This is a really great poem, that shows God's yearning for the sinner to turn back... When I first heard it, it impressed me very deeply, and I thought I just had to share it... I'll be sharing another poem soon, by the same author, which is just as good, and equally inspiring....
1. I loved you long before the time your eyes first saw the day
And everything I've done has been to help you on the way
But you took all that you wanted, then at last you took your leave,
And traded off a Kingdom for the lies that you believed
2. And although you've chosen darkness with its miseries and fears
Although you've gone so far from Me and wasted all those years
Even though My name's been spattered by the mire in which you lie,
I'll take you back this instant, if you'll turn to Me and cry.
I don't care where you've been sleeping, I don't care who's made your bed
I already gave My life to set you free;
There's no sin you could imagine that is stronger than my love,
And it's all yours if you'll come home again to Me.
3. When you come back to your senses and you see who's been to blame,
Remember all the good things that were yours with just My name;
Then don't waste another thought before you change the way you're bound
I'll be running out to meet you if you'll only turn around
I don't care where you've been sleeping, I don't care who's made your bed
I already gave My life to set you free;
There's no sin you could imagine that is stronger than my love,
And it's all yours if you'll come home again to Me.
Don Fransisco
Friday, 22 March 2013
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Heard but not seen
It's 1:00 PM on Sunday the 9th....
I am physically, emotionally, and mentally drained and exhausted.
But that's nothing to how my wife must feel... She has been labouring actively for well over 12 hours. Before that she had been in pre labour for another 24 hours. Before that, she has had 2 weeks of on and off pre labour. It's been exhausting. But it's about to get interesting....
I'm sitting on the chair next to my wife's bed. Behind me a monitor is making a rythmic beeping noise. Around me, people are working, smoothly, efficiently, quietly. Masks, gowns, caps, all make it look like something surreal. Like I've walked into a movie scene. Except, that's my wife lying there, and I'm trying not to think about what's going on behind the sheet draped in front of me.
That's when I hear it. A cry. Repeated, and strong. The stunned look on my wife's face must be a reflection of my own. But still I can't look. because if I do, I'll faint. I haven't eaten for 24 hours, and haven't had more than 3 or 4 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours, and the one thing I want to do right then is look over the curtain. But no. I don't want to faint, again. Just enjoy the sound for now. the sound of our baby girl crying. A healthy strong cry. But I still can't afford to look. Fainting right now would not help things.
The cry stops as she is soothed. And then I look around the curtain as she is taken to one side. She is cleaned, and wrapped in a blanket. I am told I can go over and see her. She is gorgeous. Dark, almost black hair, little wrinkly hands and feet, and of course, a very different head shape from what she will have in a few hours. Her temperature, pulse, and respiratory signs are checked and noted, and then she is weighed. She looks small... But she weighs 3.65kgs (7 pounds 10 ounces). That's more than I would have guessed just from looking at her. She is 54cm long, so the ultrasound technician who had told us she was quite long was right.
And then I can hold her. Her eyes look up at me, and I can feel the weight of the last 3 months disappear. I hold her, and she seems happy. Her skin is a rosy colour, except her hands and feet, which are wrinkled and a little paler and bluer.
I walk back to my wife, and the look in her eyes speaks volumes. The one thing she wants to do, she can't do right now. The motherly instinct to cuddle the baby has to for now. Because for her it's not over yet. The baby is brought over, and I hold her in front of Cherith for a while. So she can see her, talk to her, take in the reality of it. But then it's back to business. The baby is placed back in a hospital bassinet. And the work of repairing the damage begins. 15 minutes later, Cherith is stitched up and ready to be wheeled out. The sheer exhaustion, multiplied by the amount of painkillers she has been given in the last 10 hours, are taking their toll. For 6 hours, she can't keep her eyes open for more than 2 minutes. Unfortunately, she also can't seem to sleep for more than 10 minutes. Unbeknown to anyone at the time, she is reacting to one of the painkillers. Sweating, nausea, and lightheadedness soon follow. She manages to feed the baby, and then it's all over for that night.
When I come back into the hospital the next morning at 7:30, Cherith looks a lot better. The staff have indentified the offending painkiller, and the symptoms slowly go away. Still she has to stay in bed. The extra oxygen she was breathing in has been taken away, the drip follows a little while later. Finally she can get up. But still she has to be very gentle about it. She can hold her baby properly now though. Only for short periods, and then she has to lie down again. Not only does she lack energy, but her abdomen feels very much like it had just been cut open and stitched back together again, which of course it has.
It's over though. For nearly two months we have tried everything to stop Cherith going into premature labour. And it worked. She made it past 41 weeks. Then for 3 weeks we have tried everything to bring on labour and make it as easy as possible. And all that is over. The baby has been brought into this world, albeit a little differently to the way we would have wished. But what we wished for most is a healthy baby, and a healthy mummy for the baby. And that wish seems to have come true.
So when they say, "Children should be seen and not heard", forget it. Sometimes it's comforting to hear them, and know that they are alright.
P.S. I fainted when Cherith was given a needle. I hate needles. Especially watching them being put into other people. Apparently it was a graceful slump onto a chair and from there the floor, but I wouldn't have a clue.
I am physically, emotionally, and mentally drained and exhausted.
But that's nothing to how my wife must feel... She has been labouring actively for well over 12 hours. Before that she had been in pre labour for another 24 hours. Before that, she has had 2 weeks of on and off pre labour. It's been exhausting. But it's about to get interesting....
