This is a much more somber edition of 7 Quick Takes for me, and the reason is the little boy I posted about on Wednesday. He died this week. It feels ridiculous to say that I'm taking it very hard, because anything I am feeling pales in comparison to what his parents must be feeling. But there it is. I'm taking it very hard, and I don't even know the family. I think we all grieve when a child dies.
I had heard about his death the night before, but I read the article about it in our local newspaper yesterday morning. That, coupled with two other nearby depressing news stories has me in a bit of a state this week. I feel all emotionally fragile, but sometimes life is just like that, you know? :(
-2-
Everything that has happened has made me appreciate my own little family even more than I already did. I go home and squeeze Anne the instant she comes to greet me:
*30 seconds elapse*
"Mommy, can I get down now?!"
And Henry keeps looking at me strangely as I keep asking him if he's ok:
"Yeah. Sure. Why?!"
I'm making my children paranoid is what I'm doing. They come by it honestly.
-3-
I've been putting some of my melancholy energy to use in worrying about Henry. Worrying is a cardiovascular activity worthy of calorie burn for anxiety-ridden people such as myself. He's growing up, and since he's our first kid, he's the guinea pig. As each new change and age comes around, we don't know what the hell we're doing anew. All of a sudden, he's starting to get all awkward and needs to wear deodorant, and I wonder where the time went when all I had to worry about was whether or not he was going to sleep through the night. He's starting to play soccer now, and I'm all worried that his shyness and not wanting to be at the center of the action is going to translate to him getting teased. I don't ever want my baby to get his feelings hurt, you know? It's so tough with kids. I feel like I've already made so many mistakes, why can't the lessons I've learned also benefit them? But they don't listen. They have to learn those lessons on their own, via making the same mistakes. And it's difficult to watch. This is yet another reason why all new babies should come with an instruction manual:
"Everything You Need to Know About Raising Henry from Newborn Until He Graduates From College," by God.
I really wish He would oblige us on this one.
-4-
Speaking of my young, some sassy toddler is about to turn 3 on Sunday. :0 Yes, that's right, our precious Anne has a birthday this weekend, and I can hardly believe it's been three years since she came into our lives. Dwelling on this is doing nothing for my weepy emotional state, let me tell you.
 |
| Her first Christmas *sobs!* |
-5-
I've been trying to keep up with my reading, and in fact have finished Vocation in Black and White, the selection for this month's Catholic Book Club! I'm excited to be reviewing it for you May 28th, just after Memorial Day. If you're interested in religious vocation stories, check out the book and/or the review. The book is only $3.99 to download for Kindle!
-6-
I've also been doing my usual fiction reading, and am currently reading Breath of Spring, the final book in the Amish series I've spoken about before:
It comes out July 1st, very excited!
I also downloaded a Love Inspired Suspense with an intriguing plot involving stolen art aboard an Alaskan cruise ship. It is Perilous Waters, by Sandra Orchard:
-7-
Nothing to do with anything else, but my posts are often like that. :0 You may remember that I talked about my real food eating plan change over Lent. My goals were to lose about 6 pounds that I've carried since I weaned Anne, plus improve my cholesterol, which previously had bordered on high for my age and height/weight range. Well, I have an update. :)
I have lost 7 pounds since February, and my most recent blood work results caused my doctor to remove "borderline high cholesterol" from my chart. :0 I'm quite thrilled. My "good" cholesterol went up significantly, bringing my cholesterol ratio down from a 4 (5 and up is considered high) to a 2.5. This real food thing is for real, y'all. :) I'm very, very happy.
Ok everyone, have a wonderful weekend! Check back on Monday for details of my Anne's big birthday bash. And head over to Conversion Diary for more 7 Quick Takes!
Congradulations! That's huge! Getting healthy is so awesome. I've recently signed up to get fresh veggies and fruits delivered to my door. I'm so sick of the over processed foods that we eat. They are quick and convenient, but I think it's taking its toll on me physically. I know this winter definitely did. I wasn't as active as I'm used to being. I'm starting to feel more myself now that I'm hauling the kids outside most every day. I need to find something to do during the winter months to stay in shape. I know that made a big difference on feeling yucky, and I'm hoping the healthier eating will also help. I'm so sick of feeling like a slug.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I understand, it's so much harder to be active in the winter. I'm lucky in that the buildings are connected here at work and thus I can walk inside for exercise. Do you have a mall near you that you could do this at? Not as good as fresh air, but it's slim pickings in the hard winter. :)
DeleteI have a mall, but that would mean most of my exercise would not be enjoyable as I have to take children with me. I suppose I could run up and down the stairs inside (we have 2 sets). I'm not used to winter so I didn't think about it until the other day when I remembered a neighbor in AZ would do that in edition to her walk.
DeleteIf you like suspenseful novels with romance, you would love Mary Stewart's mysteries. Most of them were written in the 50s-70s, and the writing quality is higher than a lot of what you see today. Best of all, they are set in interesting locations such as Greece, Scotland, and Syria. The author was British but did extensive traveling, and it shows in the books.
ReplyDeleteI'll check these out, thank you!!
DeleteThank you for the book recommendation - I will go get it for my kindle ASAP. I know what you mean about hugging your children. I keep thinking about the end of It's a Wonderful Life when Jimmy Stewart runs home and can't stop hugging and kissing his kids. It's that. Over and over and bigger and stronger. And now I'm tearing up, too.
ReplyDelete