Staying Alive
posted by on 09/19/09
This past week Mom had the opportunity to go to the Northwoods on a week long “Journey to the Heart.” Esther left at the same time to go back to Oklahoma City, leaving only Dad and the five of us boys 
at home. Thankfully Mom and Esther had left detailed instructions which prepared us to fill in for them while they were gone. We were amazed at the many chores that didn’t “automatically” clean up themselves! Here are some of the ways we came to appreciate their responsibility and loyalty to our family.
- David: I missed their help and encouragement in my school work and music.
- Daniel: I appreciate their morning hugs, and smiles throughout the day.
- Michael: Their help with kitchen clean-up has saved me many hours and enabled me to move faster to other projects each morning, a luxury I no longer enjoyed while they were away.
- Donald: I realized how far ahead Mom and Esther planned in order to stock up on food we needed. That way we never had to go to the store.
- Dad: The three things I missed most were her presence, smile, and counsel.
It was lonely without them, but we had fun working together so Mom could take a week off for her much deserved retreat.
Thanks for letting Mom come on the Journey! Robert and I were very thrilled to spend some time with her and show her around HQ. Come again soon!
I’m glad you could go on the retreat, Mrs. Staddon! And it looks like the guys had a fun time anyway!
We definitely did miss them. At the same time there were definitely good things such as learning to work together in different ways. I still remember trying to draw the Narnia placecards on Thursday! It was really a thrill and I was surprised when they turned out. Thank you for making sure to log this post Jonathan.
I was wondering how you guys were going to “survive”
.