I want to keep my baby in the service, but they offer childcare. Does it irritate people that I don't use it?
I wonder if anyone would notice if I nurse right here; I don't want to miss anything.
Does my baby sound as loud to everyone else as he/she does to me?
Should we sit in the back so we don't distract people?
Should I put my colicky baby in the nursery?
My baby looked so cute in this outfit... before he/she puked on it.
Woah. Did anyone else hear that blowout? I hope no one can smell it yet.
Is it wrong of me to put my baby in the nursery so he/she doesn't distract me?
Please, Baby, don't start crying/vocalizing right when the pastor/priest/church official asks for a minute of silence!
Do I seem rude when I don't stand up because my baby is asleep in my arms?
Don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep.
What if he/she spits up all over the seats?
No, no no! Don't start crying!
My baby is so cute.
I wonder if anyone can tell I haven't showered in more days than I care to admit. I hope not.
Why do I even try to come to church with a grumpy baby. It must really bother people.
Are people looking at us because the baby is cute or because the baby is annoying? Cute. I'm going to say cute.
This is hard, but it's worth it.
Branded
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Why We Should Be Slow to Blame Cancer/Autism/Alzheimer's/Etc. on _____
Think about all the things that have changed in the past hundred or so years.
- Weaker o-zone layer
- Vaccines
- Climate change
- Rise in c-sections and pain medication for labouring women
- Diets (gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, etc.) where there is limited medical necessity or study that proves their effectiveness
- Increased pollutants
- Blanket use of electricity and/or batteries (constant aural stimulation, if nothing else)
- Processed foods and the need to find ways to speed reproduction to please the masses
- Use of factory-made hygiene/beauty/cleaning products, not all of which are regulated
- Plastics created and used everywhere for nearly everything
- The average person works longer hours and gets less rest
- Greater use of medications where a change in lifestyle could be the better way to solve the problem
- Use of machines (planes, trains, cars, etc.) for transportation
- Tanning and hairless bodies became a beauty standard
- Daily showering is expected as the norm
- Smoking and drugs became cool
These are just some things I came up with; there are countless others. I think it's worth considering. There have been a lot of changes, and we should be careful when blaming one element of change for problems we are encountering in excess without significant proof of their fault.
Labels:
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Tuesday, January 13, 2015
If I Could Go Back
I
dreamed, last night, that I went back in time to when Benny and I
met. I don't know how I did it, I only know why. There were some
things I thought I could do better – like communicating with more honesty and openness and being less assuming about
what he was like before I actually knew him.
There
were some problems with my plan.
First of all, I was the only one who
knew what would happen between us. Having already gone through our
courtship-of-sorts, engagement, and two and a half years of marriage,
I was completely aware of where we would be headed. This
knowledge robbed our relationship of what I think was its most unique
and essential aspect: Benny pursuing me with no idea of romance or a
crush. He had noticed me, he has said before, because of my being a lady, and that had encouraged his approaching me. When I went
back, I was the one pursuing him. I knew already what would happen if
he pursued me, so why shouldn't it work the other way around? If you
know Benny very well at all, you can imagine the disaster that turned
into. He is so slow and careful in his decision making, he was not at
all receptive to my taking charge, nor did this allow his need to
fight for me to take place. That would be difficult for any man.
One
thing I also had not considered was that I was going back with all
the maturity I had gained over a period of five years. Benny did not
have such an advantage. Instead of going back to the man I know now,
I was interacting with Benny and a considerably lesser maturity
level. That was not at all easy to deal with. He grew so much in the two years between when we met and when we married, people would have a hard time recognizing him from one year to the next. It was truly impressive, and I wouldn't have married the man he was when we initially met.
It
also meant that all that time we spent getting to know one another
was lost. I already knew so much about him, we didn't need to write
the many letters asking each other questions that were so pivotal to
our relationship. I think we wrote nearly 100 letters back and forth before we got married, and that doesn't include emails, talking in person, chatting on Facebook, or phone calls. We got to know one another in a very short amount of time as a result of all the types of talking which took place. How would you react if someone started pursuing you, seeming to know way too much about you, and you have no clue what he or she is like?
