It’s been a teary weekend for me… Last night I watched In America, knowing full well I could end up with salty cheeks by the time it was over. I managed to contain the sobs I felt like releasing and only used one tissue — not too bad! (Sidenote: I really liked the movie… Definitely worth seeing.) This morning Tobey preached at Zion. Besides doing a heck of a good job for the second week in a row, he shared some memories related to the tragic death of his sixteen month old niece. As he began this particular illustration I braced myself against empathetically tearing up and yet, when he uttered the words “Daddy, I’m home” as a metaphor to his niece’s entry into heaven, I lost it. As did all the women around me, and a few men, I’m certain. Though I managed to keep the weepy eyes to a minimum, my nose betrayed me and a tissue-dig in the purse was inevitable. Finally, I picked up a book at the library this afternoon entitled, Child of My Heart: A Celebration of Adoption, by Barbara Alpert (Berkley Books). Two pages in and I was racked with intense emotion over the reunion of a birthfather and his biological daughter. I’d share the sweet story here but my keyboard would be positively sticky by the time I was finished. Instead I’ll relay this wonderful passage written by Jamie Lee Curtis, adoptive mom to two children, Annie and Tom:
“I like myself more now that I’m a mother. Annie brings out all my good. And all my weirdness. I can be this nutty wacko mommy for her. You know those markers, the ones you use to highlight sentences? Well, Annie’s my highlighter. She emphasizes the best in me. It just stands out when I’m with her…”
“I don’t care how my family was created. I can tell you what I feel for my children. I love them more than anything in the world I could ever love.”
Wait…
“Wait for Mommy before you cross the road!”
W-ait…
“Can you wait for dinner? One hour more.”
W-a-it…
“Only four more months ’til Christmas!”
W-a-i-t…
“Nope, don’t open that present yet. TOMORROW’s your birthday.”
W-A-I-T-I-N-G can be excruciating as a kid. Waiting can be excruciating as an adult. What’s the toughest thing you’ve had to wait for? Or… What is the best thing you’ve waited for?
She wakes up, lines creasing her forehead, the frown has already been firmly established in her sleep. The day is dark, though the sun is shining brightly, and she pulls the covers up in a vain attempt to block out the impending hours. The unknown, the unexpected, the anticipation of it all overwhelms. She lays back among wrinkled pillows, dreading the day.
…
She wakes up and squints at the sunlight pouring through eastern windows. A Tuesday that feels like a Monday — a fresh start to a new week, a new beginning to rival all beginnings treads on her mind without any heaviness. The adventure, the challenge, the joy of unknown measure awakens a heart bright with eagerness and she throws off the sheets and abandons the myriad of pillows in order to explore the new day.
Every once in awhile you see something that takes you aback and you think, Hmmm… That’s interesting… Seen today on “O” and 16th at 10:30am: A little old man sitting alone at an outdoor cafe table, dressed in a red-checkered suit, wearing an ENORMOUS plush Uncle Sam hat.
Huh. Interesting.
Many things are changing in the Tredway household…
One involves a beautiful blog update, and the other (dare I say it?) potentially involves a teeny pink bundle of joy with ten little fingers and ten little toes… [To Be Continued…]
Lauritzen Gardens is the perfect location for a wedding reception.
In St. Louis, Jeremy and I lived across the street from the Missouri Botanical Garden, one of the most beautiful places on earth (or at least the midwest!). When we signed a lease for 4344 Shaw Boulevard we had no clue what sat beyond the wrought iron fences at 4345 Shaw. And such is the way sometimes with God’s plan for our lives… Right beyond the fence lays a beautiful, refreshing oasis that we totally don’t deserve. All sermon illustrations aside, I still miss meandering through the Japanese gardens, winding my way back home via the Henry Moore sculpture and woodland gardens, and enjoying the rotating art exhibits and outdoor summer concerts.
