How to Discipline

Nathan took a flying leap off of the couch today!!!!! Sam and I were so happy but then something occured to us...he's not allowed to do that!!!! Then I got to thinking of something else - How in the world do you discipline a child going through chemotherapy???

Now my doctor told me that I have to still discipline like I would if he were well. That advice has been some of the best ever, it helped us teach Nathan to listen to the doctors, especially when things are being done to him that are painless (such as blood pressure) and it's helped.

But I used to believe in time outs and sometimes spanking but spanking Nathan right now just feels weird (I would say whoopins but I don't know if that's politically correct:-) Peyton of course has noticed us let up a little and is taking full advantage of this situation.

But also the doctors point out that what Nathan is going through can be traumatic to adults so who knows what it does to a child. And we have noticed changes in Nathan's personality, so much so that when the 'old' Nathan shines through and he starts cutting up, it actually bring us joy, weird huh. Now I wouldn't go visiting other people now, not sure they'd feel the same way we do :-).

My only fear is starting bad habits. Nathan has to eat a ton of calories while on chemo. I was actually told the more fattening foods the better. Plus chemo changes your taste buds, things he used to like he now hates. Actually he only wants pringles...so for two days he ate pringles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...I know this was a dream come true for him but I had to talk to his dietician about this because we felt he was getting away with murder. Poor Peyton begged to do the same but we didn't let her. When we went back to the doctor I was told he gained two kilos (whatever that means), but he had a heavy sweater on too, I refuse to give pringles any credit.

So that's what's on my mind today. I'm trying to maintain some stability around here not easy but has to be done. I haven't got my formula down yet, I'll update more when we do.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It Doesn't Matter

Three deaths this week in Hollywood. Maybe more I don't know. But three very big ones. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.

You know what strikes me the most in death, especially death of rich and famous people? It doesn't matter. Hear me out. I'm not saying their death doesn't matter. Death matters no matter who the person is. But here we have people who travelled the world and made millions and were worshipped in a sense. No doubt many people are mourning right now. People who haven't even met any of these people yet feel they know them from watching them grow up.

But sadly their lives are over. Ages 86, 62, and 50. And now they enter into Eternity which is a lot longer than any of the numbers just typed and where did they end up? I honestly don't know and won't suspect, however, now that they're gone everything is left, the riches and the fame and they're left to face the creator who only cares about what they did for Him. Did any of them accept Christ and live out their lives for him? Now it's too late, but will they be like the rich man in the Bible looking up begging to go back and warn their families?

Sam and I were just talking about this the other day. Many people have died and for those who had it all on earth and chose not to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and die and realize that God is real and eternity is spent in one of two places - How would they live their life if they could come back? Would they realize that nothing else matters except what they do for Christ? It'd be interesting to be able to see the change in those people if they were able to come back and do it over. And I told my husband aren't we guilty of the same thing? We have a golden opportunity to let our lives reflect Christ! To be the Christians God has called us to be. Let us not let time run out! If you haven't accepted Christ, then do it. I remember talking to a Jehovah Witness at my house recently who told me that if I choose not to follow their way then after I die I just stay in the ground, I then told her that's not a bad thing actually it doesn't sound like a consequence I just sleep for eternity so to me there's no point in following their way but if I'm right and she's wrong then the consequences are severe (this left her speechless). If you have accepted Christ then start honoring him with more than your words. I know the saying is old but talk is cheap. If we say we're Christians yet live and look like the world then our talk is cheap. Our time is going to run out. Unless the rapture happens first, we have an appointment to keep. We don't know the day or time but it's going to run out and like Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon we're going to leave everything behind. We have second chances while on this earth but we won't have a second chance then and God is only going to care about one thing.

10 years ago...

This is something I rarely talk about, but 10 years ago tomorrow one of my best friends, Tanisha Philips, passed away from Aplastic Anemia. I really don't talk about her at all anymore, but for the last 10 years I think about her almost daily. And I wonder where she is right now.

10 years ago I didn't know Christ. I attended church but like a lot of people I didn't know God and throughout Tanisha's sickness we never discussed salvation. To be honest with you she never actually expressed or talked about how sick she really was. She'd been in and out of the hospital but I guess at the time I didn't realize the seriousness of her illness until it was too late.

We were 20 yrs old and I along with our other BFF spoke at her funeral. I didn't go to the gravesite-never saw her tombstone and to be honest with you I never cared to. It was a closed casket funeral which I appreciated. I never saw her in death and my last memory of her was very good.

The Eve of my wedding (June 14, 2002) I had a dream about her- the only dream I've ever had about her and we were laughing and working out together and she apologized to me saying she wouldn't be able to make it to the wedding. I'm not trying to say the dream meant anything. I may have been dreaming about her simply because my wedding was the next day and her absence was felt.

I often wonder if we'd still be close if she were alive or if we'd gone our separate ways. Her death hit me and our other BFF really hard and I remember our conversation the day after. We promised to stay in touch better and 10 years later we continue to talk several times a week.

Another thing I often wonder is; why her? Why out of the three of us did she get sick? And remember when Lazarsu and the rich man died and the rich man wanted to go back and do things differently but of course couldn't. I often wonder how Tanisha and others who've passed would live if they could come back. My husband and I got into this discussion pretty heavy yesterday.

Often we as Christians go about our daily lives forgetting to pray and thank God-maybe we don't realize who God really is. I mean we can't truly fathom God's glory because if we could, if we truly could, would we do the things we do? If we could glance God and still live afterwards how would we change.

Again I don't know where my friend is right now, but I wonder, I really wonder...


-- Post From My iPhone

Gone in 90 seconds

I watched 20/20 on Friday about an 11 year old girl named Mikelle Biggs who literally vanished in 90 seconds. Her and her 9 year old sister were waiting outside for the ice cream truck when Mikelle's sister got cold and went inside to get her jacket. When she came out Mikelle was gone.

The sad part about this case is that it happened 10 years ago and still today there are no answers and no leads. It's as if the young girl totally disappeared. After extensive search efforts no body turned up. There are no suspects and no one saw or heard anything. The only thing left behind was the girls bike and two quarters that she dropped.

It was an interesting case and my heart goes out to the parents. Several years after the disappearance they held a symbolic funeral burying Mikelle because she's presumed dead. I honestly think death would be better than not knowing. Don't get me wrong both would suck but not knowing anything would be extra hard.

And then I got to wondering if God took her. I didn't spend a lot of time on this theory and I don't know if it's Biblical or not. I picked my husband's brain about it and he wasn't sure. I know that Enoch didn't experience death and I got to wondering if God still takes some people. Mikelle's case made national news but others disappear in the same and similar ways and are never heard from again.

So if anyone out there has a Biblical answer to this question then let me know. I'm not saying that God took her - I'm just saying I wonder if that still happens.