TRADITIONS

Today is my mom’s birthday. The thing is, she passed away 8 years ago on July 4, but our family has been keeping a tradition alive ever since. On my mom’s birthday, we all go have a banana split for dinner in honor of my mom. It’s kind of a strange tradition. I’ve never heard of anyone else who actually has banana splits for dinner, but it was one of my mom’s favorite things to do. She was this little twig of a lady, but had an incredible penchant for junk food. Coke, Ding Dongs, cheeseburgers and fries, and yes, good ‘ol banana splits were among her favorites.

When I first moved to Sioux City six years ago, and away from my family, it was a real bummer because no one seemed to share my enthusiasm for honoring and celebrating my mom’s life in this way. I guess it’s just too weird to think of only having that for dinner. But not THIS year! My niece Shelby is here for the summer, and couldn’t wait for tonight to carry on the tradition. So we drove to LeMars, Iowa, the ice cream capital of the world, and got the hugest banana splits. Yum! They were so big we couldn’t even finish them.

It’s hard to believe that my mom’s been gone for almost 8 years now. She was the best mom, and I still miss her so much. She taught me many valuable life lessons, and we shared many unorthodox family traditions over the years. I’m not really what I would consider a “traditional” kind of person, but I do enjoy sharing those traditions that tie to the ones we love, and especially help connect our past, present and future. Shelby was only 11 when mom died, but this day has become so special for her, and I know she will share them with her kids (when she has them). They will then have a connection to their great grandma that they may never have had otherwise.

So here’s to my mom and the amazing woman she was.

What are your most unorthodox traditions?

Teamwork

Have you ever heard the saying, “teamwork makes the dream work”? It’s a great catchy phrase often used in the business world today, but is actually a really ancient concept. The apostle Paul speaks of it in his letter to the church in Corinth. He says in chapter 12, verse 27: “Now you are the body of Christ and each of you is a part of it.” Throughout chapter 12, Paul speaks of how each of us is like a different body part all working together. If one part fails to do its part, the whole body suffers. If all the parts do their “thing” the body is an amazing thing to behold.

So this week, I’ve had the remarkable privilege of seeing the body of Christ at work. Teamwork DOES make the dream work, and I have an amazing team to work with at Sunnybrook Community Church. Today we launched our 7th annual Skill School event with over 700 kindergarten thru 5th graders, and it was an amazing day. This team made what began as a crazy vision into this:




This gargantuan pirate ship set is just one small piece of the puzzle of the week, but what a grand piece it is! The incredible actors (mostly our staff) and worship team who graced the throngs of that ship today were astounding. The 278 volunteers that showed up today to make it all happen were extraordinary. I am so blessed to be able to witness such an awesome work of God through this body each and every year, and it only gets better. Kudos to God’s body at Sunnybrook!

Adventures with Dad - Part 3 (he's on a bike!)

Ok, my adventures with dad keep getting more unbelievable. Last night, Shelby, Emily and I decided to go on a bike ride and I asked dad if he wanted to go. Now keep in mind, this man hasn’t been on a bike in at least 50 years, if even that. “Yeah”, he says, “I’ll go”. “Holy moly!”, I think to myself, “now what do I do?” So I did the logical thing. I pulled out the easiest bike we had to ride and let him go for it. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll let the video below tell the story. But I just gotta say, I’m having the time of my life spending this week with my dementia laden dad. He has no idea what he can’t (or would never)do, and I’m thanking God for every minute of it.



By the way....he rode 10 MILES. Go dad!

Adventures with Dad - Part 2

What a hilarious week this has been with dad in tow. Here are a few highlights of the things dad has been doing that he never would have done pre-Alzheimer’s:

• Watching Michael Jackson’s “This is It” movie with Shelby and I – and be-bopping along with the beat with total enjoyment
• Talking to and petting my cocker spaniel, Oakley
• Getting his hair cut at my salon
• Helping me construct a pirate ship for our upcoming Sunnybrook Skill School

And check him out jumping in to work out with Karl and me to P90X- hilarious! (Note the cowboy boots)



Tune in for more adventures tomorrow....

Adventures with Dad - Part 1

My dad is here staying with me for the first time since I moved to Sioux City six years ago. He has Alzheimer’s and has been living with my brother Mark and sister-in-law Lea Ann in Oklahoma for the past 6 months. Mark is on a mission trip, so here’s my opportunity to experience all the fun “adventures” that accompany dad’s disease.

We had a delightful day yesterday. Well, besides the fact that he woke up at 3:30 a.m. and started wandering around the house, that is. After getting him showered up (gotta say, that’s quite a feat), we took the dogs on a long walk at 5:30 a.m. Dad must’ve thought he was the neighborhood beautification team because he kept picking up the neighbors’ trash as we made our way. We had a great time at church, including the grand tour of Sunnybrook, followed by a yummy meal at Texas Roadhouse before Mark and Tanner headed off for their mission trip.

Dad, my niece Shelby and I kept quite busy throughout the afternoon, taking a shopping trip to purchase annuals and then potting them all on the back deck. We also spray painted some chairs for the front porch and did a little yard work. Dad seemed a little winded during the painting session, and it struck me funny how full circle we’ve come. “Dad”, I said, “do you realize that you are paying the price these days for the strong work ethic you taught Mark and I? You worked us like dogs when we were growing up, and now we are doing the same to you!” We laughed in agreement. But here’s the thing: growing up, working together was the way we connected as a family. We didn’t spend time talking around a dinner table (that was just for eating) or playing games. There was always work to be done on the farm and that was what always brought us together. And as dysfunctional as that is, I have to admit, yesterday was the first time I’ve felt connected to my dad in ages. It was a joy and pleasure to work together, accomplishing tasks, small as they were. I’m really looking forward to spending this week together, and though it will be challenging at times, connecting with my dad is something I can never get enough of.


He actually slept ‘til about 6 a.m. this morning (that’s a miracle) and after walking the dogs, I started to cook him some breakfast. Before I knew it, he was out the back door, made his way behind our shed and relieved himself right in front of the neighbors! Holy moly, I think I’m gonna have my hands full this week!

To be continued….