Patrick called from camp yesterday to tell us he's been invited to join the U17 National Team Residency Program for the year. He flew home last night and needs to let them know today.
He leaves to go live in Florida on Saturday.
I've been awake much too long and had far too many intense conversations to begin to convey the experience here. We're going to be very busy the next few days getting him ready to go.
In the mornings, he will train. In the afternoons, he'll be going to school at St. Stephen's, an Episcopal school in the area. When he's traveling, they will travel tutors with him. Today we begin gathering what he needs before he leaves. He's got a huge list of school supplies--including uniforms--definitely uncharted territory in this house. I'm sort of grateful that the shopping will give me something to keep my hands busy and productive. It's a lot to do in a very short time, but maybe that's for the better.
In two weeks, he leaves for a ten day trip to Spain, the first of many international adventures this year. While in Florida, he'll be living in the dorms at IMG Academy, an elite sports training facility. You can read about it here. The alumni links are pretty interesting.
Paddy has always done things with intensity, usually earlier than anyone else. So, I guess this should not catch me by surprise the way it does. The thing about a gifted child, though--they tend to make themselves the center of the universe. We're all feeling a little knocked out of our orbits this morning.
So, it will be quiet on the blog the rest of the week, as we gather and prepare (and party a little). If you think of us, might I ask a particular prayer?
Patrick was born on a Sunday morning, just a little before noon. We were home by evening. Mike tucked me and the baby into our bed, with Michael and Christian on the other side of us. There was no room for him, so he went to sleep by himself in the spare bedroom. In the middle of the night, he came in and stretched his 6'4" frame across the foot of the bed. Half asleep, I asked him what he was doing.
"I missed him. I didn't want to be so far away."
And so it's been, for Paddy's whole life. Please pray for them.
A summer day. A yard that needs mowing
again because we actually had real rain this week. Gathering clouds…
I am Listening to
Karoline singing the ABC song,
interspersed with Do-Re-Mi…
I am Wearing
A t-shirt, shorts and a heating pad. My
neck and shoulders are so tight I can’t turn my head.
I am so Grateful
for
~Jen, Julie, and Mary Chris—who made
Wednesday much better than Tuesday. Thanks for calling, for coming by, for laughing
with me. Gosh, I needed to laugh! (And, Julie, thanks for loaning us
Bailey.)
~A lot of time at Starbucks this last week to write and people watch and collect my thoughts. I wouldn't want to live that way all the time, but for that week, it was a good thing.
~Mike's perspective and patience.
I'm Pondering
These words, quoted by one of my
favorite priests this morning and sent to me by an old friend. I pray it’s so!
He drew a circle that shut me out,
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win,
We drew a circle that took him in.
About this scenario and that scenario
and the other scenario, and wishing I’d just know WHICH scenario already so I
could get on with it!
I am Creating
New chore charts. I still don’t know if Patrick will be
here or not, but I expect to have that final piece of the puzzle soon. In the
meantime, I’ve been working on “training” some small people for slightly larger
jobs.
On
my iPod
Also sent
by my friend Karen this morning.Once upon a time, Karen and I were pregnant together, awaiting spring babies and sharing faith on a college campus. Those boys are 18 years old now. I am proud to report that I did not cry when I watched this video. Instead,
I watched and was very grateful for all the seasons that lie ahead. That’s
serious progress, ladies:-)
Towards a Real
Education
I polished up the Middle Ages Reading
List for everyone from Karoline to Christian. I finished (for now;-) logging it all in on the CM Organizer.
I completely cleaned and organized the sunroom for our learning purposes. We’re
good to go! Tomorrow.
Towards
Rhythm and Beauty
Yesterday, the little boys’ practice
schedules were finalized. I fought the urge to curl up in ball and put my hands
over my head (which is where we left off at the end of last season). Instead, I
gridded it all into iCal and then I planned menus around it and then I talked
with my bigger kids and we planned who was going where when. I feel sort of
better. A little. Maybe.
Until Paddy arrives and things get
thrown again.
Until Ballet registration and I learn
something I hadn’t previously known.
~For my father, who is scheduled for knee surgery
tomorrow.
~For Patrick who will have some bigdecisions to make any minute.
~For my niece, Catie Lea, who begins her college adventure
on Tuesday –and for her mama, Michele.
In the Garden
Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes.
