Asking for Help

Asking for help tends to go against our human nature. But weren't we made for relationships? Why, then, do we feel compelled to have a myriad of relationships in which we would willingly offer assistance, yet we shrink back in silent stubbornness when we require assistance? Why do we feel like asking for help is a sign of weakness?

And when did it become such a bad thing? I know my little boy willingly asks for help without hesitation a million times a day! And he asks with a smile on his face. He doesn't apologize for asking or make excuses as to why he really doesn't "need" it but it would be better for me to help. He needs help getting food and drink. He needs help staying clean and getting dressed. He wants to hold my hand when he walks up or down steps. He is getting to be more independent every day. But he still asks for help constantly. And I love it. I don't get exasperated or put out when he needs anything.

Asking for help does not indicate weakness, incompetency, ineptness, or stupidity. Whether it's needing an ear to bend, wanting an extra set of hands in the yard work, needing a meal when you're under the weather, or something more, there should be no shame in asking for help. Needing to pick someone's brain to sort out your own thoughts doesn't mean you're incapable of rational thought. Asking for assistance with a child who's not yet talking doesn't make me a bad or incompetent parent.

Look at heads of state, for example. They're never asked to know absolutely everything. They're not expected to make every decision by themselves. We wouldn't want them to! Rather, they surround themselves with people who have strengths the head of state does not. There's accountability in relationships. There's comfort in not having to know and be and do everything.

There's a blessing that comes with offering and extending assistance to our fellow man. When we refuse offered assistance or are too stubborn to ask when we need it, we deny others their blessings. When you think of it like that, by asking for help, you are offering others an opportunity to be blessed and bless you. It's truly a win-win.

So when you need help, be it big or little, ask. We were designed, created, made for relationships. Be someone who asks. Be someone who can be asked. Be vulnerable. Be approachable. Be in relationships. It makes you, in my opinion, a stronger and better person.

New Computer and Haircut

My computer had been acting somewhat wonky lately. (Yes, "wonky" is a technical term.) So this evening, I took it over to a computer repair shop. While there, discovered that it would be cheaper to just buy a new one. So, I did. Yippee!!! Too bad it took almost three hours. (Boo!) You may get tired of me. I love this thing so much right now, I might start blogging multiple times a day. About even more of nothing than I already do.

The new haircut is not mine. Rather, it is my adorable son's and was given by my adorable husband. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it yet. I even tried sneaking in while he was asleep to see my handsome boy. But hubby said it looks ridiculously awesome. I am chomping at the bit to see him! The only downside is that the bathroom is now covered in sandy blonde hair. If nothing else, I guess that's job security! ;) It'll give me something to do during nap time tomorrow (as if I had nothing better to do.)

Anywho, it's awfully nice to have a life with so little drama that one can get excited about small pleasantries such as new toys and haircuts on little boys. Will post a picture of him tomorrow.

Going for a Drive

I didn't get it while watching movies from the 50s. Why would anyone ask to "go for a drive" as a date? Parking, I get. But a drive? I get it now. Saturday was beautiful, weather wise, around here. Hubby, son, and I went to play at a local park. Had a delightful time. But the boy soon tired (which was fine) so we left.

As we were heading home, with the sun still shining warmly and the wind blowing through the cracked windows in the car, I asked if we could just keep going. The boy was content, with his sippy cup of milk. The radio kept playing good songs. And I just wasn't ready to give up the undivided attentive family time to the distractions of television, video games, or even reading.

I just wanted to go for a drive. Yes, gas is outlandishly expensive. But it was worth every cent. We headed out to the small towns in the surrounding area. We drove through the main drag of one "city" and laughed. We looked at the cows dotting the fields of the countryside. We admired the gigantic houses on acres of land. We smiled at the feed store, not too far from a well-kept trailer park.

We sang. We talked. We laughed. We tickled the knucklehead. We even enjoyed the silence. We didn't "park." (We did have the kid, after all.) We just drove. I don't even know how long or how far we "wasted" gas. But it wasn't wasted. It was gas and money well-spent. Because that's a memory I can always cherish. It's a moment in time with my son that exact age, with my fantastic husband, that can never be recaptured. And we spent that moment well.

It may seem silly to go for a drive with no place to go and no reason for going. But trust me when I say, I get it. And it's fantastic! So, if you find yourself on a lovely, sunny day with nothing to do, and maybe nothing to even say, go for a drive. You won't regret it.

A New Joy to Enjoy

I love the new things. I mean, my kiddo amazes me every day with something. But the new things, the first times, those make my heart melt, break, sing, or soar. Today, for the first REAL time, he gave me a kiss when I asked for one. He gave my husband one without prompt a couple of weeks ago. But I usually only get one if he has food in his mouth (which prevents him from opening wide and trying to slobber on me.)

Tonight, though, he was particularly sleepy, silly, and snuggly. He came in for a hug. I asked for a kiss as well. He closed his mouth and leaned towards me. I kissed his sweet face and he responded with a "Muh" sound as I kissed him. Yep, my heart broke, melted, sang, and soared! It was just beyond sweet. I love that he is affectionate towards us. I don't know how long this will last. I don't know if it'll come and go in fits and starts. But I'll enjoy it for as long as I can get it!

I know there's lots of debates and opinions as to kissing a child / parent on the mouth. I guess my feeling is, as long as both people are comfortable, there's nothing wrong or "icky" about a peck on the lips. So I will kiss my little boy, knowing it won't last forever. But I'll take a piece of advice from Mary (you know, Jesus' mommy?) I will hide this and treasure it in my heart always.

