To Follow Up

So, my post yesterday was about pastors and how they don't work just one day a week. They can often work 7 days a week for weeks at a time. It can put a strain on the pastor's family, but these weeks don't happen all the time (at least not for us, because my husband makes it a point to be sure it doesn't). How appropriate that I would write that blog yesterday. You see, yesterday, upon my husband getting to work (the church) he gets 2 phone calls within 5 minutes of each other telling him of 2 church members who passed away during the night. This means, he will more than likely be working 7 days this week, long days, days filled with sorrow, extra planning and trying to be a comfort to those families. Can my husband do it? Of course he can!!!!! I know he's able, this is part of the ministry God has called him to. Will he be tired when all is said and done? YES! Of course he will! Will he complain at all about it? Absolutely NOT!

Only One Day a Week

When we lived in MI I was at a store shopping for some clothes, and a lady from the church saw me and asked me how things were going--I think at the time I was trying to find a better job to help meet our financial needs, though I can't remember. In any case, she told me about subbing in the school system and if I was interested to let her know because it was her job to call subs. I was appreciative and said I would keep it in mind. Before I could walk away she asked if David would like to do subbing too? I said, no he was pretty busy during the week. The lady's response was "interesting," befuddling, and I guess sad. She said, "What can he be busy with? He only works on Sunday!" Wow. I had always heard the jokes about a pastor only working one day a week but had not encountered anyone who actually believed it! I started to laugh, thinking she was joking, and when I realized she was not joking I proceeded to run down a list of things that David did during the week to keep busy--prepare for Sunday morning and evening worship, mid-week worship, hospital visitation, home visits, continuing education, etc. Her eyes kinda glazed over, and I kinda wondered if she thought I was making it up. I went home scratching my head, and I suppose she probably did too.

So, what does a pastor do during the week? The list is endless, really. And, Sunday isn't always the busiest day of the week, interestingly enough! I can't speak for all pastors, though I figure it's pretty much the same across the board. And, the size of the church and amount of staff members a church has also determines just how much needs to be done, but I assure you the pastor is busy! The interesting thing about a pastor is he/she may have a weekly agenda for the same things that need to get done each week, but a funeral or wedding, or other crisis in the church can really make the week take a totally different direction. My husband takes Friday and Saturday off so we have 2 days in a row to be a family and get stuff done around the house. This means he gets his sermon done before Friday and gets all other pastoral duties done before then too. However, there are the times when a member of the church dies and he has to take a different direction to his week.

Sermons don't write themselves, a master's or doctorate doesn't happen overnight, decisions aren't made on a whim. These things take time and these things are all part of your pastor's job and calling. Your pastor is a man/woman who works very hard, and carries the weight of at least the congregation on their shoulders. If your pastor jokes about how he/she "only works one day a week" it's OK to laugh because you know better than that!

On a Tilt-a-Whirl

That's how I've been feeling the past few days--like I've just stepped off a whirly kind of ride and my head won't stop spinning. Dizziness is a terrible feeling, especially if you HAVEN'T just gotten off a spinning ride! So, I called my midwife's office today to see what they suggested. I'm not bleeding, the baby is moving fine, I'm not cramping and I'm drinking lots of water, oh and eating. The conclusion was (after the nurse conferred with 2 of the midwives) that I needed to get my thyroid and iron levels checked now rather then when I go for my next OB appt at the end of the month. David, Cora and I loaded up in the van and went to the hospital to have the blood work done. They'll be doing an extensive look at both the thyroid and iron levels, not just a basic test. I'm so thankful for Cleveland Clinic and all of it's capable nursing and doctor staff! I go in Friday to get the results and see what all is going on. In the meantime, my midwife wants me to get into my regular doctor to make sure I'm not getting an ear or sinus infection because it could "just" be my sinuses.

