Lying in bed with Timothy. Lights out. Conversation on.
Me: So how was preschool today?
Timothy: Good? We got to see a Prairie Dog.
Me: A Prairie Dog?
[Timothy's class had a visit from The Creature Teacher who brought with her a fury friend.]
Timothy: Yep. Two of them?
Me: Well what do Prairie Dogs eat?
Timothy: Prairie Dog food.
[Duhhh Dad.]
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
I Like Ike
From Yahoo Sports:
Ike Ditzenberger is like a lot of other 17-year-old American football players. He dreams of playing college football. He attends daily practices. Most of the time he toils away in offensive drills. Then, on rare occasions, Ditzenberger runs into the limelight with aplomb. The description could fit thousands of American teenagers, except for one crucial detail: Ike Ditzenberger has Down Syndrome.
[Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txMiQTBLhVM]
From My Heart: It has become both my experience and conviction that God uses disabilities -- more specifically those who live with disabilities -- to foster grace among others.
I have seen this in over and over in our journey with Timothy. I have seen this countless times in the lives of friends with disabilities. I see it clearly on this football field.
Some, in response to this video, have felt compelled to point out the whole event was "rigged", conveying that "it's not real football" and "it doesn't count". I beg to differ.
Rigged? Try boldly and lovingly given.
Not real? It's as real as it gets.
Doesn't count? Counts for much more than six points.
To see two opposing teams and a bleacher full of fans all drawn together in a spirit of grace . . . that's the power of a disability. That calls for profound honor.
From The Bible: May we see this more so in His Church . . .
"The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,' nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.' On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor." - 1 Corinthians 12:21-22
Ike Ditzenberger is like a lot of other 17-year-old American football players. He dreams of playing college football. He attends daily practices. Most of the time he toils away in offensive drills. Then, on rare occasions, Ditzenberger runs into the limelight with aplomb. The description could fit thousands of American teenagers, except for one crucial detail: Ike Ditzenberger has Down Syndrome.
[Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txMiQTBLhVM]
From My Heart: It has become both my experience and conviction that God uses disabilities -- more specifically those who live with disabilities -- to foster grace among others.
I have seen this in over and over in our journey with Timothy. I have seen this countless times in the lives of friends with disabilities. I see it clearly on this football field.
Some, in response to this video, have felt compelled to point out the whole event was "rigged", conveying that "it's not real football" and "it doesn't count". I beg to differ.
Rigged? Try boldly and lovingly given.
Not real? It's as real as it gets.
Doesn't count? Counts for much more than six points.
To see two opposing teams and a bleacher full of fans all drawn together in a spirit of grace . . . that's the power of a disability. That calls for profound honor.
From The Bible: May we see this more so in His Church . . .
"The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,' nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.' On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor." - 1 Corinthians 12:21-22
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Family Photos
Timothy has a wonderful aunt! Among other things, she is an excellent photographer. On a recent visit to North Carolina, she took a few pictures of our family at a park near our house. Here are just a few . . .
The Latest Trip To Philly
The time had finally come to return to Philly to ditch the wheelchair, shed the cast, and pull the pin. All in all, we were 3 for 3 with a bonus or two thrown in!
After an uneventful flight (the best kind) we made it to our hotel, one we had never called home. Our room was literally eye-level to I-95, right next to the Ben Franklin Bridge. Needless to say, sleep was not happening that night!
Dinner time came. Across the street was a "Dave and Busters" (which is essentially a Chuck-E-Cheese for grown ups). Not wanting to toss money into the wind, and not wanting expose Timothy to an enormous arcade while requiring him to stay in his wheelchair, better judgement called for a walk into the Center City district of Philly.
Although wheelchairs and sidewalk's made of brick as old as America don't gel all that well, we found a local dive which served grilled cheese and fries. Eating outside and able to count subway cars . . . Timothy was quite pleased.
From there, we were able to make contact with a family from our church who has spent many months at Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia. Five-month-old "Baby Lucy" has had two major surgeries in her young life, and she and her mom are hoping to return to Greensboro on sometime early next week. Having a free evening, Timothy and I were able to snag a cab and head over to CHOP for a quick visit.
After an uneventful flight (the best kind) we made it to our hotel, one we had never called home. Our room was literally eye-level to I-95, right next to the Ben Franklin Bridge. Needless to say, sleep was not happening that night!
Dinner time came. Across the street was a "Dave and Busters" (which is essentially a Chuck-E-Cheese for grown ups). Not wanting to toss money into the wind, and not wanting expose Timothy to an enormous arcade while requiring him to stay in his wheelchair, better judgement called for a walk into the Center City district of Philly.
Although wheelchairs and sidewalk's made of brick as old as America don't gel all that well, we found a local dive which served grilled cheese and fries. Eating outside and able to count subway cars . . . Timothy was quite pleased.
From there, we were able to make contact with a family from our church who has spent many months at Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia. Five-month-old "Baby Lucy" has had two major surgeries in her young life, and she and her mom are hoping to return to Greensboro on sometime early next week. Having a free evening, Timothy and I were able to snag a cab and head over to CHOP for a quick visit.Getting back to the hotel, we watched a classic Philly movie and called it a night. Timothy's last words before going to bed were, "Dad, I'm so excited to get my cast off." The next day would not disappoint . . .