Around the House
We’re going to paint this week. My
friend Julie (who is the only reason my husband is trusting me with a
paintbrush) says she’ll help with the bathroom painting. I know me: When you
give a mom a paintbrush…
From the Kitchen
I’m
kicking into the fall menu earlier than I’d like. The schedule is going to
require some stewy, slow-cooked things. Personally, I’m not eating any of it.
I’m existing on tea, green smoothies, an occasional soy latte, and sushi every
now and then. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
One of My Favorite
Things
Text messages from my boys—not really,
but I’ll take what I can get.
Sarah
Annie this week
I think
she needs to go in to be weighed and measured. I’ve been looking at pictures of
other ‘babies’ born when she was and she seems really tiny in comparison. I saw
recent pictures of my cousin’s little girl, who was born a couple of months
before Sarah and I had to stop and check to be sure that she was born before
Sarah and not Karoline. I’m not really worried because she’s thriving and seems
very well, but I have a hunch she’s teeny-tiny.
A
Few Plans for the Rest of the Week
Soccer
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and a tournament on Saturday and Sunday. Paddy comes home Monday
night—I expect our schedule this week will be affected somewhat by whether or
not he’s going to return to Florida for the full-year residency program.
We are
going to begin our lessons as planned.
And we
are going to squeeze those last few weeks out of the neighborhood pool.
Picture thoughts:
Me: Kari, that outfit doesn't match.
Kari: Of course it does. Grandma gave me the shirt. Grandma gave me the pants. Both from Grandma, so they match each other. Perfect!
An amazing thing is happening in the blogworld. People are taking Ann's words to heart and emailing them to each other with assurances of genuine love. Wounds are beginning to heal. Warm embraces are being exchanged. Apologies are being whispered. A fresh, hopeful breeze is blowing across this far-flung community.
"I promise I will never speak an unkind word to or about you. Iwill never be jealous of you. I will never compete with you. I will
never abandon or betray you. I will love you. I will pray for you. I
will do all I can to help you go far and wide in the Kingdom.
I will accept you as you are, always. I
will be loyal to you. Before our loving God of grace, you have my words
and my heart in friendship for this life and forever with Him.”
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A
single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple,
special, extraordinary moment. A moment I
want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same,
visit Soulemama to leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
The most interesting thing has happened over the course of the last few weeks. Some events in my very real, up-close life have conspired to completely reverse my opinions on social networking. (You can stop laughing, Dallas.) Maybe someday, I'll tell the story on these pages. For now, though, I'm uniquely grateful for the blessings born here on this blog and in the community of blogging women. I'm seeing the genuine joy a blog can be for the first time in a long time.
This morning, my dear friend Ann gave voice to a balm for the painful wounds of saddened friendships. It was a privilege and a joy to hear her dear voice across the miles as she uttered these sweet words:
"I promise I will never speak an unkind word to or about you. I will never be jealous of you. I will never compete with you. I will never abandon or betray you. I will love you. I will pray for you. I will do all I can to help you go far and wide in the Kingdom.
I will accept you as you are, always. I will be loyal to you. Before our loving God of grace, you have my words and my heart in friendship for this life and forever with Him.”
This afternoon, I was privileged to join a another dear friend across the miles. There is no wound so painful, no hurt so raw as a mother's heart just after she sends her firstborn to college. I know. Three years ago, I was there. And on the way home, I pulled over and called Dallas. (How funny, all these things keep ending up in Dallas. Huh. I'll have to think on that one day.) Anyway, I called Dallas. And the voice on the end of the phone told me to go buy a tablecloth. I can't remember why. But I remember the tablecloth. More than that, I remember the gift of love that was her voice. She was a woman "met" in the blogosphere, reaching across the miles with genuine charity.
Today, I talked with Lisa Hendey just moments after she watched her elder son take flight, bound for Harvard, three thousand miles from home. Sweet Rachel Balducci joined us--nothing like a southern accent and a warm shoulder to ease the pain and share the burden. Looking back, I still can't believe we put these moments on record and shared them. But I think they'll bless you. I know that conversation genuinely blessed me. Please listen.
And offer a prayer for Lisa. Because it really does hurt in a way that only God can heal.
In The Heart of My Home
I'm Elizabeth. I'm a happy wife and the mother of nine children. I grab grace with both hands and write to encourage myself and others to seize and nurture the joy of every day. I blog here with my daughter, Mary Beth, a wholehearted young lady on the brink of adulthood.
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