I'm trying really hard not to be discouraged. I am feeling very low about all this. I know right now there's nothing to be afraid of and that everything being done is simply precautionary, but nonetheless, I just want to have a normal pregnancy--whatever that is! :) If you think about it I'd appreciate your prayers. Mainly, that the baby is fine and that whatever is going on will be seen and is easily treated. While waiting on getting into the lab David and Cora were at this fountain in the middle of the hospital. They met a little boy (2 days younger then Cora) and his Grandma. They were there to visit his mom, who is due early April and has been in the hospital for the past 10 days to keep her labor at bay. They have allowed her 30 minutes a day so she can see her little boy. I'm so thankful I'm not at that point. Say a prayer for this lady, too, if you think about it!

A Meal Fit for...

...Halloween? So, I have a bad habit of putting together a really yummy, healthy meal that is monochromatic. I have no idea how/why I do this, it just happens, about once a week. I don't even realize I've done it until we're sitting down to eat. Wednesday night I went to all new levels of same-color-ness! :) I made a yummy cream of potato soup, biscuits, cantaloup and cheese. When we sat down I looked at our yummy meal only to discover that EVERYTHING on the table was ORANGE!!!! I guess you could say the biscuits weren't orange exactly, but the brown color of them were close enough! The soup was orange because I had added carrots with it and the recipe said to save out part of the cooked veggies and blend the rest together to make the soup creamier. Well, you can just guess what the carrots did to the color! :) Sigh... I don't do it on purpose! Really, I don't!

How Nice

Over the weekend I thought I would host a Tupperware party. I had attended one back in January and thought it would be a good way for me to get to know some of the ladies at church better, get some free product and also break up the winter a bit. I had 10 ladies come (my mom, MIL, aunt and sister were in the crowd too!) and we had such a nice time. Now, I suppose some would say it was a risky move not inviting every single woman from church, but I say, at this church I don't think it was a big deal. I invited the women I have gotten to know a little, who have been working with Cora in the nursery, etc and figured it was OK. You know what? I really do believe it was! We had so much fun. I felt a part of them and not just the pastor's wife. It was nice to be a part of the group and not feel set apart because my husband is the pastor. We had a great time laughing and joking and just being women ooing and ahhing over Tupperware. What a nice change.

At our previous church I would have felt obligated (force, even) to make sure to have every single woman invited because if I didn't it would have most certainly come back to get me or David. It would've been just another "thing" for the trouble-makers to use against us and so I just didn't do things like this at our other church. The closest I came (and caught much flack for it!) was I led a woman's Bible study every Wednesday night. And, no matter how many times it was announced from the pulpit that any and all women were welcome I was told it wasn't nice to have a study just for a select group of my favorites. Really? I tell you this not to dwell on the past, but to show you just how nice it was to have something and not worry about how this will come back to bite us in the butt later on.

I continue to praise the Lord for his bringing us here and continue to marvel at this RICH blessings.

Reverse Racism?

Ok, so I am not one of those people to think that every single little thing has to do with race, nor am I racist, etc. However, David and I have been wondering if we're not experiencing some reverse racism. The town in which we live is about 50/50 white/African American. I could care less. I mean, I grew up in Africa and after living 4 years in a town that was pastey white it's nice to be back in an area that has some color to it! We are fairly new customers at our bank. We had to move all of our money elsewhere when we moved from MI because the bank we had used there was only a county bank. We chose a national bank and from the start have loved it! That is, until we moved here. We found the closest branch to us and every single time we go in there we feel we are being prejudiced against. It's a strange feeling, to be sure. We are wondering how to handle the situation. Do we ignore it? Call and talk to the branch manager?  But, we do know it's quite obvious the color of our skin is affecting the service we are given.

Here's a perfect example: The other day I had to deposit some checks and used the drive thru (I had Cora and didn't want to get her in/out of the car seat). I saw NO ONE in the bank, customer or employee, when I pulled up and was beginning to wonder if it was a holiday or something when a girl finally came to the window to help me. She took forever, told me I had filled out my deposit slip wrong (which I hadn't) and went about doing I'm not sure what. I look up to see a few people were coming into the bank and she stops helping me and proceeds to help the other customers (never mind I had literally been there close to 10 minutes already just to have a deposit made!). I was so angry!!!! I couldn't believe it!!! I felt it was very blatant. I have never in my life been dropped mid-transaction. I guess you could say, to be fair to her, it's branch policy to help those inside first. AFTER she had helped all the other customers she finally sent the tube back to me with my receipt. Why didn't she just do that to begin with?

