"Trauma and Misery"

Last week was pretty full.  I went to a symposium in FW all day Monday.  It was presented by the FW Trauma task force.  The only speaker was a widely acclaimed pediatrician/psychologist from Pennsylvania who works with children at Covenant House, a shelter for homeless kids.  He spoke to us for 6 hours on how to help children who have experienced trauma.  He was the best speaker I’ve heard on the subject…giving very detailed examples and suggestions of what to say and do.  He was also a very entertaining speaker, which made sitting, listening to one person for 6 hours SO much easier!  The emcees for the event were also quite entertaining!

Dennis and I had planned to go out to eat when I got home that evening.  A local restaurant was offering free meals for veterans.  However, Dennis had been sick at his stomach all day and didn’t feel like eating much of anything.  He had this bug all week, off and on.  He went to work each day, but he felt bad and didn’t have much of an appetite.  He felt really bad yesterday, but seemed to be ok this morning and went on to work.  Ricky was started to feel sick yesterday, too.  Hope he doesn’t end up suffering as long as Dennis has!

Mary F is still in rehab and progressing slowly…still suffering from lack of appetite and nausea.  I hope that she will soon progress to the point to where she can return home.  She is so miserable!  Jim is doing well.  He was sick with a bad cold and infection for a week or two but seems to be ok now.  His home health nurse is supposed to be setting him up with Meals on Wheels.  The ladies from church have been taking turns cooking for him, but he really doesn’t like to feel like he is “inconveniencing” anyone…even tho we repeatedly tell him he isn’t!

The girls and I left Friday after work to go watch Stephen perform in “Les Miserables”.  Jessica and I met up with Sheila for supper close to where she works.  We tried out a new restaurant, la Madeleine.  It was quite tasty and different from the norm.  They serve French cuisine and have wonderful pastries and desserts!  We also bought some truffles to take with us to snack on later in the evening.  We stayed the night in a hotel in Mesquite to break up the trip.  (Plus we knew that Stephen and Mandy would be out late that night anyway.)  We made it to Paris around 10:30 and, after a quick trip to Hobby Lobby, got to Stephen’s house around 11:00 or so.  We visited, had lunch together, and then went to the theatre to watch “Les Mis”.  It was wonderful!  I had had my doubts about a small community theatre putting on a performance of that magnitude, but they did a really good job.  I can’t watch that story without sobbing, plus I’ve always gotten emotional watching my children perform, so watching Stephen portray Jean Valjean was gut-wrenching!  It was all I could do to not blubber uncontrollably! 

After the play, we headed back home.  That is such a long drive!  So glad we didn’t have to do it all in one day.

The guys had a business meeting/study between services yesterday.  Sheila had to go on a visit for her CASA case at 2:00.  Jessica ended up going home after services with a bad headache, so that just left Ricky and I together for lunch.  Instead of cooking my usual Sunday dinner, we opted to eat out at Chili’s.  I enjoyed our “date”.  Dennis gave a wonderful lesson last night…despite the fact that he was miserably nauseated.  It was a wonderful assembly all around!  I could tell from everything done and said that the guys had had an excellent study…it shown through in all they did.  Since Dennis was feeling so sick, tho, we came straight home afterwards.

Guess I’d better get on with my day…lots to get done.  I hope the week goes well for all of you!  And remember that throughout the trials and sufferings life dishes up, we have One who can calm any storm.

2 Corinthians 4:[8] We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; [9] Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; [10] Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.