This week was hard y'all. Eric's birthday this year threw me for a little bit of an emotional loop. Why so hard? Why this year? It’s been 7 years. I looked back on a post from June 2014: CLICK HERE where I described it as a fog of grief. That's what it felt like this week. He would've been 55. Sure do miss him. And in the middle of this mostly-shelter-in-place-but-sneaking-out-with-friends-to-go-on-walks pandemic, I feel quite lonely. Yesterday, just as I arrived to meet a friend for a walk, I looked around surreptitiously and whispered, "Can I have a hug???" She enthusiastically obliged and we both nearly cried. Everything has changed....
The boys have been mostly home for the last 3 months. Since early May we have allowed play time with a couple of friends - - like when my friend's husband came over to install our new range. How do you stay at home when you cannot cook? So while he and I worked in the kitchen, the boys all hung out and that was nice. Are you venturing out yet? As of Thursday, our school year is complete and we need some time outside with friends!
But barber shops and hair salons are still not open here. Last week I attempted to cut Cole's hair with the clippers. Comical, at best! Their father was an awesome barber. I am not. Hence, the baseball cap. Actually, it's not too bad. Just that one spot over the left ear (yikes!) where I cut a liiiiiiitle too close. I also trimmed Keaton's over the ears and out of his eyes with scissors. Desperate times.
One fun thing is Cole and I have been jogging several times in the last few weeks. It's a great time to just be one-on-one with him. Never knew that boy had so much to say! We enjoy the flowers and animals we see along the way. Talk about life. Deep stuff. Silly stuff. All while getting some exercise. Started using an app on my phone called None-to-Run (N2R). I think it's going well. We both feel really good when we run.
I guess the big excitement this week was taking the boys to the dentist. After we arrived and called in, a hygienist met us at the car, asked all the COVID questions and took all 3 of our temperatures. Then the boys donned their masks to walk from the car to the office. I sat in the car, read a book, and waited until they came out the back door, again, wearing masks from the office to the car. (Thankfully we had some masks left over from our last mission trip to Mexico.)
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| Keaton (L), hygienist (C), Cole (R) |
Aren't masks interesting? To wear or not to wear, that is the question. It's a hot topic. A divisive topic. But as one friend and I were talking today (we are both in the mostly-non-mask wearing camp) if it makes others feel uncomfortable that we are not wearing a mask, we keep one in our car just in case it's needed. While it is not the law, only a guideline, I don't want to cause trouble and demand my right not to wear one. Thing is, I am not convinced any type of mask is going to solve this. And it really bothers me that it is causing people to be unkind to one another. Plus I don't really like that you can't see facial expressions. I read somewhere that body language is 55% of communication, 38% is tone of voice, 7% is the actual words. If you can't see someone or hear their voice properly behind a mask, seems like everyone's hackles are up. I think this whole situation is bringing me to a place where I want to share the hope I have in an eternity where masks don't matter. If you provide those opportunities, Lord, let me be bold in them and share your Name.
I was re-reading a passage from Listen, Love, Repeat by Karen Ehman that I feel like is worth repeating here:
"I was once told that there are two types of people in the world: those who enter a room full of people and narcissistically announce, 'Here I am!' and those who walk into a room, seek out someone, and lovingly declare, 'There you are!' I want to be the second type of person. I want to make sure that life is about others and not just myself. And someday, when I am long gone, I hope those who knew me will remember me as someone who sought others out to encourage them, rather than sought only to make myself known."
So I started out talking about Eric. He was a guy who encouraged others. He encouraged me. He used opportunities at his barber shop, right where he was every day, to speak life to others. I want to be like that. People need encouragement, especially these days.
John 13:34-34 (MSG) "Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples--when they see the love you have for each other."
