This Reminds Me

Archive for August, 2009

After professing her faith to the congregation last week, Julia was baptized today – and we’ve been celebrating!

Dad’s waffles for breakfast, and an angelic James Avery bible bookmark from Sarah and Joe.  We read a bible story or two every night.   Question after a recent recounting of Elisha and angels:  “Are angels naked?”

Her changing stall in the baptismal preparation room.  As instructed, she wore a T-shirt over a bathing suit to church, much to her horror.  “Mom, what if someone sees me?”

Rachel and Lois helped get her ready.  After Julia commented that the culotte-style robe was “weird,” Rachel cautioned, “Julia, don’t say anything when you’re in the water, okay?”  Hannah was out front, waiting on two guests including…..

…..Julia’s wonderful kindergarten teacher, Dawn Deshotel.  My good friend Barbara came, too, but no photo due to operator error.

Dr. Loftis and Julia practiced in the hallway before entering the baptistery.  Note the name tag on the back of Julia’s robe….as if “Catherine’s Papa” would forget her name.

Ready…..set……

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

During Sunday School, I noticed her picture on the New Member board.  So now she’s officially and formally a part of the church family that welcomed her home in 2006.

We ate lunch at Julia’s favorite Asian restaurant, where she could slurp a bowl of egg drop soup.  Keith – with his i-Phone – posted pictures to Facebook during the service, then checked comments at lunch.  Grrrr!!!  He knows how I hate to be scooped!

We missed Julia’s  first birth in 2000, but were very happy to witness her second today.

“…one Lord, one faith, one baptism…” – and one family that says, “Amen!”

First day of school here in San Antonio.  Where did their summer vacation go with those crazy, lazy days of my sleeping until 6 a.m. and eating sandwiches at the pool for dinner?  (sigh)

This year – four kids in four schools.

Hannah – 8th grade, her last in Middle School.  Julia – 3rd grade, she has to take the TAKS test this year (we’re already thinking about it).  Rachel – Freshman at UTSA.  She was there today to buy books; her classes start Wednesday, but her job in the KIN program (after school care) began today.  Lois – Sophomore in high school.

Homework started today, too.  Check out Lois’ pre-calculus pre-AP math assignment. Good thing she doesn’t need any help.   College calculus was the only class that ever made me cry.  I was soooo lost – the term “standard deviation” still makes me shudder.  I came home from UH that night and sobbed to my mom that I’d never understand calculus, I’d have abandon the whole BBA thing and become a ditch digger.

Sarah’s daughter – my great niece Laura – started kinder in Pearland today.  Nothing cuter than the kinders!

Send Sarah some Kleenex, I think she’s out now…..

As I was making breakfast for Hannah and Julia this morning, Keith reminded me – “This is your 14th year of doing this.”  Wow.  I guess it is.  Here’s what I’ve learned:

1.  Have all maintenance items current before that all-important first day.   Laundry, mail, bill pay, errands  – all of it.  Be ready to punt.

2.  Backpacks packed and ready to go the day before.

3.  Fund the lunch accounts online and early.

4.  Mondays are hard.  The first day of school is doubly-hard.  Plan on a good dinner to soothe the re-entry.  Tonight we had tacos with all the fixings.  Why?  Because we all like them.  And let me tell you, our dinner table rocked.

5.  Take a first day of school picture every year.  These were so, so handy when I created a graduation book for Rachel of all her school stuff.

6.  As soon as school is out – get next year’s medication administration forms to your pedi, all filled out and ready for signature.  Then hold them until August, when you deliver them to the school nurses w/the appropriate medications the week before school starts.  If you wait until August to consult your pedi – forget it, he’s on vacation or tied up in physicals.  If you wait until the first week of school to deliver the forms and medications – you may miss the nurse, or your kids may call for the Advil before you get it up there.

7.  Really important:  Have your pen, check book and clear return address labels ready.  Huh?  You don’t know about that?  READ THIS!

We’ve only been back in school one day, and just like Ferris – I’m ready for a day off.  How about you?

Anyone?  Anyone?

