Monday, April 26, 2010

"Don't Forget the Trash" from 35,000 Feet

I was sitting at the computer tonight knowing full well that my husband was somewhere in the skies between Dallas and Orlando when suddenly up pops this chat box:

"hey" says bkbodiford

Do what?

Apparently he was trying a new inflight internet option for free but it was oh so cool (if not a little freaky) to know that he's flying high and typing away to me live. I even got spoiled and hoped to chat some more once I got the boys to bed.

GOT THE BOYS TO BED. Oh, I make myself laugh. It's 10:30 and I still hear them. We have what I like to call "sleep issues" in this house. I'll save it for another post.

But, once I got the boys in the bed for Round 1 (ding, ding) I raced back to the computer but he was offline :( A little while later he called me from the ground saying he had made it safe.

Well, this chickadee is ready to turn it in for the night. And yes, honey, per your reminder from up above the clouds, the trash has been taken out.

:) Katiebod night night now.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Sunday Afternoon on the Trampoline

Have you ever listened to birds sing? Really listened? That was the only sound in the air as I lay on the trampoline this afternoon for a brief, but much needed, nap.

The sun was toasty warm on my arms and legs and a cool breeze made the intense sunshine feel like a warm blanket on a cold night.I laid on my back and stared at the brilliant blue sky and white and grey clouds overhead. And then I focused on the birds. Each different sound rung out like a familiar word:

"Tomato...tomato...tomato, " one chirped.

"Wheel...wheel...wheel, " the other answered.

I grinned thinking what they could actually be talking about... these birds in the trees. Quite possibly it could have been the person laying on the trampoline with a pillow in the middle of a Sunday afternoon. Who knows.

But nap I did. I drifted off watching the clouds move ever so slowly across the blue expanse. I didn't try to make shapes or faces out of the massive billowy pillows floating through the sky; instead, I let their slow cadence, deliberate yet graceful, lull me to sleep.

A little while later, I awoke to the cheerful songs of my newfound friends.

"Weep weep, weep weep," a new one crooned.

Such was my thirty minutes of heaven on a Sunday afternoon. Just me, a pillow, some clouds, a refreshingly cool spring breeze and a few feathered friends to serenade me.

Man, I'm blessed.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Carryin the Load

Having surgery and the resulting helplessness you feel stinks. But you know what helps make that burden a little worrisome? The beautiful act of friends and family helping carry the load.

An emergency appendectomy just wasn't on my agenda last week. I have my first big event of the year this week in Colorado and believe me when I say I have plenty on the To-Do list without adding "removal of organ" to the mix. But, we don't always get to choose what happens to us and thus I found myself on a gurney being wheeled into an operating room last Monday. And as I was being prepped for surgery and was under the influence of some la-la juice, I apparently informed the surgical team that I had to help my eight year old make 50 indian arrows out of clay (including popsicle sticks and feathers and hot glue) for a school project on Wednesday. This was information I obviously felt was important to share with a group of people who were about to take a gander at my insides.

The next day, my husband was retelling that story (which the doctor laughingly relayed to him) to my friend Jodie who had come to visit. That's when I witnessed an amazing sight. That woman's gears got to churnin and within two minutes time she and Keith had formulated an alternate plan for Daniel's project and she grabbed her keys and rushed out the door. My dear friend then spent her afternoon shopping for materials before texting me asking what kind of pizza my family would like for dinner. (I'm not even finished) After picking me up from the hospital upon my discharge (so Keith could stay with the boys), I arrive home to find the project underway, pizza, salad and cookies for dessert all provided by this angel parading around in Jodie's body.

And I'm blessed to say she's not the only angel in our lives. There is Wendy who selflessly took two boys for the night at a moment's notice when we found out I was having surgery--and trust me, a night with Jacob can be a test for your sanity at times. There are the friends like Jeremy and Heather who came to visit and to pour sunshine into a gloomy gray hospital room. There were flowers and calls and endless Facebook messages of care and concern. There were friends like Melissa who live hours away who offered to come and stay and inlaws that offered to come to offer support. There are friends who have signed up to bring food and those who have simply called asking "what can I do?"

I must say, whether it was a kind "I am praying for you" or an in person gesture... it all makes such a big difference. Having surgery is a scary thing-- no matter how non-life threatening the situation. And the pain and recovery is a daunting task when faced with all the pressures life hands you on a daily basis. But there is nothing, I mean nothing, like knowing you have a generous network of support standing by to carry the load.