Tuesday's Internet Edition, September 30, 2008.
By Betsy Monico
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| FAIRFIELD ESSAY WINNERS age 13 and under are, front l-r, Keil Meredith, first place; Callie Cherry, second place; and Katiliyn McDonald, third place. Also pictured are sponsors, back l-r, Bryan Gawryszewski, principal; Barney Crouch, SWCD; Kevin Moller, Bank of Fairfield; and John Stone, NRCS. |
The first record I broke this week is… Number of times to get up at Sam’s Restaurant and take children to the bathroom - three during an hour meal. I began to wonder why I even ordered a cheeseburger and onion rings. My meal seemed to be destined the minute it came to my table that it would end up in a “to go” box for enjoyment later at home. For those of you with several small children who seem to follow the “monkey see monkey do” rule, you feel my pain. I also think there is an unspoken rule that children want their Moms to take them into public restrooms, and not Dads. Dads are for the fun stuff like choosing banana pudding or chocolate pie, but usually not potty duty. I realized when all five of us stood up to go to the bathroom for the last time that I had to choose to laugh at it!
In 15 years when my children are all gone and I go out to eat with only Branden, I will not know how to act without the constant activity! Even if it is a lot of work now, I have to remind myself that to my four children, I am the official record holder for many things that we do. I take the prize for things like applying a Band-Aid just right on a scrape, reading bedtime stories, balancing two or three of them in my lap, and making tents out of blankets on dreary days! Never underestimate the power of motherhood.
Record number two is one that surprised many of my friends because it is definitely a first! I did not leave my house for 4 days. I came down with a viral bug that kept me here resting. My husband just so happened to have the same aches and pains, so we literally camped out for the entire weekend, plus the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday from school. I know I did not feel too swell because I did not even get that bored or antsy to leave the house. I was content for a change in just being home and doing nothing. We talked about contentment in my Sunday school class recently. The verse used was Philippians 4: 11. It says, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Contentment, whether it be staying home and caring for a sick family or yourself being ill, looking at the “not so new” wardrobe in your closet, or knowing that the old truck you have will have to do for now, is huge. There is a sign that hangs in one of my rooms here that says, “The blessing of this house is contentment.”
The third record would be for the number of healthy Barlean’s Greens drinks I have consumed recently. After seeking the advice of local health guru, Karen Albright, about getting my immune system back on track and strengthening my body in general, I have nearly turned “green.” There are very few good things in life this day and age that are going to come to us if we are not intentional. I am trying to be more intentional about my nutritional needs and including these green drinks and Juice Plus in my diet. It can be a bit overwhelming at times because every magazine or talk show tells us what they have discovered can be linked to cancer and other health problems. I read a book back when this all began that made me feel like the only way I would beat cancer would be to live in a bubble and we all know that is just not possible! I try to keep a good balance and just make sure that I am putting more good into my body on a daily basis than bad.
I head off in the morning at 8:00 for a pet scan after a month long vacation from the Sammons Cancer Center. I am scheduled at 9:30 to drink my white drink, get an IV with the dye, and lay still for an hour or so before they shoot me through the scanner. This will be my fourth time to have the procedure done, so I know the routine. I can even nearly predict how I will feel emotionally. When I walk in the revolving doors and see the sick people, I will feel thankful! I will nearly cry tears of joy when I see the number three on the elevator, knowing that I do not have to go to the third floor for chemotherapy. and then feel the after effects for days. I may go and see my sweet radiation nurses for fun, but I will also praise God as I enter the automatic doors there that there are no shots or treatments today for me. I always notice the younger patients, thinking of their children at home and how they will feel at the end of the day with dinner to make and homework to help with on top of cancer. I see the elderly patients and make note of who is with them helping them make their way through the big building. I remember a man I saw one day wearing Wranglers and a nice, starched shirt who was so gentle and kind to his Mom. She had to stop and take a break as they walked to the elevator and he held her Kleenex. His patience was amazing. Oh, believe you me, I take it all in as I walk in and then I try and leave it all there, if that is at all possible, as I walk out.
When my scan starts, I will probably cry as I lay there still and quiet, laugh at the cute things my children have done lately and pray for others that I know who are fighting cancer! Oh, how I used to take life for granted and now I see life as it should be, a gift. Waking up and being a Mom for another day is a gift. Watching my husband’s truck pull down the driveway another afternoon from work is a gift. I identify with the Kenny Chesney song “Don’t Blink.” We need not blink, but keep our eyes wide open and enjoy life!
I have to wait until next Friday to find out my results. That seems a bit cruel, a whole week and a half. I again know what to expect with the wait. I will learn more about myself and this journey as I wait. I learned a new verse this week that I am focusing on. It is 1 John 3:1. It says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” I may not have broken any world records and I have no claims to fame as we speak, but I am a child of God. That is my claim to fame and I like it! I need it. We all do.