Be Grateful

We watched the movie Courageous this week. One line stood out to me.

“You can be angry at what time you didn’t get with her, or you can be grateful for the time you had with her.”

That’s TOUGH.

But so, so, so true.

Sometimes I think Dave and I had it easier. Meaning we had such a long time to figure out how we were going to deal with Carmen dying. I think about people who suddenly, unexpectedly lose a child or a spouse. Or have a child kidnapped and never found. Or have a child who endures extreme pain for years and years. Carmen was unaware and unresponsive, a blessing to her. I don’t know…I just think that there are worse things. I suppose that’s helpful to me. Tay Sachs was BAD but it could have been worse. Yes, that is helpful.

I am grateful for the time we had with her but I do wish that we could have had a longer time of happy, healthy Carmen in this life. We really only had a few months, from 6 to 10 months, before Tay Sachs started taking over.

Death, dying and losing family and friends is easier to think about in the context of eternity. It’s easier to be grateful for a short time on earth when Heaven is waiting and eternity is a very, very, very long time.

Carmen, photo taken by Rashmi Pappu

Wes Needs Prayer

I didn’t prepare a More About You Monday question for today so instead, we will just ask that you pray for Dave’s brother, Wes. He went in for what was supposed to be a minor surgery to repair the incision site of his original kidney transplant. Things haven’t gone as expected and Wes has been dealing with a great deal of pain.

You can read his updates here.

Thanks!

What’s on the Agenda?

It’s raining all day today so it is a good day to get things done.

Let’s see…

Art class for Lauren. Prime and paint a coffee table. Baby proof the rest of the house. Come up with meal plan for next week. Naps? Laundry. IKEA-run for an organizer system for NY Grandma and Grandpa, who are staying with us for the rest of the winter. Pay bills. Pickup NY Grandpa from the airport. Oh…and remember in the midst of it all to practice patience, grace and love.

Daddy Daughter Dance

Dave and Lauren are at Lauren’s first dance: a daddy daughter dance hosted by Lauren’s school.

Lauren, you have a very handsome date and Dave, you have a beautiful one!

Flippin’ the Flapjacks

I make pancakes for the girls just about every week. For years I’ve been making them in a non-stick skillet, one at a time. I spotted a double burner cast iron griddle on Amazon and decided to give it a try.

I LOVE it.

I made a triple batch of buttermilk pancakes (some with blueberries and some with chocolate chips) last week and it took me a fraction of the time I usually set aside for pancake making. Plus, I didn’t burn a single one. The cast iron evenly distributes the heat much better than my old nonstick.

Not sure what all my girls will remember from their childhoods but pancakes will most certainly be on the list!

We are not getting paid or reimbursed in any way for this post. We just like to pass along good product ideas when we come across them!

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