Tyler's Honor Choir and Prayer Request

Tomorrow I take Tyler north to Eugene for his experience at State Honor Choir! It's interesting parenting an Asperger's child. He has these amazing musical abilities, and I'm thrilled that he was chosen for this honor (sic). But - there will be no one there who knows him, who knows what to do if he gets frustrated or loud. Or gets lost in space (figuratively, most of the time). So the plan (after much prayer, thought and discussion with Todd) is for me to take him up early and try to speak with the folks who will be supervising this huge group of Middle Schoolers (a shudder actually just ran through me!) and try to explain Aspergers in words of one syllable about a young man who looks perfectly normal, and try not to come off as simply an over-protective mother.

If I am confident that someone responsible understands the situation, I will leave him in their care and trust them, Tyler and God with his safe-keeping. This is a 2-day event, by the way, and so he will have to maneuver sleeping in a hotel room and remember to take his pills (which, although naturopathic, really make a significant difference in his ability to relate successfully to the world around him). He will have Todd's cell phone for emergencies, and I can be up there in an hour. Pris and I plan to attend his performance Friday evening, and hopefully everything will go smoothly and he will have had an enriching and satisfying experience.

Still, if you think of him, would you please pray for him? And me. I'm a little anxious.

Poetry Friday

Dream Variations

To fling my arms wide
In some place of the sun,
To whirl and to dance
Till the white day is done.
Then rest at cool evening
Beneath a tall tree
While night comes on gently,
Dark like me-
That is my dream!

To fling my arms wide
In the face of the sun,
Dance! Whirl! Whirl!
Till the quick day is done.
Rest at pale evening...
A tall, slim tree...
Night coming tenderly
Black like me.

Langston Hughes

The Christmas Choir on YouTube!

I hope you can take 9 or 10 minutes to listen to our 3 songs from Christmas weekend. We just had a marvelous time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxCaxFpJqyw

New Year's Eve

How's that for a buffet table? Chowder and sandwich fixin's along with snacks and condiments.

You won't catch Todd letting me put his picture on the web often, so look quick! This picture may self-destruct in 5-4-3...

Snow/Green

This was a while ago. The weather has been rainy rather than snowy for about a week.

But it was serious for awhile!
Annie wasn't too sure where to piddle!

This rainbow was just disappearing as Todd called me to look.

See, I really prefer green to black and white!

It's Beautiful After All

For the enjoyment of any blog readers who are actual fans of snow, these pictures are for you! It doesn't look like this anymore, which is A-OK by me. But I guess it was kinda pretty after all.

And here's my current contribution to the Christmas spirit. It's much prettier in person, especially when it's the only light in the dark room first thing in the morning!

Okay, Enough Whining

Perhaps it's the apple crisp cooling on the counter. Perhaps it's video of an ice storm in the east that caused 1.5 million folks to lose their electricity. Maybe it's Eva Hall telling on FB of attending an outdoor hockey game at minus 30 degrees. Or somewhere in Arkansas a little boy and his mom wishing they could make a snowman.

Whatever, I think I'm over myself!