How
did it end? I'm not really sure, because Benny woke me up to nurse
Ellie, but it wasn't going anywhere good. As tempting as it could
be to say I could make things better by going back, I think my dream
convinced me there would be much to lose, as well.
As
Benny said, when I told him about it: “It's like you were in the
Room of Consequence. Now you know better.”
Friday, November 28, 2014
Thoughts On Young Dumbledore and WWII
I
remember reading the last Harry Potter book in its entirety the day
it came out. I've since read it probably five times, enjoying it more
each time, and still discovering new things. I'm sure I wasn't the
only person who was shocked (and maybe a little hurt) when I read about
Dumbledore's teen and young adult years – the years he spent
fawning over Grindelwald, succumbing to his influence and supporting
the ideas of pure blood in the wizarding world. Although he hadn't
shown any signs of hating muggles and “dirty bloods” before or
after this time in his life, the idea that he had ever had such
leanings was startling, and I was really disappointed.
In
the midst of my shock, however, I found myself irritated with Harry for
being so angry with Dumbledore's actions. I felt that it was unfair
to expect so much of him when Harry himself hadn't ever been in the same
position. Sure, he could say
he wouldn't have acted the same, but how could he know for sure?
It
reminds me a lot of how people react to Germany in WWII. This country
seemed too quick to accept the influence of Hitler. Never mind how
much he did to help Germany or the fact that he was like a balm to
them when they were trying to recover themselves and their pride
after WWI. Never mind his adeptness at speaking and seemingly
harmless ease of influence.
Like
Germany, Dumbledore was recovering from great loss, feeling abandoned
and a new, frightening sense of responsibility. Like the people
there, he was quick to come under the banner of someone who made him
feel powerful again – someone who gave him a new purpose to live
for. And like that country, he also came to recognize his faults and
did his best to never be associated with the mistakes of his past.
And, like so many other countries, Harry was quick to see fault in
Dumbledore. Instead of seeing vulnerability, he saw weakness. Rather
than accounting for the changes and improvements that were clear in
Dumbledore's later life, he took offense at the past, taking pride in
the assumption that he could never make the same mistake.
God
forbid.
I
don't think this similarity was lost on Rowling. In fact, I would
guess it was intentional, though she hasn't said that outright. She
has,
however, pointed out that the fall of Grindelwald coincides with the
downfall of Hitler in 1945. And let's not look over the fact that the
character has a German name and was accused of causing great turmoil
in all Europe.
I
think there's an important lesson to be learned from this aspect of
the Potter books, as well as from the parallel in history. We
can't be quick to judge people's mistakes – especially when they
are in a weakened state. Although there are people who rise above wrongful influences, they are not a majority. There are powerful
people, waiting on the sidelines, watching for frailty, and no
culture or country is guaranteed insusceptibility.
Labels:
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Thursday, November 13, 2014
My Crazy Path to Mommyhood
Thanks to
the influence of my mother, I don’t think there was anything I ever wanted to
be more than a homemaker. The idea of keeping a home, husband, and children
appealed to me in a way nothing else could, and I grew up with that mindset.
When I graduated from high school with no marital prospects, I went to college
mostly because I couldn’t think of anything else to do while I waited for my
husband to appear.
Thankfully,
he didn’t take long.
Shoot
forward about a year and a half. I’m engaged, long distance, and I get one of
those calls that every fiancĂ©e dreads: the “maybe we should wait” call.
Benny knew
how much I wanted a family. It was one of the first personal things I ever
shared with him. He had at least two more years of college after we married –
perhaps more, if he decided to get a higher degree – and having a family when
only one of us could work, and the
one of us working could only manage part-time, because of chronic illness,
seemed irresponsible. I was adamantly opposed to contraception, as well, so he
knew that was off the table, and suggested we should postpone our wedding until
he graduated.
