You’ll find Daddy or me snapping pictures of Cooper at all times of the day. It’s a bit of an obsession. (Well, daddy won’t admit it, but he has a Cooper-click problem; he can’t help but click his pic!) Cooper here just glowing in the sunlight. Will someone play with me?
Please?
Now, the other night, we decided to watch Dr. Dolittle with Eddie Murphy. Cooper couldn’t contain himself. He stared at the screen and wagged uncontrollably. Finally, someone who can understand me!!
Talk to me!!
Then there are times when he is wanting to play. The mommy has a call to take, and he pouts at the door.
I just want her to throw it, and she is not answering the door.
Are you in there?
Mommy?
I’m sure whatever is going on in his head, it has to do with playing with him. He cannot stand to be ignored.
Even when we are cleaning, he wants to get involved. Can I help??
He loves his family so much!! And we love you, Cooper!! Immensely.
We don’t just look forward to fireworks and cooking out on the 4th. No, it is a day of reflection, remembrance and celebration. Our country is unique, and we must make sure this is recognized; especially now in a time of chaos. Also, the left, politically, desires to destroy our country and its founding. It seeks to look at all the bad. But, we must remember, we are the country that FOUGHT slavery. We are the country that FOUGHT for liberty; for freedom; for rights endowed by our Creator.
So, we celebrate. We borrowed the script from Dennis Prager. (We did this last year too).
I gathered the needed items: strawberries, blueberries, whipped cream, sweet tea (we used lemonade), salty pretzels (saltines), a bell, a coin, and a copy of the Declaration of Independence.
I SPOKE:
Today we take a few minutes to remember what the 4th of July is about and remind ourselves how fortunate we are to be Americans. Before America was a nation, it was a dream – a dream shared by many people over many generations.
It began with the Pilgrims in 1620, who fled Europe so that they could be free to practice their religion as they saw fit. It continued through the 17th century as more and more came to a place that came to be known as the New World. In this new world, it wasn’t your past that was important; it was your future. As more and more people came, they started to see themselves not as Europeans but as Americans. The land was open and spacious. The opportunities limitless. By 1776, a century and a half after the first Pilgrims landed, the citizens were ready to break away from Old World of Europe and create a new nation.
On July 4 of that year, 1776, they did just that. They pronounced themselves free from the tyranny of the King of England. We know this pronouncement as The Declaration of Independence. This dream of independence didn’t become real by accident. The American dream became real because good people took action, and were prepared to die for the least realized of all human dreams – liberty.
Tatum read:
Q: Why do we celebrate the 4th of July? A: Because the 4th of July is the birthday of the American people – the day we chose to become the United States of America, a free and independent nation.
Q: Why is America different from all other countries?
A: In 1776, countries were based on nationality, religion, ethnicity, and geography. But America was created on the basis of a set of ideas. That is still true today.
Q: What are those ideas and what makes them so special?
A: Three ideas summarize what America is all about. You can see them engraved on every American coin. They are “Liberty,” “In God We Trust,” and “E Pluribus Unum.”
We passed around the coin, ate the strawberries and blueberries, rang the bell, and ate the saltines. Then we closed with one more ritual. We signed our names to the Declaration of Independence. (last year we signed it too). We also sang God Bless America.
After this, we watched, “Why I love America” from Dennis Prager and PragerU. Basically, this reiterated the beauty of America. I want Tatum to appreciate our country!
It was now time for dinner. Tot and I had decorated the table.
Even for Coopy!
And I made salad and potatoes while Daddy barbecued some pork loin! YUMMMMMERS
What I wonderful dinner and time with our family. We played with Coopy and tired him out.
What a blessing. What an enormous blessing to live in this amazing country. Also, to be part of my family! I only want to honor America and keep its founding sacred. May we be victorious in November with a 2nd Trump presidency!
It’s time, yes. It’s time to instill an official day where we girls do girlie things. (amidst the quarantine at least!) Of course, we started the day with prayer/gratitude/devotion and brekkie. After, we usually on Tuesdays, work on our Fairy Tale (more to come on this) and we do some Bible questions/verses. After this, I had it written on the board that we would have a surprise.
I drove her over to Luci’s. We always pass it, and she always asks when, Mommy?
Today, we would hang out on the patio and enjoy a confection. The confection, a coconut macaroon, was the size of her head,
so we cut it up.
Delicious dipped in coffee. Yes, this is what girls do. What else do girls do? They chit chat.
We did. We talked about our walks with God, her maturity, school, other girls date ideas….. Truly soul food.
We did have a reservation at Top Golf after, but we figured it might not be open. So, what do girls do? They shop. Target, here we come.
She had $10 to spend from her allowance, so we searched high and low in Target for some fun toys. In the meantime, I found a few goodies as well, like mints, gift bags, lettuce. Very random.
She hyperventilated when she saw this little cutie.
When we got home, we played a bit, ate lunch, read, and played piano. Truly a wonderful girl’s day. Swimming pool, here we come.
Back in 2013, when Tot was 3 months old, I tore my achilles tendon. A full tear.
Since then, I have worked on developing my left calf muscle. Its size is significantly smaller than the right side. I would do leg lifts at the gym, all the calf machines, and whatever I could do to make it bigger. Has it happened? Vanity aside, (not being symmetrical), I still feel pretty weak on that side, and it is still much smaller.
Well, for 3 months, the back of my ankle has bothered me. I could see the remnants of my surgery as it started to work its way out (after 7 years). I made an appointment with Dr. Waslewski (my orthopedic surgeon) so he could look at it. He found the culprit, and he said that these would have never dissolved.
Two little wire sutures
While there, I asked him about developing my calf back as it just hasn’t returned to normal. He suggested returning to Troy at Physical Therapy for an evaluation.
I showed Troy what I have been doing (DAILY! for seven years), and he immediately said, “You’re knee is bent when you are doing these lifts. This means you have developed your lower calf and ankle but NOT the calf. Try straightening your knee.”
Holy cow. He also showed me some other tweaks on what I had been doing wrong.
This is so much like life. We go along doing what we’ve always done, thinking that we are doing the right thing. Then, an objective observer notes a teeny change that would help. If we listen, the difference is profound.
Here’s a quote from Dr. Louis Newman about the Jewish concept of teshuvah, or, repentance. Remember, a simple change must be a gradual process to take hold. ” Here’s what he said:
…think about this in terms of a 360 degree circle, if you’re headed in one direction and you turn only one degree or two degrees to the right or to the left, over a long period of time — it may be a very slight turn, but over an extended period of time, if you now walk in that direction, you’ll end up in an utterly different place than if you extend that line outward infinitely. ”
Now, I know that simply straightening my knee is not about repenting from doing something sinful. BUT, it is a great analogy for the small changes we can make in our lives to grow. I had been doing my physical recovery completely wrong for so long, that it became my “right.” This is how sin can be. We do something wrong for so long that it just becomes a habit.
What will I do now? I’ll engage in small practices daily. They won’t be long; 5 minutes of some new exercises with a “straight” leg. But, in time, I will see all the difference. May we all remember that engaging in small changes and creating new habits can literally help us thrive.
