Change of Plans for Grandma...Plus

Change of plans for Grandma...she is going to stay where she is. Because of the level of care she is requiring, because noise has begun to make her startle, because it doesn't seem like much longer now...her husband and sons now think it's best to keep her there. She's not really awake and aware for more than a few minutes a day, and wasn't able to speak to my brother-in-law at all yesterday. We are hoping she will know we are there, if our whole family comes one more time, maybe.

But so much to do before we go to Ohio, soon, for a celebration of my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. It turns out it's going to be quite a family reunion! Can't wait to see aunts, uncles, brothers, nieces, one new nephew and cousins galore.

When we get back, Papa Rooster starts his new job, so we've been trying to get his office into decent shape so he can work there comfortably. But it's hard with so many books filling it! He's been weeding out his collection since he's out of shelf space, and I have been going through family shelves to see if we can make some more room there too.

I'm finding we own a number of kids' classics that I can't imagine our kids having any interest in reading.  Should I hang onto Captains Courageous? Treasure Island? Kidnapped? The Spy? Never read them any of them myself. The language seems difficult and archaic to today's kids, but maybe they'd work well as read-alouds. I'm sure they are available at the library, as are many other literary classics we own; they're probably online too, but these are such beautiful hardbound editions! I wish our kids didn't have so many distractions from reading. I loved to read when I was growing up, but I know I often read because there was nothing else to do. I don't know if I would have struggled through some of the more difficult books if I'd had a home library of DVD's and VHS's also, and the internet just a click away. Pooh. A plague on all technology.

In other news, B13 had a great week at a Christian summer camp--not Honey Rock, where his older brother and sister have gone, but Camp Zion in Door County. It was his first time and we are so thankful that he had such a great experience. It was a very meaningful and significant week for him. Praise the Lord!

Tonight, our air conditioner is broken. It is a sticky 84 degrees, even at midnight, so we are all sleeping in the basement tonight. Fortunately, B13 and B17 are spending the night at the home of their friends--brothers--a rare treat. Now, I sure am thankful we let them go! I like how God worked that out.

He works it all out. Even if no one does ever read Kidnapped, illustrated by N.C. Wyeth. Even with death and loss looming. Even with change and challenges ever before us. He works it all out for good.