Although I
understood his reasoning, I resisted the suggestion. After all, we needed some
time, I thought, to learn to live together before children, and there were ways
outside of contraception that could keep pregnancy at bay. It was hard for me
to say I would wait for two entire years. I was twenty-two at the time, and I
had hoped to start my family at eighteen. As crazy as it may sound to a
progressive ear, I felt like I had already wasted three years, and I was saying
I would give up two more. It was a huge
sacrifice – especially because I had done my research and was aware that my
chronic illness could mean I would not be able to have children for as many
years as most women; however, establishing my marriage was more important to
me, and even if it was hard, I felt it was the right decision.
Less than a
year later, we were married. I loved being married. It was a new layer of life
I hadn’t known could exist, and there was a new peace. I was designed by God
for that life, and for nearly six months, I was content to simply be Benny’s
wife. It got a lot harder when we had a pregnancy scare. I had been out of
sorts, and several people suggested to me that I might be pregnant. Although I
wasn’t convinced, I bought a test. When the negative came up, I could tell
Benny was relieved, and I was relieved for him. What would a pregnancy do to the
rest of his college career? At the same
time, I was heartbroken. I had secretly hoped I was pregnant. I got in the shower and cried for awhile, and for
quite some time I was low in spirits. Benny could tell and knew why. He was
incredibly kind and understanding, giving me space to mourn the baby I had
never carried. Although I normally wouldn’t dare to equate my feelings to that of a
woman who has suffered a miscarriage,
that was how it felt. Thankfully, I had only shared the possibility with a few
people.
It was hard
not only because I wanted a baby so badly but because there was a lot of
pressure for us to start our family. People who knew little of our situation
would suggest that we should get started pretty soon – to not wait too long –
and although we knew they weren’t trying to make things difficult, it was still
painful to hear. You can have the best intentions and still hurt people.
Almost
exactly one year later, Benny was nearing the end of his last school year.
Since the beginning of our marriage, I had had random “nightmares” about
getting pregnant before Benny graduated. By January 2014, Benny told me that if
I did get pregnant and was able to keep my job most of the pregnancy, we could
make it work. Although we still weren’t trying to have a baby, this was a huge
stress relief. As though God was testing Benny’s sincerity, less than a month
later, I was pregnant. I was absolutely unprepared and knew it. There were many
decisions we had planned to make before starting a family, and now we had to
make them relatively quickly.
One big
decision was one I had been putting off: where to have the baby. My mother had
given birth in the hospital for all her babies, and Benny’s mother had given
birth at home. When Benny told me he thought I should consider homebirths, I
thought he was crazy. It sounded dangerous and foreign. I hadn’t imagined
giving birth outside of a hospital, and I told him I wasn’t comfortable with
the idea at all but I would think
about it and do some research.
When I found
out I was pregnant, I hadn’t done any research and I hadn’t really considered
it an option. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Benny, because I knew he wouldn’t
support something without being completely comfortable with it, but I couldn’t
wrap my head around it. I read two articles with opposing points of view on the
subject – both of which were well argued but neither of which made me
comfortable with making the final decision.
Since I was
still unsure, I asked a doctor in the area to recommend a doctor and hospital
for us. I figured she would best know the system in the area, and I knew she
had similar values to us, so I felt comfortable going with whatever advice she
gave. I was surprised when she told me she thought I would be better off with a
midwife and homebirth or birth center, and she even went so far as to recommend
one. For the first time, I considered it, but I wanted to ask someone else in
the medical field. I asked my sister-in-law – a labour and delivery nurse – for
her thoughts. She, too, expressed confidence in the idea of a homebirth,
telling me upsides and downsides, what to look for in a midwife, and telling me
where I could get more information.
After
feeling like I had been assured by these people, I then asked my mother-in-law
and one of my sisters-in-law about their experiences and opinions, knowing that
they had had homebirths. Both of them stressed that I should do whatever I felt
safest doing, and they talked to me about their own research.
At this
point, I felt like I could take the extra step of actually meeting with the
midwives recommended to me. I called to make an appointment, not yet completely
assured it was what I wanted to do but sure it was a safe option, and I would be free to change my mind at any time.
When I went
in for my appointment, it was immediately clear that I wasn’t stepping into a
weird world of mantras and amulets but a place of medical business. It was
homey, certainly, but was clearly not granola or avoiding the medical aspect of
the profession. Not only this, the midwife I met with was strikingly like my
mother, and I felt safe and assured by her no-holds-barred approach and
bluntness when I asked questions. Although it had been a foreign concept to me,
and knowing I would probably get a lot of flak from people who disapproved of
my decision, I settled on a homebirth, and I never questioned my decision from
that point.