We had the first clinic appointment of the day, so we were in and out before we knew it.
Cast got cut off. The pin (nearly half the length of his foot) got pulled from Timothy's middle toe with a set of pliers. We returned the "loaner" wheelchair. Got splints adjusted. Took a few spine x-rays. And no sooner than we had arrived, we were on our way to the airport in a cab.
As can be seen in the spinal images, Timothy has a scoliosis in his upper spine. It is holding at 40 degrees for the moment. The lower spine is staying put. Considering it contains aisle 9 from Home Depot, it is not expected to do much shifting!
For now, we simply wait and see what is next. More than likely, there is a spine surgery in our future . . . but for now, we are going to enjoy the freedom of Timothy's foot. We're also going to enjoy giving Timothy a much needed bath!
Could It Get Much Better
In Philly . . .
. . . guys night in the hotel room . . .
. . . getting the cast off tomorrow . . .
. . . turn on the TV . . . and could it be?
Could it get much better?
Email subscribers, go to http://youtu.be/rdGMqcVYX-c
. . . guys night in the hotel room . . .
. . . getting the cast off tomorrow . . .
. . . turn on the TV . . . and could it be?
Could it get much better?
Email subscribers, go to http://youtu.be/rdGMqcVYX-c
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Lord of My Rings
A number of weeks ago, I innocently asked my wife, "Hey, have you seen my wedding band?""No, why?" she replied in a tone indicating she knew exactly how I would answer.
"Well, I can't find it, or the other ring I wear," I answered, stating the obvious.
You see it was days prior that I had taken my rings of to go for a run, and was pretty certain I left them on the corner of the dresser.
"I'm sure they'll turn up," my wife casually remarked.
In case you are wondering why my wife was so calm about the whole thing . . . well, this wouldn't have been the the first time I lost my wedding band. Let me explain.
The first year of our marriage, I was out one Fall day, hiking and running around with our dog in 1600 wooded acres, when my ring somehow slipped off my finger. Uh oh.
Upon returning home and breaking the news to my wife, we were both distraught (especially my wife).
Early one morning a few days later, my wife got up and went out walking in a leaf covered field. She prayed the prayer I am sure everyone has prayed at some time or another. "Lord, please help me find ______." Moments later, she kicked a ring with her foot out from underneath a leaf.
69,696,000 sq. ft. - 1 gold ring = One praising wife
Although I still have that original ring, when Teressa and I renewed our vows two years ago, I got us new rings. It was my way of saying, "Knowing all we know about one another NOW . . . I'd still do it all over again like it was the first time."
I had a two year, loss-free streak going . . . that is until the fateful day when the wedding band (and a cross ring I wear) turned up missing.
For weeks, I went without wearing a wedding band. A strange feeling, yet I was to afraid to wear my original. I didn't want to push my luck.
The entire time, I kept insisting I left my rings on the corner of the dresser.
Well, the case of the missing rings is finally solved.
Teressa happened to be cleaning out the bottom of our hall closet and look what she found (picture above).
Hmmm. I wonder what happened here?
My guess is one boy (who we will simply refer to as T.L. to protect his identity) found two rings on my dresser and decided they would make for some nice bling to the hood of his Matchbox. Upon adding the bling, he took his Matchbox out for a cruise on the strip (a.k.a. hallway); however, rather than going low and slow, he exceeded the speed limit for polished wood floors. Immediately, his car spun out of control, veered sharply to the left, travelled under the closet door, and crashed into the back wall.
Out of sight, out of mind.
I'm redeemed. He's busted. All is well.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Look Up In The Sky
Today has been the craziest homeschooling day ever. You see, on Fridays, I assume the role of teacher. In addition to math, spelling, and grammar, we tackle science. This year's science curriculum is Zoology 1: Flying Creatures Of The Fifth Day. Birds, insects, bats . . . if it has wings, we're tackling it.
Now last week's lesson was a big hit. In view of our reading on flight, aerodynamics, taxonomy, and the like, I took Timothy's big sister on a field trip to track the ever allusive Zenaida macroura in it's natural habitat. In layman's terms, I took her dove hunting. It was a perfect "hands on" project, which gave us a number of up-close observation moments.
OK, so the assignment wasn't technically suggested by the book, but what does one expect when dad's the lead science teacher?
All that being said, last week's lesson had nothing over what we experienced today. I am still beside myself over what took place . . .
Sitting outside, we reviewed a few terms and then hit the topic of instincts by reading Job 39:26:
"Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, stretching his wings toward the south?"
Just then, a huge screech sounded, and out of the trees behind our house soared a Red-tailed Hawk. Timothy, along with his big sister and I watched as he soared up into the air, circled around a few times, and flew off.
Timothy's sister said, "Wow, that was pretty cool. We read it, and then it happened."
God scored a point on that one.
Next topic, endangered species. We read about how the Bald Eagle was once endangered, to which my daughter says, "Dad, look! Up in the sky! It's an eagle!"
