TOMMY TURNS 14!!!

Tomorrow March 24 will be a very special day in our home! Our youngest son, Tommy, turns 14. How fast the years have gone. I so remember the day he was born--I had a 7:30 surgery to do and at the end of the case realized I was a little uncomfortable. I walked from the hospital across the walkway to my OB for my scheduled appt. He informed me that I was in labor, to walk back to the hospital, and get ready to have a baby! I called Tim who was at the dentist's office getting ready to have a root canal. He was more than happy to bolt out of the dentist's office, only to have the dentist run after him, saying that they could reschedule him! Tommy was born by mid-afternoon and he was my biggest baby at 8lb. 11oz. That evening Tim brought Timmy and Taddy to the hospital to meet their little brother. Taddy almost upset the bassinette trying to look in. It was basketball season then as well and Tommy and I watched KU lose to Purdue.

Tommy is a delightful son and brings us so much happiness. He is always so willing to help around the house and the yard. He keeps his room so neat and is very organized. This has been his first year in public school and he studies very hard. He has made the honor roll both 9 weeks and his dad and I get to attend the honor roll breakfast for parents. His Bible verse for the school year is Phil. 4:13.

Tommy really likes sports--his favorite being basketball. He hopes that KU can win it all this year! (So do the rest of us.) The New York Yankees are his favorite baseball team.

Tommy is so kind to both of his grandmothers and made each of them happy on Easter Sunday as he visited them. Tommy, we thank God for you and wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! WE LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH!

Changing of the Drivers

A goal that I have in blogging is so that someday our sons might have a record/memories of some of the events in my own life that had an affect on me. The following is one of these:

It was the day before Thanksgiving l975 and I was a tired, discouraged, medical student at the Univ. of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City. I didn't have a car and lived in a small dorm room on the medical center campus. A day before, K.C. had a significant snow storm. The medical student that I usually got rides with didn't want to drive back to the Abilene area (which I understood) and decided to spend Thanksgiving in K.C. I called my parents to state that I didn't have a ride home. I'll never forget my dad immediately saying, "I"ll Come Get You!" (Oh, how good those words sounded and tears still come to my eyes thinking about it.) I had an idea about when he might arrive that night so I started looking out my dorm window. After a while, I could make out the headlights of their l965 Ford rounding the corner by our dorm. My dad and I were so happy to see each other! He said. "Your mother would have come, too, but as soon as she got finished teaching school, she got groceries and headed home to start getting the Thanksgiving meal for tomorrow ready." He told me that before he left Abilene for the l50 mile trip to K.C. he stoped at Holt Motor so they could put chains on the tires. I still remember that night--he pulled back onto I-70 to head for home! My dad had come for me; the car was so warm; and I had the best driver in the world to get me home. (And he did!)

Fast forward 25 years to 2000. My dad is now elderly and having health challenges. He had just recently been dismissed from the hospital and was still quite weak. It was time for his eye appt. in K.C. with an ophthalmologist who had been caring for him for many years. I picked my folks up at their Assisted Living Apt. in Abilene and we headed for K.C. We had his wheel chair in the back of our van. As we were returning from K.C. to Abilene, my dad was so weak that he would keep leaning toward me and I would keep pushing him back up. As we were heading home along I-70, I thought how much had changed--now I was the driver and he was the passenger. This man who was so skilled and had gotten me home in a bad blizzard, now needed me, just as I so needed him.

The older I get the more I realize how so much in life comes "Full Circle". As two of our sons are now driving, I will more and more, once again, be the passenger. But, I will always treasure the memory of being the passenger when my dad went through a bad snowstorm to get me home for Thanksgiving.

My Sister--LAUREL

It seems fitting that I should feature my sister, Laurel, on a spring Sunday afternoon because of the memories I want to convey.
It was the spring of l959 and on a Sunday afternoon my parents, sister Donneta, and I were traveling down "Old Highway 40" as we were returning home from visiting friends in Junction City. We were in my folks l953 Ford and this was long before seat belts. I moved to the center of the back seat so I could position myself right between my folks. I conveyed to them that I knew that it "took a long time for a baby" so I wanted to put my order in ahead of time so that they would know what I wanted more than anything else in the world for Christmas l959. (I recall that they kind of looked at each other with that "parent kind" of look and smiled.) They tried to tell me that I probably needed new pajamas more since mine had holes in the feet, but I remained resolute that I wanted another sister.
A couple of months later my mom came out wearing maternity clothes and Donneta and I were overjoyed!! Our youngest sister, Laurel, named after our mother, was born on December 18 and she and Mom came home on Christmas Eve! My dream and wish came true! Our growing up years together were just a treasure. Laurel was almost 6 years younger than Donneta and almost 8 years younger than me. She was so loyal to every event and activity that we were in. No one was happier for us if our softball team or Bible Quiz team won and no one felt more disappointed when we lost. When Donneta and I were in high school Laurel was in grade school but she came to every event we were in. Due to her interest, I got a high school yearbook just for her. She spent so much time looking at it that when we would mention a student's name she could (by memory) list the pages his/her pictures were on.
During Laurel's high school years she became very skilled in photography. When I graduated from medical school, she took a day off school so that she could be in Lawrence to get pictures of the event. My most treasured photos of the event are due to her diligence and expertise.
Laurel has always been so LOYAL to all of us. Once, when we were trying to think of a password for an alarm systerm, my dad suggested (thinking of Laurel) that we use "Loyal McBoyle". Many years ago during a sad time in my life, Laurel called me with some very helpful insights. I've probably never thanked her enough for what that meant.
So on this spring Sunday of 2008, I think back with much fondness to my "childhood request of l959". I am so thankful that my parents "complied" with my Christmas request because my life has been so blessed and so enriched because I have a wonderful sister--LAUREL.

