at the God to which my friends pray and devote themselves. This God performed an abortion which, in the eyes of His devotees, is murder. Not only did their God do this once, he did it twice in the span of a year. Those who vehemently oppose abortion in the name of God should be appalled at that same God for practicing that which they work so hard to abolish. Their God left them pain, suffering, and unanswered questions. It is the same God that I long ago abandoned because of senseless, cruel acts that He allowed to happen without offering explanations.
I am comforted by the hope that for a few brief moments, my friends enjoyed the love that parents feel the first time they hold their child when it enters the world. I want to believe that for the few brief moments that this child experienced our strange world, he brought joy and love that only a parent can experience when they first meet their baby. My heart is heavy for them now, but it is hopeful that they will take their rightful and deserved place as parents someday soon. I will be there with them in celebration when that day comes.
Breaker, Niner. Need an Electrician. Over.
Today, I tried to do what seemed a simple task: change out a light switch. The objective was to install a timer in place of the light switch that controls the light that illuminates our front walkway. The second switch at that panel controls the indoor light at the entrance and was to remain unaffected. I was careful to follow the instructions and turn off the breaker before beginning. Everything went relatively smoothly, and I was feeling confident with the results. The inner light turned on and off perfectly, so it appeared I hadn’t screwed up anything. That illusion was short-lived, however, when I tried to turn on the rest of the lights and appliances on that circuit. Not a thing worked. Disappointed, I restored everything back to its original state, hoping that would fix the situation. Naturally, it did not. Why would it?
Later, Kandis discovered that outside porch light was on and flipping the switch had no effect on its state. Insert laughter here. We now have an outdoor light that’s always on.
Here’s the kicker: that very same switch that appears to do nothing, has apparently become a breaker. When it’s flipped on, everything on that circuit works as it should. We made that discovery this evening when I was flipped the light switch on and off to see if anything had changed, and Kandis noted that the bedroom light came on. I’m either that bad, or that good.