Was I being discriminated against? I have no idea, but I didn't like the way I was treated and because this happens all the time at the bank we're beginning to think it's not so coincidental. Any thoughts/ideas?

23 Weeks--118 Days to go!

But, who's counting, right? :) I AM!!!!!! I can't believe I'm 23 weeks today, and I have 118 days to go--'course, could be less, I suppose! David and I have commented MANY times how this pregnancy has gone much faster then when I was pregnant with Cora. Could be life is just better right now and we're not wasting energy on the dysfunction of other people and are just able to enjoy this time. I have to say, however, that I do not enjoy pregnancy. I felt guilty thinking that with Cora because it had taken us a couple years to conceive her and so I thought I ought to just be thankful. And now, it was apparently easy enough for us to conceive this little guy, and again I feel guilty for not loving, not even liking, being pregnant. David assures me it's OK. I mean, I'm growing a human (which, let's face it, is really, really cool!), my body is doing weird things, I don't feel good, my emotions are totally whack, I hurt, I ache, I... I'm such a complainer! But, I have discovered that me and pregnancy just don't get along. I will NEVER understand the woman who just loves to be pregnant. I do not. I do NOT feel at the peak of health during pregnancy (quite the opposite), and I do not feel all glow-y and radiant. Oh well! The end result IS worth it, and I do love this little guy so much already, and I suppose that's what's important.

Baby Sprout is 23 weeks today! I had my midwife appointment today and she mentioned how amazing it is that babies born at this stage (God forbid!!!!) can survive outside the womb. It's crazy to imagine how far technology has come to think if he were born at any point now he would have an excellent chance for survival. (And, lest you wonder, no matter how much I hate being pregnant I would NOT want my child born before full term) This little guy should be just over a pound now, and about 11 inches long. He can hear noises outside the womb at this point, and I'm told should not be startled by the barking of the dog or the noise of the vacuum when born! :) It's amazing to think just how much development goes into these wee things.

How am I? Well, my sciatica is not nearly as bad as it was with Cora, for this I am PRAISING THE LORD!!!!! I have been super conscious to make sure I don't just sit around and get stiff, and I have my pillows all around me at night to make sure I don't roll onto my right side. There are days when my hip is more tender than not, but it's usually due to having done too much or not enough activity. I continue to pray it stays this way and doesn't get any worse. I'm also gaining weight, which is a good thing. :) Though, so far I've only gained 5 pounds thanks to the horrid 1st trimester. I've been dealing with a lot more dizziness this time around, but my BP is perfect, etc so I guess it's just pregnancy stuff.

Interestingly enough, you'll remember with Cora I had to have iron infusions for a month at the end of her pregnancy. It was not a fun time, mostly because before they put the iron in me I was injected with large doses of steroids to, as I was told, make sure I didn't have a deadly reaction to the iron... lovely. Well, I was discussing all this with my midwife today (at my next appointment they'll be doing full panel blood work on my iron and thyroid) she mentioned she had heard iron infusions weren't any fun. I said the worse part was the steroids I had to have beforehand and the after affects of that (not only was I a jittery mess, so was Cora until they got out of my/our systems). She gave me the strangest look and said, "Oh, we don't do steroids anymore. They're not necessary." Hmmm... and yet another thing we learn about my care in Hillsdale and how backwards it was. We left, again, praising the Lord for his preservation over myself and Cora during those 4 weeks of iron infusions. Have I mentioned that EVERY SINGLE midwife visit has revealed more and more of this stuff to us? And, it's not like Cora is 15 so you can understand that a decade has passed. No, it was TWO years ago!!!!!!

Anyway, things are fine with the baby and I'm taking one day at a time and hoping for the best! :) Below is a photo from when I was 21 weeks, but it's the most recent one I have! :) Just imagine me slightly bigger. :)