MY PRECIOUS FAMILY

"Count no day unimportant when you still have each other,
For the time will come, when you would give anything and everything
For just one day--any ordinary day, you once shared together."

I do not know the original author of this statement, but my mother wrote it on a 3x5 card and had taped it to a kitchen cabinet in their farmhouse. My mother truly lived the message of these words and she would frequently remind us that good-byes and departures should always (if at all possible) be on a happy, loving note--because none of us would know in advance if it could be our last farewell here on earth.

This week I was soberly reminded of the reality of these words. Two area families were tragically affected with loss of lives in accidents. Life as the survivors knew it will never be the same. My heart aches for the unimaginable grief their loved ones are experiencing.

I've been reminded of the truths from James 4 about "our plans" and the reality that we do not know what our life will be like tomorrow. The phrase comes to mind "Only one life will soon be past, Only what's done for Christ will last."

So, Tim, Timmy, Taddy, and Tommy I love you ever so much. May I never minimize a day that I have the opportunity and privilege of sharing life with you and may I always have an eternal perspective on what matter most!

MY VALENTINE!!

Twenty years ago on Valentine's Day a "new friend", Tim Wiesner, made my day so special. Now these years later, as his wife and the mother of our 3 sons, he continues to be the treasured delight of my life! Together we have journeyed through life's moments--births of 3 sons, 2 miscarriages, witnessing the aging process in our parents (and ourselves!), job changes, kid's sports events, and many others.
Possibly Irving Berlin's "ALWAYS" conveys it best, Tim.

"I'll be loving you, always
With a love that's true, always
When the things you've planned
Need a helping hand,
I will understand, always, always
Days may not be fair, always.
That's when I'll be there, always.
Not for just an hour,
Not for just a day,
Not for just a year, but ALWAYS!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, TIM! May we have a thousand (and more) tomorrows just like today. I love you, ALWAYS! Marilee

HAPPY #16 TAD!!

Today is a special day in our home. Our middle son, Tad, turns 16! At about this time 16 years ago I was sitting at the kitchen table, and got up to go into another room. After taking a few steps there was a "pop" and water was running down my leg! We knew that this was the day! It was also John Deere Day in Abilene so we told my parents that they might want to go in early for the meal, etc. so they could head to Wichita! Tad weighed 8 lb. 3oz. and was born with a furrowed brow. (My dad said that he was already worried about the national debt.) He had long fingers and toes and I thought that he might be a piano player, but a number of years of lessons, and his great delight to quit proved that to be wrong!

We shared with Tad this morning, for the first time, that some blood work early on in my pregnancy "indicated" that there might be problems for the baby. (I can't remember for certain but possibly spina bifida or Downs syndrome. We would have never thought of ending the pregnancy as our love for him was unconditional.) We were so thankful that he didn't have these challenges, but possibly this knowledge will be a needed reminder to all of us to make the most of what has been given to us.

Last night it was fun to see Tad be the point guard for his freshman team. They won 58-51 and he was able to score 12 points. (His younger brother, Tom, thought that Mom was cheering too loudly at the end as it was a come from behind victory--but maybe that is what Mother's are for.)

The photo is of Tad carrying the ball after he had made an interception. He loves football and just the day before his favorite pro playing Brian Urlacher with the Chicago Bears had made a similar play.

Happy Birthday Tad! Please always remember that "To whom much has been given much will be required." We pray that to honor the Lord and always do your best and try your hardest will burn within your heart and soul.

Our Oldest Son--TIM

In a previous blog I had stated that I wanted to tell a little about each of our sons. We were so blessed on July 8, l990 with the arrival of Timothy Joseph "Timmy or Tim"! I had been helping my folks with the wheat harvest just 9 days before he arrived. His due date was July 31 so I "thought" that we still had a little more time. Tim has been such a joy in our lives. He is now a junior in high school at Trinity Academy. This year he has been especially busy as the junior class president. We were happy for him last fall when he was inducted into the National Honor Society. Tim enjoys music and is in several singing groups at school--though he refuses to sing for us at home and barely moves his lips during singing at church! He drives a l982 VW bus that doesn't have AC or heat so he and Tad have "cool" rides to school in the a.m. There was a time in his life when he thought that we were way too conservative and told his dad and me that living with us was like living with the Amish. He may have reconsidered that statement! I should also credit him for helping me with the computer and he will probably need to help me get these pictures of him loaded. We love you so much Tim and thank God that we have the privilege of being your parents and sharing life with you!