Breakfast, bumps, and bruises

My day in three words. It started off with a lovely time at breakfast with BOTH of my boys. Hubby worked the later shift today, so we went out for breakfast at the tres chic restaurant called Chick-fil-a. It really is a pleasant place to eat and we always enjoy it. The one thing that saddened me as we sat there eating was seeing a grown man and an adolescent (possibly father and son, but I won't presume) sitting across from one another, each on a technological gadget. Not talking to one another. Not making eye contact. Not even eating, at the moment. Made me so glad to know that, when we do make a point to sit down at a table as a family for a meal (whether home or in public) we have one another's attention. No phones, texting, or anything else at the table, with the exception of hubby's work. I fully intend for this habit to be perpetuated throughout our lives. I know our son's only two. But I want him to get into the early habit of knowing that when you're at the table, those people are your focus.

The bumps came today in two forms. The first was fist bumps. Just like Pops (his grandfather) taught him. The knucklehead was pretty good at giving high-fives. Now he has added fist bumping to his repertoire and insists on doing both. A lot. All day long. It's so fun and cute, though! The second kind of bump led into the last item. Bruises. He falls often, but more so when he's tired. He started falling a lot kind of early today. I didn't think too much of it. I figured he was just going too fast. But then he fell and actually bruised his cheek on the entertainment center. I've never bruised a cheek. But he has this lovely blue line that almost looks like a really cool scar on his poor little cheek. He actually reacted and fussed when he hit, so he had to have hit hard. But ten seconds later, he was back to bubbly.

The highlight of my night absolutely cracked me up and delighted my heart, though. We sat down in the dining room for dinner. (Which isn't an every night occurrence, but I'm trying to get better at that.) As soon as all three of us were down, my sweet son smiles widely and holds a hand out to each of his parents. To pray. He LOVES when we pray together. My prayer is that he'll eventually understand what it is we're doing, grow up continuing to love it, and continuing to do it. It was beyond precious. Such a sweet ending to a good day.

Wild at Heart

The title is a reference to an amazing book written by John Eldridge. But my little boy truly is wild at heart. In the most wonderful of ways. We went to a new park this morning to enjoy this sensational day. I know the calendar indicates it is Tuesday but, to quote Winnie-the-Pooh, it is WINDsday. There was a playground. Which he had absolutely no interest in. He wanted nothing more than to explore in the wind.

We ran through the picnic shelter, with giggles and smiles. We walked up a giant hill, hand in hand. He laughed every time the wind gusted and whipped his hair around. We found a tennis court, which he curiously walked into, just staring and taking it all in. We walked back out to the open fields where he found the greatest thing in the world to a little boy - a stick!

This just shows to me the innate boyness in him. Boys are wired by God to be boys. He started poking it through a chain link fence. Then he discovered he could make noise by whacking it on said fence. He dug around with the stick in the dead grass and dirt. He threw handfuls of grass. Always against the wind. Luckily his hair is still thin and fine, so the debris dusted off easily. After these moments of play, it suddenly occurred to him that sticks are not limited to being drumsticks and shovels. They can also be swords! Oh the sheer joy of waving it through the air with the wind whipping up a frenzy! I don't know that he's ever seen a sword. But he sure knew what to do with one!

He delighted in his stick for quite a while. The only thing that distracted him was a passing Westie, which he immediately wanted to pet. We got permission from the dog's owner, pet him for a moment, then the dog and master started walking away. Jackson desperately wanted to follow. My only way of convincing him otherwise was to turn him into the wind and begin a game of chase.

I am wholly convinced little boys were made for the outside. (I am also wholly convinced that little girls, daddies, and mommies are too! ) Such a simple thing but an absolutely delightful time. I know his dad is chomping at the bit to come home so he can also enjoy this beautiful day with our beautiful boy.

An Ordinary and Extraordinary Day

Today started off very ordinary, and that was fine. We ate our normal breakfast, drank our normal coffee, and played normal games. The weather, during this spell of "normalcy," however, was anything but. Yesterday, it was 73 degrees and most of Kansas City seemed to have congregated at one park to enjoy the day. Even hubby came to the park after a long day at work to hang out with our son. It was delightful!

Then this morning, it began to drizzle. The sky started spitting giant, wet snowflakes. Then it was back to rain. It was like the weather was playing a tennis match. Back and forth. The snowflakes finally declared game, set, and match. Suddenly it felt as if we were inside a snowglobe, watching the snow swirl, dance, and blow. But it never stuck.

We went on an ordinary shopping trip, once the sky stopped precipitating in all its forms and fashions. Afterwards, I caught the greatest show on earth. Nope, I did not go to the circus. My son picked up his play guitar, danced his little heart out, and sang made-up songs with no words. It was AWESOME!

Alas, dinner had to be made, so he took his final bow. He and his dad went off to play while I tried a new recipe for Shepherd's Pie I'd recently found online. I'd made my list of ingredients and bought them a few days ago. I pulled up the internet and went straight to my bookmarks. It wasn't there. No problem, I thought. I'll just search through my history. Not there either. For 20 minutes, I rack my brain and ransack my computer, looking for this @)*&%$@$! recipe!

I finally gave up and decided to wing it. I made it up as I went along, hoped and prayed for the best, then baked until bubbly. It actually turned out quite delicious! All three of us really enjoyed it and discussed small tweaks to make it even yummier (if that's a word.) I actually remembered this time to write it down as I went so I could replicate it if it was worth doing again. I couldn't decide what to call it when I was saving the document on the computer. So it is (at least temporarily) called "Not Shepherd's Pie." I kind of like the name. It's rather telling as to what it is and isn't.

Anyways, that is my extraordinarily ordinary and fantastic Friday.