Pregnancy
was both hard and good. A lot of my fibromyalgia symptoms dissipated over the
period of the pregnancy. My morning sickness during the first trimester was
nasty, though after that I had few serious problems until the third trimester. It
was a peaceful pregnancy.
When it
finally came to the labour, choosing a homebirth sure seemed like the right
idea. It started so fast (minute long contractions, one to two minutes apart within
two hours of it starting), I’m sure I wouldn’t have wanted to travel to the
hospital. The midwives were there shortly after Benny called, letting us
quietly (well, I guess they were
quiet) labour, keeping an eye on my progress and monitoring the baby – our personal
lifeguards in case anything went awry, giving advice and encouragement. When it
was all over, I had a baby in my arms: sweet, little Eleanora.
I’m a
mother! It’s still a surprise to me, sometimes. In a way, it’s a change… but at
the same time, it feels completely natural. I’ve been preparing for it most of
my life, and holding a small child in my arms, nursing her, caring for her, was
what I was created to do. Already, I see little changes every day, and I know
it will be over sooner than I can imagine. Getting here was hard, and I know
the difficulties don’t end after labour, but I feel assured by these three
things:
God created
me for this.
My mother
prepared me for this.
My husband
supports me in this.
That’s all I
need.
Labels:
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Tuesday, October 7, 2014
All About Bread
I’m a bit of
a nerd about breads. I don’t have time to make them as much as I’d like (nor
the energy, being pregnant), but I love pulling out my bread book and looking
through the pages, deciding on one to try next.
This started
when I married. Benny loves his bread. Let me rephrase. Benny loves his good bread. If you care about it at all,
you know good bread isn’t very cheap. A half decent loaf is going to be around
$3-5, and as much bread as we eat, I was quickly frustrated with how much it
cost us. This isn’t even going into the realms of Italian loaves, rolls,
biscuits… so I decided I would try making bread myself.
I pulled out
my handy dandy kitchen aid mixer, attached the dough hook, and got out my Betty
Crocker recipes. By the end of four hours, I had two, beautiful loaves cooling
on the counter – and Benny was ecstatic. I could have used a bread machine, but
feeling the dough forming and smelling it ferment was too wonderful to pass up.
Ever since then, we’ve only bought bread when I am unable to make it myself
(which is basically never). I don’t see the point of buying it when I can make
it so much cheaper – and with ingredients we prefer (half wheat is the
standard, though it changes once in awhile).
People are
intimidated by the thought of making breads, for some reason. Maybe it’s just a
general apprehension of cooking, I don’t know. I’ve thought about inviting
people over and showing them how easy it is. It’s not like one grain too much
of sugar will kill those lovely loaves. If you’re interested in trying out some
things, here are some tips and thoughts:
1. Buy
this book: Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads
Not only is this book full of amazing recipes,
there are tips for different things that can go wrong and ways to make up for
the fact that you don’t have a steam oven or baking stone (which I will have,
one day, when I’m wealthy). It talks about equipment needed and provides tips
for three different kinds of preparation: by hand, with a mixer, and with a
food processor. Seriously. Buy this book.
2. Experiment
with types of bread. Try making pitas – they are almost incomprehensibly easy.
Cuban loaves are also fun (those round ones with the big X), and you can steam
them in your oven to give them an amazing crust. Try different kinds of biscuit
until you find one you prefer. I tried several recipes before I settled on one
that used olive oil instead of butter or shortening.
3. Collect
roll recipes. There are many out there for a reason. A good butter roll is
great, but so is one which is mashed-potato based. And they are good with
different kinds of meals.
4. Get
tools used specifically for bread. Like a dough scraper – one that is stiff and
doesn’t bend, preferably, with measurements written on it for quick cutting.
Special bread pans for baguettes are nice, as well. The book I recommended has
a more complete list.
