This are my glasses, this is my book...

3:45 am. . . Really? My daughter, the girl twin, started proclaiming that she had already done her business in her diaper and, in the process or insisting that her diaper got changed, woke up her brother. And so began my morning.

With a high in the lower teens, a snow storm in the forecast, and not so friendly road conditions, I had been hoping for just a tad bit more sleep. Was hoping to wake up some time AFTER 4 or 4:30 am, not before. Too bad.

The drive to the girls' school took nearly double the time this morning. The twins were super tired on the drive. No doubt. They woke up so early. I was asked, no, told, to sing a number of songs, including: "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," a tiger song, the ABC song, "These are my glasses," and a host of other songs, which is oftentimes the case when my daughter is tired and on the verge of falling asleep. But, I was so tired, too. I love to sing and music plays an important role in my life, but singing while trying to avoid possible collisions in tumultuous driving conditions can be challenging.

Anyways, mid-afternoon, I was exchanging some of the children's clothes at a store, with all the children and a friend waiting in the car. Since the weather was bitter cold, I left the engine partially on. What I hadn't realized was that I didn't turn my headlights off. When I returned to the car and attempted to start the engine, the battery was dead. I didn't have time for this, I had all the children in the car, and temperatures were dropping outside! What happened next was such a huge blessing. The lady parked in front of me was just getting into her car with her daughter and was preparing to leave, when I found out my car would not start. I quickly asked her if she'd mind offering me a jump. I told her I had jumper cables in my car. A worker at the shopping center asked if we needed assistance. When helping, the guy told us to always connect the positive (red) to the dead battery first. Good to know. I have used jumper cables in the past, but I didn't recall that the red was supposed to be connected to the dead battery first, before the good battery. While we were hooking up the cars' batteries, the gal whose car we were using to jump my car battery said she used to own a car much like mine and she had battery trouble all the time. Wow, that wasn't news I was expecting.

That I was able to get assistance with starting my car was such a blessing amidst such bitter cold weather today. I don't believe in random coincidences where fortune just happens to befall me; I seem to be bent towards disaster, if anything. That the person parked in front of me, happened to be at the right place at the right time and was willing to help, brought warmth to my heart on a very cold day. For that, I am truly thankful.

Being thankful

This season, next year, and the time looking forward, I desire to spend more time being thankful. Thankful for everyone in my life and thankful for everything I have. I am not one of those persons who are sugary sweet and happy-go-lucky, all the time. Awhile ago, a process that would change my life as I knew it - sometimes making me seriously doubt the trustworthiness of men, my ability to get along with others on a more intimate level, question the safety of the world - at times distracted me from thinking more on the the blessings I have in my life. I do not want to mark my life as one that has blackened and darkened my view of things or life in general. Rather, I want to think of what has happened to me as an opportunity for me to grow, be more flexible, define what I prioritize as truly important (and worth defending), dismiss as unimportant or not worth fretting about, identify with others in pain. And, I want to spend more effort and energy being thankful for people who have a positive influence in my life and things that positively impact me.

Tonight, I want to mention two for whom I am thankful.

First, I am thankful for my brood. I shall tell a bit about each one of them. My first born, who is only seven years old, is easily distracted and loves to joke, yet she is a natural leader. When I am not home, which is very infrequent, she inquires after me, shows concern on my behalf, and attempts to maintain order amongst her siblings. She finished learning Book 1 of Suzuki, on the violin, in about a year and is continuing on with Book 2. She's great in music, mathematics, and composition. My second born is a bit of a fire-cracker. Some would use the term 'spirited' or 'strong-willed' in reference to her. She's a bundle of energy who desires things a certain way (her way), in her own time (not sooner and not later). She would like to think she is the rule of the roost. She has a rather sharp mind that gave her the ability to figure out how to do simple puzzles at the age of 2 1/2, without any assistance from a person or from a picture of the puzzle. The third born is 11 minutes older than the youngest one in the family, and she takes charge as well as fends for her twin brother. Though she just turned 26 months old, she not only speaks in complete sentences, but she is able to articulate her emotions with words and describe others' feelings as well. With practice and repetition, she has learned to put 24 piece puzzles together on her own. The only boy in the family is the youngest in the brood. Of the four, he is the one who continually seeks my proximity, closeness with me, and my affection. He likes to nuzzle, hug, nudge, and run into me. For the most part, he seems to be especially interested in whatever his (twin) sister is doing, whether books, toys, or the like. In his own right, he loves to listen to music, look at books, run to and fro. I am thankful for each child in my brood and what makes that person, that person.

Second, I am thankful for my friends. Just this afternoon and evening, I had three friends drop by for a visit. My friends span all different walks of life, and I have known them for varying amounts of time. Yet, I feel quite close to a number of them. They speak to me with ease, and they, in turn, are interested in my life and well-being. Love, concern, and warmth are definitely present.