But this weekend, the newly wed Mr. & Mrs. Adam & Kristin Lawton introduced us to the botanical gardens in Omaha, just a stone’s throw away from the Missouri River. Not only are the gardens absolutely amazing, Adam and Kris looked fabulous as well. The reception was intimate and lovely and fun and delicious — and we all had a great time. Now I’ve just got to squeeze another trip to Omaha into the Tredway calendar so we can explore this newfound treat.
I adore Fruit Loops with a passion that is kind of concerning. This adoration began in my childhood (I was the sweet tooth in the family) and has shamefully continued into adulthood. I was far from spoiled by the Loops as my parents NEVER purchased sweet cereals when I was a kid. It was during my one year at Covenant College when I realized, Hmmm… I could eat Fruit Loops for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I want to! So when the hot food options in the cafeteria looked undesirable, to the cereal dispensers I flew. Now that I own my own home and answer to no man (just kidding, Jeremy!), I occasionally indulge in box or two of the rainbow-colored multi-grained o’s. [Funny story: Last Friday night I went through the checkout lane at SunMart and the cashier, just being friendly or flirty — I don’t know which, asked if I was going out partying that night. I glanced at my purchases, a half gallon of milk and a box of Fruit Loops and said, “Oh yeah. It’s a big night for me.”] One word of warning… The Loops must not be eaten for breakfast, afternoon snack, bedtime snack and again for breakfast the next day. There is definitely such thing as Fruit Loop Overload.
Other cereal-lovers might find this article interesting. I can say with great certainty that I’d eat at Cereality (oh Renae, I can sense you groaning right now!) while traveling, though probably not while in Lincoln.
First off, I want to post a few photos of my childhood friend Kara and her delightful baby Madeline. Kara (as in “automobile-a”, a memorable way it was described to me years ago) was a close friend of mine in Klamath Falls, Oregon, during my last years of elementary school. My memories of our times together are characterized by adventure, laughter and silliness… I hadn’t seen Kara in over 10 years, so it was really fun to see her last week. Somehow we’ve both made it to adulthood and have married successfully. And now Kara’s the proud mama of a beautiful 8 week old baby. Very very cool.
I haven’t been posting much recently, though there is certainly much to write about. This week life seems to be a whirlwind of activity that, try as I may to pin down and make sense of, confuses and evades me. Being an ESFJ, I’m a natural scheduler. This makes me the perfect person to put together the weekly bulletin for Zion — I like to record dates and activities, to post information in a tangible fashion so folks can duly order their lives. And yet I’m feeling quite unordered, unscripted, unscheduled and, well, swirly. This swirling, ever-changing life… It’s leaving me a little breathless.
We’ve been enjoying wonderful rainshowers the past few nights here in Lincoln. Sunday evening was spent on the porch of The Grand with Charity, sipping a Mike’s and enjoying the thunder and lightening show. Last night the rain was a constant drip and today the world looks eerily green. Considering we planted our garden last Saturday, I’m really grateful for the showers and can’t wait for the sun to shine in full force. Our produce should be something this year… Roma, grape and brandywine tomatoes, cucumbers, four pepper plants and two zucchini mounds — yum! Last year I grew a few sunflowers from seed and ended up with one enormous plant (the others were rabbit food, I do believe). Hopefully the seeds are still good this year and we have beautiful sunflowers in the garden again.
The days are moving along fairly well as far as my arthritis goes. I’ve quickly learned that I can’t do too much, or I’ll pay for it the next day. Unfortunately, “too much” is a relative term and sometimes going to work + doing a load of dishes = too much. But I praise the Lord for each day I wake up feeling good and each night I lay down without pain. For all of you who are praying for me, my hope and prayer is that my meds kick my immune system into gear so that this whole arthritis bit goes into remission for awhile (or forever). Thanks for your love and support — I’ve really appreciated everyone’s concern.
Finally, in this day of extreme makeovers and botox parties, enjoy this article for a good chuckle this morning…