5. Buy
bread loaf pans that you will only use for breads – and don’t wash them unless
you’re making a sweet bread. Yup. Just like that cast iron skillet.
6. Turn
on the oven an hour before you’ll use it. Trust me. It will regulate the
temperature better. (Bonus benefit: when it's cooler, you can put your rising loaves on the stovetop so they rise at a similar rate to when it's warmer.)
7. Don’t
ever trust the times given for
cooking. Keep an eye on your bread. Watch for the browning and tap your loaves
as you bake until you find out the times that work best for your oven.
Okay, I’ve
shared enough to get you started. Go forth and ferment.
Monday, October 6, 2014
As A Christian, Can I Panic About Ebola?
It's a
situation I've been watching carefully, and it only recently seems to be
something people are noticing. Studying epidemics is a sort of hobby of mine
and has been for many years. I’ve been fascinated to study how different
cultures – especially religions – react.
Take a very
short trip in history with me, for a moment, to 1918, when the Spanish
influenza was swallowing the globe. Only Australia remained untouched, as it
cut off contact with everyone else, and it is estimated that anywhere from 50 million
to100 million people died. The majority of those people were in the prime of
their lives; the elderly and children seemed strangely untouched. Whole
villages were wiped out. Cities became forced to bury people in mass graves
because they were dying too fast to build caskets or dig proper graves. It was
a dark time, and the line “bring out your dead” doesn’t seem so funny when you
realize people were literally dropping their loved ones outside their doors,
hoping against all hope that they hadn’t been exposed long enough to become ill
themselves. All social events were banned, but one group of people stood out as
defying this law: Christians.
Gathering
together on Sunday, everyone wearing masks, many churches would set up chairs in the
middle of the street and have their services. At a time when people were
abandoning their own families and shutting themselves away, believers were
finding strength in one another. This isn’t to say they were better than
everyone else – because there were people who did amazing things without this
form of faith – but they knew their hope lay in something other than remaining
healthy. I have no doubt that there was fear in their hearts, wondering if they
would die next, or a spouse, or a child, or a parent. It’s not as though faith
makes things less scary, because they are scary, but it allows us
to focus on something other than fear. We wouldn’t stand in the way of a rampaging
elephant herd as a show of faith, so how should be think about this situation?
This is how
I think about it: things like this - where one is so completely out of control
- you feel more acutely, especially if you like order and predictability;
however, there is nothing that works quite like an epidemic for bringing people
face to face with eternity. It forces them to actively choose God or themselves
in a way most wouldn't, because this culture is so lackadaisical and would
normally enjoy the lukewarm feelings of disinterest or indifference. In a sort
of strange way, I think these things are beautiful. It's amazing to see how striking
the church can be in "such a time as this," where we can be unafraid
and aware of the glory that awaits us if God chooses to take us up to
Him. Even as one is completely aware of the danger, one can also be aware
that – ultimately – our hope lies in something quite different than the next
breath we take.
I'm thinking
specifically of Romans 8:5-27, especially the last two paragraphs:
"For
those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the
flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and
peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to
the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot
please God.
"But
you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells
in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if
Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life
because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the
dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to
your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
"Therefore,
brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For
if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put
to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of
bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry
out, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we
are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs
with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified
together.
"For I
consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of
the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the
creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who
subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from
the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For
we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together
until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the
redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen
is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for
what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
"Likewise
the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray
for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what
the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints
according to the will of God."
2nd
Timothy 2:7 also comes to mind: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but
of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
We are in a
fallen world, and our gut reaction will be one of fear; however, God gives us
strength in Himself so that we can treat our fears differently and reach the
world in its crisis, bringing others to share in our hope.
Labels:
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"This is the mark of a really admirable man: Steadfastness in the face of trouble." Ludwig van Beethoven
"It is a sad fate for a man to die too well known to everyone else and still unknown to himself." Francis Bacon
It is a mindless philosophy that assumes that one's private beliefs have nothing to do with public office. Does it make sense to entrust those who are immoral in private with the power to determine the nation's moral issues and, indeed, its destiny? .... The duplicitous soul of a leader can only make a nation more sophisticated in evil. ~ Ravi Zacharias