A friend's birthday and thankful for friends

Late morning and this afternoon, I spent time celebrating a friend's birthday. She wanted to do something in addition to having lunch together. Due to an appointment that ran late in the morning, we weren't able to do much, in addition to lunch. I am glad I got to spend time with my good friend on her birthday.

Today, I am super thankful for the relationships I have had, through friends and family, throughout the years. I have had friendships that have lasted certain seasons of life and I have had friendships that have stood the test of time, moves, and life changes. In either case, I have enjoyed building and deepening relationships and walking through life with these wonderful people.

Celiac & Gluten-Sensivities, Myth or Gut-Wrenching Reality?

 

 Thank you so much, GlutenDude for this chart.

Celiac Disease and gluten-sensitivities have stirred enough commotion to have the public buzzing about it, ranging from: sit-coms poking fun of those with Celiac as being too different to be acceptable, too picky, too high-maintenance, too inflexible; to some news broadcast companies interviewing high-profile individuals who have suffered at the hands of Celiac Disease and including informative details regarding Celiac Disease and related information.

So, symptoms of sensitivities or allergies to gluten are not obvious like other allergies. A stranger or acquaintance may not see the sufferer sneezing one's head off, swelling eyes, or developing huge itchy hives. Instead, the symptoms are more unpredictable (varying from individual to individual), unnoticeable to the naked eye; likely to cause long-term damage; negative results or impact are not always immediate.

The long-term consequences include one or more of the following: destroying the lining of the small intestine, making the body's absorption of nutrients difficult, creating mind-exploding headaches or migraines, rendering a person incapable of thinking clearly, causing long-term auto-immune problems (where an individual gets sick often and may end up needing antibiotics more often than the usual person), resulting in enamel and other long-term dental damage, causing a brain fog, disrupting sleep, causing diarrhea, belly aches, and severe cramping, and as daunting as it may be, the symptoms stretch above and beyond the scope of what I can discuss here.

Will Celiac kill someone? Not right away. It's a slow and very painful, debilitating, and destructive process. Would a person rather die a slow and painful death (as one could argue occurs with a person with Celiac) or would a person prefer to die a quick, less painful death. I would venture to guess that those who have experienced the decay and destruction of one's body as a result of cancer that such a slow death is no cake. Why must we treat one with Celiac any differently?

If this is a month where we focus on giving thanks and adopt an attitude of gratitude, for those of us who do not have Celiac or sensitivities to gluten, how about if we be thankful for not having such a body-destroying problem; and, raise up those who have it with praises and support. For those of us who have it, we can support each other through this particular journey we have been given.

Life is too short to be mean and cruel towards each other or poke fun at people who are different. Call me crazy, but loving others and supporting one another is much more fulfilling and life-giving.

Today, I am thankful for everyone, as unique and special individuals

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Thankful for my 25 month old twins

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A huge theme this month is thankfulness and gratitude. I really need to keep that in mind today, as I am worn out, discouraged, utterly exhausted, very sleepy.

The twins turned two years old at the beginning of last month. But, the twins, especially the girl twin, started asserting her autonomy with determination sooner than later. It takes so much longer to get out the door these days, building in an extra 20-30 minutes into an already lengthy preparation process when four small children are involved. A typical day in my life is super hectic, and too many crazy busy days can wear me down. But, I do not think that has had me in tears. I suppose this past Friday might have been the straw that broke the camel's back. After picking up the girls from school and dropping by Whole Foods with all four, I got the twins on their potties and gave them their last table food meal, while I helped my eldest (7 yrs old) practice violin and listened to my second eldest share talk. I had decided earlier in the day I would give the children baths. The twins had both peed in their potties. While rushing to get things and people ready for bathing, the twins both pooped on the floor. Good thing baths were in my plan - I had to clean poop off the floor, wash the bath mat, clean poop of Christian's knees.

I am exhausted, and I am not certain of the particular reason(s). Perhaps having jam-packed days takes its toll on me. Maybe the impending drastic change in weather has something to do with it. The time change?

***

What I really want to focus on at this moment is: I am so thankful for these 25 month old twins of mine, tantrums and over-the-top autonomy assertions and all. I was blessed with an uneventful, uncomplicated twin pregnancy. I carried the twins to the full-term of 38 1/2 weeks. I had very good births and deliveries with the twins, where everything I could ask for was bestowed upon me: I was able to have both twins vaginally and naturally (without drugs), without complications, my doula was able to be present. I was able to nurse the twins and am still nursing them. The twins or any children beyond my first two children were not planned. News of my pregnancy came at a difficult time in my life and marriage, during which I asked my husband to leave our home for serious issues that impacted safety.

But, given the smoothness of the (twin) pregnancy, the wonderful support around us, the prayers made on our behalf, the wonders of the twins' deliveries, the ease in raising the twins in the first two years, I am very, very thankful.