Before each of our kids were born, we prayed that one day they would accept Jesus as their personal savior.  We didn’t pray for them to join a church – though I hope they’re always members of one.  We didn’t pray for them to tack “WWJD” posters in their rooms – though if they to scatter those among the anime and Hannah Montana memorabilia- fine.  We didn’t pray for them to slap fish decals on their bumpers, or wear crosses around their necks.  We prayed that they would personally accept Jesus.

With Julia – we couldn’t pray that before she was born.  But we sure began praying it when we became her parents in 2006.

Two weeks ago, Julia prayed for Jesus to come into her life.  We talked about sin (“I sometimes tell you I’ve brushed my teeth and I haven’t”), and showing Jesus to other people (“You shouldn’t say bad words”).   She talked to our children’s minister, and happily began telling friends that she wanted to be baptized.

Today she, Keith and I walked down front at the invitation for her to express her faith in Christ and her desire to be baptized.  She has vague memories of being sprinkled by a Russian Orthodox priest as a five-year-old, but she was passive in that action.  This decision is all hers.

After the service,members of the congregation greeted her as a new sister in Christ….including three sisters that know her very well.

Julia will be baptized next Sunday by Reverend Dowell Loftis, a.k.a…..

….”Catherine’s Papa”….father of our sainted former summer babysitter, Catherine – now at A&M.   Catherine is a wonderful girl, and her all-important summer with Julia in 2006 will always be part of Julia’s adoption story.

Rachel was the first of our girls baptized.  She, too,  reached a salvation decision at age nine.  I struggled with it.  How did I know she really understood?  What if she was just doing this to please Keith and me?   This is the most important decision of her life – is she ready for it?! Finally, I spoke to my good friend Lisa in Houston whose similarly-aged daughter had also expressed her faith.  Lisa told me, “You know, I really had trouble with this.  She’s so young!  How does she really know what she’s doing?  And then I thought – She’s not a crack dealer.  She’s not a murderer.   Billy Graham is not going to preach about her miraculous conversion.  She believes the way a little girl brought up in a Christian home is supposed to believe.  And I have to respect that.”  I chewed on that awhile, and reached the same conclusion Lisa had drawn – My daughter has the faith of a sincere child.

So did Lois.  And then Hannah.  And now Julia.

Maybe I shouldn’t doubt/question/stew so much.  After all…..

“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Thanks, Dorothy, for alerting me to Target’s 75% off red dot Dollar Spot this a.m.  Hannah and hoofed it over there and snagged $43 worth of note pads, swim rings, squeak toys, socks, calculators, hair froo-froo, etc. for this year’s Samaritan Purse (Operation Christmas Child) boxes. This is only our second big snatch from Target this year; somehow, we’ve not hit the sales at the right time.

172 items for $43….The receipt was so long, the machine froze.  Hannah and I helped move the groceries of the lady (unfortunately positioned) behind us to another register.  But – what the heck – it gave me time to explain Operation Christmas Child to the lady, the checker and two supervisors.

In about a month, school supplies will go really cheap, and we’ll be haunting Target and Wal-Mart, hoping to scoop up index cards, pens, pencils and I really, really hope pencil sharpeners.  As my friend Lisa pointed out a decade ago, “It doesn’t do any good to send pencils if they don’t have sharpeners.”  (That same friend Lisa sent me dozens of boxes of crayons last month that are now piled up in our game room, awaiting packing right after Halloween.)  Shelley’s already sent folding mesh bags.  Paula passed me a bag of Happy Meal toys last week – really appreciated, because here – only Julia eats Happy Meals any longer, and I know we are going to be really short on toys.

This world is a black hold of need.  There is no end of “good works” to do.   In a couple of months, our mailboxes will be stuffed with heart-felt appeals.  But really – if you want to do something fun and meaningful for Christmas, consider filling a shoe box for a needy child.   It doesn’t have to cost a fortune – especially if you shop now.

This picture is still on our fridge, next to the Kohl’s coupons and on top of the Birthday party invitations:

When I see it, I think, “This Reminds Me.”