I could not believe my own eyes. I literally did a double-take. Soaring overhead was a Bald Eagle - perfectly white head, yellow pointy beak, long brown wings, white tail. Close enough that we could make it out with ease.
My daughter said, "Whoa. It happened again. Dad, what's next?" At this point Timothy was down with ornithology.
God -- two points.
Next topic, extinct species. Specifically, the pterosaurs. AKA, flying dinosaur. I thought to myself, "Oh, this will be good."
How I wish I could have captured the expression on my kid's faces. They fully expected a 35-foot long winged dragon to come soaring over the trees. To be honest, I wasn't convinced it wouldn't happen.
What did happen, however, was quite odd. The Geico gecko flew over. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it happened.
We sat on our back patio and watched as five planes flew over our house and spelled out "Geico - More Than Just Car Insurance."
By this time, I was wise enough to grab a camera to get proof. Take a look below.
God completely stole the show, and my kids can't wait till next week's lesson. I must admit. I can't either.
Email subscribers, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R_c_kEnsKc
Now last week's lesson was a big hit. In view of our reading on flight, aerodynamics, taxonomy, and the like, I took Timothy's big sister on a field trip to track the ever allusive Zenaida macroura in it's natural habitat. In layman's terms, I took her dove hunting. It was a perfect "hands on" project, which gave us a number of up-close observation moments.
OK, so the assignment wasn't technically suggested by the book, but what does one expect when dad's the lead science teacher?
All that being said, last week's lesson had nothing over what we experienced today. I am still beside myself over what took place . . .
Sitting outside, we reviewed a few terms and then hit the topic of instincts by reading Job 39:26:
"Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, stretching his wings toward the south?"
Just then, a huge screech sounded, and out of the trees behind our house soared a Red-tailed Hawk. Timothy, along with his big sister and I watched as he soared up into the air, circled around a few times, and flew off.
Timothy's sister said, "Wow, that was pretty cool. We read it, and then it happened."
God scored a point on that one.
Next topic, endangered species. We read about how the Bald Eagle was once endangered, to which my daughter says, "Dad, look! Up in the sky! It's an eagle!"
I could not believe my own eyes. I literally did a double-take. Soaring overhead was a Bald Eagle - perfectly white head, yellow pointy beak, long brown wings, white tail. Close enough that we could make it out with ease.
My daughter said, "Whoa. It happened again. Dad, what's next?" At this point Timothy was down with ornithology.
God -- two points.
Next topic, extinct species. Specifically, the pterosaurs. AKA, flying dinosaur. I thought to myself, "Oh, this will be good."
How I wish I could have captured the expression on my kid's faces. They fully expected a 35-foot long winged dragon to come soaring over the trees. To be honest, I wasn't convinced it wouldn't happen.
What did happen, however, was quite odd. The Geico gecko flew over. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it happened.
We sat on our back patio and watched as five planes flew over our house and spelled out "Geico - More Than Just Car Insurance."
By this time, I was wise enough to grab a camera to get proof. Take a look below.
God completely stole the show, and my kids can't wait till next week's lesson. I must admit. I can't either.
Email subscribers, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R_c_kEnsKc
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Pasta For Dinner
Timothy has always maintained a rather robust passion for eating pasta, as clearly evidenced throughout his young life. Tonight's dinner proved to be of no exception.
Let me set the stage . . .
We had finally made our way to the table for supper. Spaghetti for dinner. Earlier in the day, Timothy had gone to his pre-school class (wheelchair and all) for the first day of school, so naturally, we were all asking how his day went.
Timothy began insisting his surgeon (Dr. Van Bosse) had privately and expressly told him that it was perfectly okay for him to go down the slide at recess despite the fact Teressa and I remember the conversation quite differently. He was lobbying for "slide time" on Thursday.
Throughout his iron-clad defense that would challenge any legal mind, Timothy kept shovelling pasta into his mouth at a feverish pace.
At this point in the conversation, I casually took out my phone and discretely started rolling so as to capture the moment. Unscripted moments like this one are the moments we have come to cherish with our kids.
Classic Timothy.
(Be sure to turn the volume up so you can hear his final comment. Priceless.)
(Email subscribers go to http://youtu.be/d0KNhNJQYXQ)
Let me set the stage . . .
We had finally made our way to the table for supper. Spaghetti for dinner. Earlier in the day, Timothy had gone to his pre-school class (wheelchair and all) for the first day of school, so naturally, we were all asking how his day went.
Timothy began insisting his surgeon (Dr. Van Bosse) had privately and expressly told him that it was perfectly okay for him to go down the slide at recess despite the fact Teressa and I remember the conversation quite differently. He was lobbying for "slide time" on Thursday.
Throughout his iron-clad defense that would challenge any legal mind, Timothy kept shovelling pasta into his mouth at a feverish pace.
At this point in the conversation, I casually took out my phone and discretely started rolling so as to capture the moment. Unscripted moments like this one are the moments we have come to cherish with our kids.
Classic Timothy.
(Be sure to turn the volume up so you can hear his final comment. Priceless.)
(Email subscribers go to http://youtu.be/d0KNhNJQYXQ)
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