2022 :: week 23

June 5

Sunday evening we had local family members over for a simple dinner. We had cold cuts and fruit and lil' smokies in barbeque sauce. Everyone came, but not all at once. It felt weird to gather without Mom. Obviously we have gathered without her before, but we always knew when we would be seeing her again. Now we can see her, but don't know when or if we will ever get to talk and interact with her the same way again. It feels a lot like when my parents dropped me off at college. When I said goodbye to them, my life changed. I no longer lived with them and was going to be separated from them for most of the year. They were no longer a daily presence in my life. Of course I could still call, but the day to day interactions were different. Cellphones and texting and facetime made keeping in touch easier. Then we moved to Overland Park and my parents became bigger fixtures in my life again. I didn't personally talk to my mom every day, but we had a family group chat that was used daily, and she would often send my sisters and I links to articles or things that made her think of us. It makes me feel so sad that I don't know when or if I will ever get another text or phone call from my mom.

June 6

Monday was the start of a new and more "normal" week. Monday morning I dropped Will and Tyler off at SMS for Coach McFall's annual Sunflower Basketball camp. They spend the morning working on drills and them scrimmaging. Each day the teams change, but individual stats are kept and compiled throughout the week. This is Will's third year attending and he seemed to have a lot of fun. His buddies Knox and Gunnar were there as well, as well as a few kids he recognized from honor band and previous camps.

June 7

Will was invited to go to a Royals' game with his friend Tripp and his family Tuesday night. It was his first Royals' game of the season and he had a great time, despite the Royals abysmal play. They lost 7-0 that night, but Will is still a loyal fan.

June 8

Elliott and Miles started swimming lessons this week. They have class from 10:30-11am Monday through Thursday this week and next. Miles is in the Preschool Beginner class and Elliott is taking the Level 2 Elementary class. My goal for Miles is for him to feel comfortable in the water, and after some hesitation the first day he is really enjoying his class. Elliott is working on his front crawl and front and back float. He can doggie paddle with the best of them, but doesn't know any real swimming strokes yet.

June 9

Bright and early Thursday morning Will headed to the Beaver Lake and White River area of Arkansas with the Young Men of the Oak Park Ward. I asked Will what he enjoyed most about the high adventure and he said that highlights include going to the lake to fish, swimming and skipping rocks and hanging out with his new friends. They went kayaking on the White River and hiked in the Ozarks. They visited the Throncrown Chapel too. The deacons slept in one huge tent and he said they stayed up late talking and having a good time. He had a little bit of trouble sleeping because it started to pour around 11pm, but other than that it was surprisingly comfortable. They ate Burgers, hot dogs, roll-ups, Braums, roasted marshmallows, pancakes for breakfast. Anthony helped him buy a carving knife before he left and he had a lot of fun sitting around with his new friends and carving with his new knife. 

June 10

Thursday afternoon my mom was moved from OPRMC to the stroke rehabilitation unit at Menorah. Before she moved the local family stopped by to say hi and the brothers in law and my dad gave my mom a blessing. The move seems to have taken a lot out of her as she has spent most of the last 24 hours sleeping. I snapped this picture of a rainbow outside the rehab center as I left. There has been so much stress and uncertainty the past two weeks, but seeing the rainbow gave me a peaceful feeling and reminded me that things will work out. I don't know what "work out" even means, but I know that I am going to have to become comfortable with not knowing the end from the beginning.

June 11

This was the first week it really felt like summer. We went to the pool three times this week. Elliott had a baseball game in the afternoon and it was so hot. Will arrived home a few hours earlier from the high adventure than we anticipated, so we picked him up from the church, grabbed Costco food court for dinner and hit the pool for an hour before close. The Wilsons were at the pool too, which was fun. I just wanted to sit with my toes in the water, but Miles really wanted to swim in "the deep" so I got in and helped him kick around the pool. The song "Summer Breeze" was playing and I felt so grateful for that moment that I get to be alive and create memories with my children. For the John family book club we read 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Obviously, the events of the past two weeks have me thinking a lot about how short life really is, and that you aren't guaranteed anything.