Over the Edge

So what do my husband, mortal terror, the Special Olympics, and this building have in common?

 

How we spent last Saturday.

 

Matt participated in the Over the Edge fundraising event to raise funds for the Special Olympics.  He has been volunteering at the Special Olympics for several years now, and was excited to be able to earn money for them.  Anyone who raised over $1000 "got to" repel down the side of the Vue building in Charlotte.  Matt is only afraid of a very few things.  Heights is the big one.  His palms get sweaty just watching people on top of high things in movies.  But he did it.  He climbed over the railing of his own accord and repeled down 35 stories.  I'm so proud of him!

Story in a BackPack

The other day, my kids were playing on the school playground right after school and had deposited their belongings in a big heap by one of the picnic tables.  As I picked up some of the stray items that hadn't quite made into the packs, I noticed the uniqueness of each pack. 

Just looking at the packs tells quite a bit about each child.

Joe.  Joe's pack weighs a ton!  I opened it up and, in between the crumpled and tattered loose papers (homework, info sheets, trash, stock certificates, who knows) were three 300+ pg hardback books.  Why he needed all three is beyond me.  He actually  gets into trouble often for getting so involved in a book that he doesn't hear instructions given.  I probably ought to have him keep his reading books at home.  Thursday he left his lunch bag at school...again, so we told him he would have to bring Mary's old flowered lunch box.  We decided public humiliation is probably a little harsh, so we told him he had to leave home Mark of Athena (the new Rick Riordan book that he has been waiting a year for - and which he is almost done with even though we got it Tuesday) as a consequence and also an incentive to bring his lunch bag home in the future.  He was FURIOUS!  He actually considered it when we asked him if he'd rather bring the flowered lunch bag.

Emily.  She has drawn things all over it in permanent marker.  Her name, flowers, designs.  It is full of dirt and rocks and leaves, dried flowers and acorns.  It also has her notebook in which she is writing a novel with her friends.  Finally, there are a couple of nature picture books.

Mary's pack was empty.  There's a little hole on the bottom from her dragging it.  She takes everything out of it as soon as she possibly can so usually it is just empty.  I'm not sure what that says about her, but it is quirky and funny all the same.

Will has a little sling pack too.  He is a little pack rat!!  It is full to bursting with all sorts of stuff.  Toys, diapers, notebooks, reading books, crayons, Ben's binkies, food.  I have to check it regularly to make sure he doesn't have string cheese in there (he is always pilfering the string cheese).  A couple of weeks ago at church he had a piece of string cheese in his pocket the whole time.  It cracks me up.

Ben doesn't have a back pack, but he gets an honorable mention just for being so darn adorable.

Our Lots

Emily writes.  A lot.  She writes little notes to people.  She writes in a little diary notebook that she bought with some of her grandma birthday money.  She writes stories.

A little while ago, Emily was writing little info sheets for each member of the family.  She put our favorites and then what she loved about us.  For mine she wrote some very nice things and then that she loved me because "my mom and dad are not separated."

It made me so sad that the idea that moms and dads could be separated is so present that she is grateful that we are not.  Now, I guess that sounds weird.  I am really glad that she is able to see what a blessing it is for our family to be all together, but 6 (now 7) seems so young to be faced with the reality of divorce.  I asked if some of her friends parents were separated and she nodded.  It really seemed to bother her.  My heart aches for those precious children who have to face so many hard adult problems.  It doesn't really seem fair.  As I was thinking about the state of the world and my children's place in it, I just felt dispair.  How on earth were they going to make it through all the stuff out there and come out unscathed?  An oddly comforting thought came.  They wouldnt, BUT... that is what the atonement is for.  Everything will come out even in the end.  No matter what our lot is in life, the Savior will make up for it.  I'm so grateful for that knowledge!  It would be so hard to raise children without it.