Ayudame

To preface this post, I need to explain that a long long time ago when we lived in Texas....we had a pool. The kids were always wanting to play like they were drowning and in need of rescuing. They would yell, "help!". Since this is obviously not a good game (one should never cry "wolf" or "help" in this instance), I told them that "help!" would be reserved for emergencies only. If they were playing, they could say "ayudame" which is help in Spanish.

So, a couple of days ago, Dara and I were working on a play that she has been typing. When we heard several, "ahhhhs". It only happened a few times and was relatively quiet - easy to ignore. Then we heard from Dade's room a soft, "ayuuudameee". We couldn't not go check out what was going on.

This is what we saw...
Dade had made a jail at the head of his bed and wanted out. This boy keeps me laughing.

Thank you so much!

When we returned to Uganda last fall, a Sunday School class from our church sent money for a play area to be built at our local guesthouse. When we go to Kampala, the capitol of Uganda, we stay at Matoke Inn. Our kids are almost too comfortable there as evidenced by Dade kicking off his shoes at the front door (leaving them in everyone else's path) and him getting ketchup when needed from their refrigerator - past the sign that says "staff only".

While we were home, we shared with some how the only thing lacking there was a play area for the kids. A ladies Sunday School class got together and pitched in money to make this happen.

While we were in Kampala earlier this month, I took pictures of the kids playing on the equipment. If you could have seen how hot and sweaty they were, you would have even more proof of how much time they spent enjoying what may seem to be simple playground equipment.

Here's some pictures to prove it...

The kids worked for quite some time to try and get the see-saw even. Dara had to shift back and forth quite a bit to obtain this balance, but it may give you some idea of how Dade's grown this past year. The "merry-go-round" is 100% metal so would never be approved in American playgrounds. Can you imagine if the kids were 4 or 5 years old? Their heads would be just the right height to be knocked into easily. It's scary! But life can be scary some times. Thankfully other parents understand that this is what is available, and they supervise their kids accordingly. Dara's almost too big for the seat! Dade wanted to have a picture to show how fast they were going...The swing set is small but sturdy. All of the equipment is cemented into the ground and there's no tipping going on. Dara looks like a giant...but nothing stops them from having a blast!

Thank you, ladies, for giving so generously. It is very much appreciated!

The Cat Came Back!!!

I sit here almost not believing that she really is back, but she is - her very loud meowing is proof.

Just a few minutes ago, Ruth was getting ready to sweep and says that she, "felt in my heart to take the compost first". When she went down to the garden to dump the bucket of compost, there was Molly. I was sitting here at the computer and heard Dara yell "MOLLY!". About 2 seconds later, I hear Ruth yelling, "MOLLY!!". Ruth ran into the house carrying our precious orange cat.

She's a bit thin, and I think I'll need to de-worm her. But she's back and that's all that matters. Thank You, Lord, for loving Dara so much!

Holding Loosely

Every now and again we are reminded there are many things in life we must "hold loosely". Some people are born craving stability; some love adventure and change; some easily "go with the flow".

Dara is the type of person who does not enjoy change. When she was a toddler, I used to meet Joel's mom in parking lots when it was time to pick up Dara after work. It was an easier transition for her to go from car to car vs. Gigi's home to Mommy's car. Over the past 2 years; Dara has been given many opportunities to learn that there are some things we must hold loosely. This lesson is very valuable, but often difficult to accept.
Lately she has been provided 2 opportunities for growth. About 4 weeks ago she was going to feed the rabbits when she ran back in (after just leaving) to say that Snowball was dead. I looked at her in disbelief - girls are often dramatic and there's no way she could have been close enough to the kennel to see the rabbits. She begged me to come see. Sure enough, near the back of the house lay her dead white rabbit.

For a day or two, Dara hated the dogs (who either scared the poor rabbit to death and then played with it, or played with it to death). She eventually forgave them. Jane, the student who gave the rabbits to us originally, found her a new one. Dara was happy to have another one, but she told me this past week that she won't allow herself to love it. I understand. She tries to protect her heart - it's a natural response.

This past Thursday night while we were in Kampala, Ruth called to say she wasn't able to find Molly (the orange cat who loved only Dara). We didn't tell the kids until Friday morning after Molly didn't return. Dara was heartbroken and upset. We came back on Saturday. Molly still hasn't returned, and Dara dreads sleeping without her. Last night Joel and I thought we heard her. We spent a good amount of time looking all around the compound, but she's not here. Dara loved Molly so much.
These are hard lessons to learn, especially for a girl who loves animals as much as she does. We've spent some time talking about how we hold things. Some things we can count on forever - God's love, our love for her, etc. But there are so very many things we can't hold tightly. Animals die, people die, people move, we move, things get broken...the future is unpredictable. There's so much to life we cannot control.

In spite of it all, we are blessed. So many people have nothing to hold onto tightly. Thankfully, we do. We have a heavenly Father who loves us and will never leave us - no matter what (even if it's hard to see at times).

Dade!!!

8 years ago today, I was marveling at the precious baby boy with whom God blessed us. Today, I continue to be amazed that God chose us to be Dade's parents - what a tremendous blessing. Since the beginning, he has had my heart like only a son can (not to take away from how Dara holds a part of my heart as well).
I sometimes worry about his safety. He is a boy and therefore doesn't always make the wisest decisions. This past Thursday we had playgroup at Linda's house. She has a rope that hangs from a tree that is precarious at best. I told him that if he could get the rope, he could swing on it. Seeing how he wasn't even close to reaching it, I thought this was a good and safe solution. Oh, but he found a way!He wasn't alone. The other kids joined him (the tree is on a slope and so you swing back towards the tree to land - just in case you wondered). I even did it twice (only because it made him so very happy).

He is the most energetic, creative, and endearing boy I've ever been around. I know I'm biased - I should be. He is a fort-builder most days and recently commented, "If Adam and Eve had never sinned and no one else had, then there wouldn't be any war. If there was no war, would there still be forts?" It's an interesting question and we agreed that even though we don't like war, we're thankful for forts and being able to make our own is fun.

I'm sure he's like other little boys his age, and I could share a number of stories to prove it. But he's about to start building a tank with the new toy he bought today, and since he's growing up so fast; I think I shouldn't miss this.