U Can't Touch This...

It is my nephew's birthday today. I don't know exactly how old he is, but I know I can figure it out and get within a year. The number of years since his birth don't really matter as much as the fact that he is still here with us.
A phone ringing in the dead of the night changed our lives in a way we may never fully understand. The caller was my sister, delivering the shocking news that Travis had been rushed to a hospital in Wichita, Kansas after a serious car accident. She had been warned that he was in critical condition in the ICU Burn Unit and that his prognosis was uncertain.
My husband and I sat stunned for several hours debating whether we should wake the kids and tell them their beloved cousin was fighting for his life and no one could predict the outcome. Travis had just spent the night with us and left early in the morning for some other obligation that eventually took him to this tragic event.
Many tears, prayers and trips to Wichita later, Travis was delivered back into our family fold ...whole but not unscarred. He has become our family treasure, because he will bear the visual scars of that night forever, and we will never forget how close we came to losing him.
To meet him, you would never know of the months of rehabilitation he endured, the burn garment he wore for months and months, or the extensive reconstructive surgeries he tolerated, he never talks about the accident. Travis is a survivor in every way. He is one of the most amazing people I know, funny, witty, intelligent and humble! Our family has been blessed to have the opportunity to love Travis and I hope we all pause to remember him as he marks this important anniversary of his birth! Happy Birthday, Travis!

Maundy Thursday'73

This blog site is a gift to three very special people in my life, the event being our 34th wedding anniversary. I wouldn't normally think of myself as the sort of person who would blog, but I have decided to surprise someone very special and at the same time prove to him that I can figure this out on my own. I have enjoyed reading their blogs, for obvious reasons, and in the meantime have learned that I crave this glimpse into their private thoughts. So, here goes!
It all began on Maundy Thursday 34 years ago. I didn't even tell my dear friend and roomie at the time that I was eloping that morning. She was stunned when she came home from class and saw my sister and I preparing to leave for my big day! My sister and her then husband, Gene, stood up with us at a small private ceremony in the chapel of a Methodist church. We did attend counseling class before our wedding, so it wasn't like we didn't plan well, we just didn't have the money or inclination to have a regular church wedding. I have to say, I don't feel like we ever missed out on anything special. I was ecstatic to be marrying this man, and I couldn't wait to make it legal. We ate a special supper at the Elks Lodge afterward, said goodbye to our best man and woman and headed for Grand Island, Nebraska to meet our "teacher buddies" at the horse races.
The first thing my new husband bought me was a great new pair of leather shoes, big chunky heeled things. Yeah, I was barefoot, but not pregnant! He always teases me about buying those shoes for me. We had a wonderful wedding night, thank goodness we'd practiced before hand and the next day headed off for the track. I loved watching the horses, but oddly enough, we didn't return until many years later. On our honeymoon, we won an Exacta, a whopping $50 and we were so excited!
We returned to our newly acquired farm on Easter Sunday. Glen, who was a high school teacher and coach at the time, had Monday off so he chased off the chivariers while I studied for finals.
Four years later we embraced parenthood with all its wonderful, terrifying responsibities and didn't slow down until number three was born in 1981.
Twenty-six years later and all the love, sweat, and tears of parent and family life have brought us to this day. A day when the doorbell rings and an unexpectant mom opens the door to find herself face to face with her daughter, living 40 minutes away but so busy we rarely see her. Seemingly a small surprise that instantly turns to giddy laughter and then tears. For only a parent can feel such joy at a small gesture of love from one of her own, who has grown into a fine adult and friend! Very soon we will all be together to celebrate her graduation from law school. Our sons and their significant others will arrive from Los Angeles and we will fill our tiny house with all the relatives from both sides of our family. Right now it is too wonderful to imagine and we are busy making plans to make it an event to remember.
And there you have it, Maundy Thursday then and now, but so much in-between! Love, Mom