Better than socks...

On Sunday it was announced at church that we are going to start collecting socks to give to homeless people under the Washington Jefferson Bridge here in Eugene. Zane asked me to fill out a prayer request card for him. At his request, I wrote, "Zane wants to pray for the people who will be getting the socks."
We are so proud of him!

My silly son, Cade.

If you know me very well, you know I have a little problem with germs. I am not fond of public bathrooms and it is hard for me to take my boys into them. I try to get them in and out without touching ANYTHING. I set them on the toilet, clean up the necessary "parts" and then have them stand motionless while I wash my hands. Being that they truly haven't touched anything, I don't have them wash their hands...after all the faucet and sink have germs on them, right? (I'm starting to question whether I should be blogging this...) Anyway....Recently, Cade has decided he wants to wash his hands. He will look at me and ask, "Is this dirty?" I respond, "Yes, that is yucky. Don't touch it." Then he looks at me and touches it and says, "Touch! Now my hand dirty." Then he will touch something with his other hand and say, "Now my hand dirty." Or maybe he will just keep it simple and make sure I'm looking when he touches the toilet and then say, "Touch! Me want to wash my hands." This could completely freak me out, but I am choosing to look at is as therapy. I guess I should be paying him for forcing me to relax my germ fears.*
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* I just did a little research on Mysophobia (the fear of germs) and I'm starting to think I'm not so bad. One lady, for example, makes her family change from their "outside clothes" to their "inside clothes" as soon as they walk through the door. She also covers her couches with blankets/sheets before company comes over!

The Eleventh Commandment?

Yesterday, Luke and Cade took a whole lot of cough drops without permission. I talked to Luke about stealing. (A lesson that my mom taught me when I took gumballs from her. It really stuck with...at the time it had never occurred to me that you could steal from your mom!) I asked Luke what God's number eight most important rule is. He said, "Do not litter?" (Another lesson I'm trying to teach...)

Were you drug? I was, thankfully.

My mother-in-law, Loretta, e-mailed this to me.

The Drug Problem in America

The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, ''Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?''

I replied: "I had a drug problem when I was young":

I was drug to church on Sunday morning.

I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.

I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.

I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profane four-letter word.

I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad's fields.

I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood; and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.

~author unknown~

Voting

The boys and I are watching the results of the presidential campaign. I told them that Obama is ahead right now. Zane said, "We have to do something!" I told him that we have done what we can; we voted. Then I suggested that he call my parents to make sure that they have voted. Aunt Joy answered the phone and Zane asked her if she has voted. He then asked, "Did you do it for the one who loves Jesus the most?"

Later Zane said, "Isn't there anything we can do? I had the feeling that Barack Obama might make some really bad rules."

Zane & Wayne

For Halloween we went to see my mom's best friend, Margaret. We went in to her house and got treats. I said hello to her son and his family. We stayed for a few minutes and then started to head out to the next stop. Then I heard Zane, "You forgot to say 'Hi' to someone." Zane was right. I had not said hello to Margaret's husband, Wayne. Wayne suffered a serious head trauma many years ago. He is in a wheelchair and cannot say many words. He wasn't in one of the rooms we had been in, but if I had been paying attention I would have seen him.
I'm very impressed that Zane (age 6) noticed Wayne and reminded me (age 35) to visit with him. Good job, Zane!

Man-up! and memorize...

Last Sunday Cory took Luke with him to Molalla to stay the night at Grandma Marsha's house. I was acting sad about him leaving and he said, "Man-up!"
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Today my mom asked Luke what she should teach her Sunday School kids. He quoted John 14:27:

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."

Mom had all three of the boys come in and quote the scripture to her class. Hopefully, they were encouraged to memorize scripture too.

Halloween 2008

For Halloween we went to our neighbor Mary's house, my Grandpa's memory care unit, and my Grandma's house, along with a few others. Even though the holiday really isn't meant for good, we tried to do our part to at least cheer up a few people. Here are some pictures I took at my Grandpa's.

Halloween 2008

Cade the Train Engineer (sorry the picture is blurry), Luke the Fire Firefighter, and Zane the Cowboy.