Lars goes fishing

In a last minute attempt to salvage the last few hours of summer (actually, it was the first day of fall), Douthit's invited us to the lake for a campfire and fishing adventure.  Lars was thrilled, and was screaming in his #5 voice, "Mark-y's going to take me me fishing!!" over and over and over again. 

I was pooped after a long day and on my way home to veg, but Laura said she'd bring everything and all I'd have to do is show up with the kids and Lars' new fishing pole (which was in the car with his new Spiderman tackle box before I even gathered my things up and got OUT of the car). 

After a few minutes of throwing some things together from the fridge, jackets and bug spray, we loaded up and headed to the lake.  But I forgot the bag of stuff that I'd just packed up.  And Laura forgot the 'fire stuff' and Lexi wanted me to bring her a pair of flip flops. And then there is the small detail of matches to LIGHT the fire.  And the dog.  At least Dave stopped to get worms.

At any rate, we got out to the lake in plenty of time to make three trips back to town, fish, eat and socialize.  Lars wanted to eat the fish we would catch, but Laura said we didn't have a knife to fillet it.  All Allen heard as he was climbing back into the Ford for the 1st trip back to town was something about not having a knife and he asked, "Did I hear that I needed to grab a knife, too?"  And we all said, "NO" at the same time. 

While Dave put the pole together and stung the line, Mark and Lars dug into the tackle box. Lars started looking for the perfect spot to fish.  He told the girls "I need it quiet, I'm fishing!" in his loudest whisper, and they wandered further up the banks to look for sea shells.  With Mark-y's diligent (and patient) guidance, he taught Lars how to cast, turn the handle half a crank till you hear the click, and stand there quietly.  Lars seemed willing to wait all night if he had to, he wasn't in any hurry.  He kept whisper yelling to the girls (who were getting closer and closer with every find) "I'm fishing.  I need it very quiet!"

In no time at all, he felt the tug.  Mark set the hook and Lars started reeling it in.  The look on his face is impossible to describe.  It was like he didn't know what he was about to find on the end of the line and then when the fish came wriggling out of the water, Lars' face lit up like the sunset.  The fish was a small trout and Lars had the most excited look on his face ever when it hauled out of the water.  He was squealing with glee, and of course moving around so much, I couldn't get the camera to focus for a photo.  Mark got it off the hook and Lars studied it, felt it and studied it some more.  Mark suggested they put it back in the water so it didn't die and Lars agreed, so long as he could catch it again later.

When asked at the campfire how big the fish was, he held up his hands in the appropriate length (he's as honest as you'll ever meet) but said, "about 20 foot long".  Said like a true fisherman!

In all, it was a good night with friends and family and a couple of labs thrown in for fun. 

Fall is here and with that, another season of memories to make.

Lars is Five!~

I'm pretty sure Lars just grew into a little boy overnight.  

He went to bed last night, a sweet 4 year old with visible thorns in his life.  He was hidden under his heavy blanket when I went in to tuck him in.  I peeled the blanket back from his face and said, "Good night Lars, I love you." And he said, "I need that over my face."

I said, "I'll see you in the morning, buddy.  I love you."  

(yes, trying to receive a reciprocal response!)

And he said, "Tomorrow is my Birthday. I will be Five"

Indeed.  

Today, Eliezer Matthew, the boy who amazes me in so may ways, is now five years old.  I think I say this every year, but he's so much more than that lifeless blue body that came into the world that awful September afternoon.  He just is who he is. 

Right now, he is pretending to be a pirate.  He has a cardboard box and masking tape and scissors.  I believe a treasure chest is in the making.  He told me that he needs a ship.  Anybody have a spare one we can borrow? I suggested the couch, but he said a couch doesn't move, so it won't work.  

Imagination?  Yes.  As long as it is practical...

ARRHHH Matey!

Tuesday, September 11

It was a Tuesday and I was living in St. Louis, Missouri at the time, working as an ABA therapist with autistic children at an elementary school near my apartment.  I was single with a boyfriend at the seminary, no children, no real significant commitment to life's changes and courses.  Not even realizing how good life was. 

We had just brought the kids from Morning Calendar Time to their Cubby areas to work individually with their therapists.  We hadn't been at our seats more than 5 minutes. 

When the principle came into our outdoor classroom and whispered into the head teacher's ear and her hand came to her mouth in shock, I figured it didn't concern me and kept on working with my student. 

Then, quite suddenly, one of the other therapists got up and ran to the parking lot, rifled through his car, and brought back into the classroom a boom box with a 4" black and white TV on the front. Whilst the rest of us left our cubbys and let our kids roam free in the centers areas, he plugged it in, shot the antenna up and tuned into CBS just as we all watched a plane crash into the 2nd tower of the World Trade Center. 

All he said was "Al Qaeda" and I looked over at him with a funny look and said, "Huh?" 

Little did I know then, that would become a household name. 

As the kids wandered over to see what was going on, somebody grabbed the big tri-fold floor mat and placed it around the boom box as a screen.  All the adults could see, and all the kids were jumping up and down by their respective therapists to see what was going on. Through the silence, the kids soon bored of trying to see over the mat and began playing on the floor next to us.

The rest of the day is a blur of watching TV, pushing the kids on the swings, eating lunch in our outdoor classroom, and talking about it; whatever "it" was.  I don't think we earned our pay that day, because I'm not sure we did any real teaching.  But we all learned a lot.

When we left school that day, I went directly to the seminary to find Allen, who had his own version of events to share.  He had a TV in his room, so we went up to watch more of the same.  I wondered if the Hot Air Balloon show would still occur that weekend in Forrest Park downtown.  I wasn't thinking that I was being selfish, I just didn't understand the full impact of what had happened.  And I was anxiously awaiting that hot air balloon show!  I think we went to Evening Prayer that night in the chapel at 10:00p like we usually did, and I drove home and went to bed.

It was only as time went on did I realize that this was my generation's "Pearl Harbor" or "The Day Kennedy was Shot".  And then I wondered if I should have reacted differently? 

Where were you on 9/11?

Douthit Fire

Laura Douthit came home tonight to her girls (who've been camping out at the Strawn's all week) and a simple pot of stew & biscuits, with hopes that Mark will return before the weekend is over. In between smoke inhalation, running Mark to the ER for stitches, cooking food (with gas stove and no electricity) to feed firemen, running fire lines, cleaning up after the sleeping firefighters, manning the phones, thanking people endlessly, fending off reporters, packing up years worth of memories, and (excuse the pun) keeping her "cool under fire" with the in-laws, Laura snapped a few photos to share. As many of you continue to keep them in your prayers, I show you their beautiful land, now forever changed. The trees will grow back in their grand-children's lifetime, the grass will be green again, the wildlife will return to breed and fill the country side. But for now, things are a little bit sad. And things look a little bit different. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. We love you, Douthits.

If you wish to read about the Douthit Fire.....

 Google "Douthit Fire".  

There are at least a dozen articles from Nebraska newspapers today.