I'm sitting on the chair next to my wife's bed. Behind me a monitor is making a rythmic beeping noise. Around me, people are working, smoothly, efficiently, quietly. Masks, gowns, caps, all make it look like something surreal. Like I've walked into a movie scene. Except, that's my wife lying there, and I'm trying not to think about what's going on behind the sheet draped in front of me.
That's when I hear it. A cry. Repeated, and strong. The stunned look on my wife's face must be a reflection of my own. But still I can't look. because if I do, I'll faint. I haven't eaten for 24 hours, and haven't had more than 3 or 4 hours of sleep in the last 48 hours, and the one thing I want to do right then is look over the curtain. But no. I don't want to faint, again. Just enjoy the sound for now. the sound of our baby girl crying. A healthy strong cry. But I still can't afford to look. Fainting right now would not help things.
The cry stops as she is soothed. And then I look around the curtain as she is taken to one side. She is cleaned, and wrapped in a blanket. I am told I can go over and see her. She is gorgeous. Dark, almost black hair, little wrinkly hands and feet, and of course, a very different head shape from what she will have in a few hours. Her temperature, pulse, and respiratory signs are checked and noted, and then she is weighed. She looks small... But she weighs 3.65kgs (7 pounds 10 ounces). That's more than I would have guessed just from looking at her. She is 54cm long, so the ultrasound technician who had told us she was quite long was right.And then I can hold her. Her eyes look up at me, and I can feel the weight of the last 3 months disappear. I hold her, and she seems happy. Her skin is a rosy colour, except her hands and feet, which are wrinkled and a little paler and bluer.
I walk back to my wife, and the look in her eyes speaks volumes. The one thing she wants to do, she can't do right now. The motherly instinct to cuddle the baby has to for now. Because for her it's not over yet. The baby is brought over, and I hold her in front of Cherith for a while. So she can see her, talk to her, take in the reality of it. But then it's back to business. The baby is placed back in a hospital bassinet. And the work of repairing the damage begins. 15 minutes later, Cherith is stitched up and ready to be wheeled out. The sheer exhaustion, multiplied by the amount of painkillers she has been given in the last 10 hours, are taking their toll. For 6 hours, she can't keep her eyes open for more than 2 minutes. Unfortunately, she also can't seem to sleep for more than 10 minutes. Unbeknown to anyone at the time, she is reacting to one of the painkillers. Sweating, nausea, and lightheadedness soon follow. She manages to feed the baby, and then it's all over for that night.
When I come back into the hospital the next morning at 7:30, Cherith looks a lot better. The staff have indentified the offending painkiller, and the symptoms slowly go away. Still she has to stay in bed. The extra oxygen she was breathing in has been taken away, the drip follows a little while later. Finally she can get up. But still she has to be very gentle about it. She can hold her baby properly now though. Only for short periods, and then she has to lie down again. Not only does she lack energy, but her abdomen feels very much like it had just been cut open and stitched back together again, which of course it has.
It's over though. For nearly two months we have tried everything to stop Cherith going into premature labour. And it worked. She made it past 41 weeks. Then for 3 weeks we have tried everything to bring on labour and make it as easy as possible. And all that is over. The baby has been brought into this world, albeit a little differently to the way we would have wished. But what we wished for most is a healthy baby, and a healthy mummy for the baby. And that wish seems to have come true.
So when they say, "Children should be seen and not heard", forget it. Sometimes it's comforting to hear them, and know that they are alright.
P.S. I fainted when Cherith was given a needle. I hate needles. Especially watching them being put into other people. Apparently it was a graceful slump onto a chair and from there the floor, but I wouldn't have a clue.
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
A parent's prayer...
Seeing as I am going to be a father soon, I thought it was time for a little fun...
A Parent's Prayer
by David Axton
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my sanity to keep.
For if some peace I do not find,
I'm pretty sure I'll lose my mind.
I pray I find a little quiet,
Far from the daily family riot.
May I lie back and not have to think
About what they're stuffing down the sink,
Or who they're with, or where they're at
And what they're doing to the cat.
I pray for time all to myself
(did something just fall off a shelf?)
To cuddle in my nice, soft bed
(Oh no, another goldfish--dead!)
Some silent moments for goodness sake
(Did I just hear a window break?)
And that I need not cook or clean
(well heck, I've got the right to dream)
Yes now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my wits about me keep,
But as I look around I know,
I must have lost them long ago
by David Axton
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my sanity to keep.
For if some peace I do not find,
I'm pretty sure I'll lose my mind.
I pray I find a little quiet,
Far from the daily family riot.
May I lie back and not have to think
About what they're stuffing down the sink,
Or who they're with, or where they're at
And what they're doing to the cat.
I pray for time all to myself
(did something just fall off a shelf?)
To cuddle in my nice, soft bed
(Oh no, another goldfish--dead!)
Some silent moments for goodness sake
(Did I just hear a window break?)
And that I need not cook or clean
(well heck, I've got the right to dream)
Yes now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray my wits about me keep,
But as I look around I know,
I must have lost them long ago
Sunday, 2 December 2012
Bub didn't get the memo
Bubs was due on Friday...
After months of threatening to come early, the little rascal has decided to wait overtime. We have been here in Toowoomba for over a week now, since things seemed to be starting up.
But all is quiet lately. After three consecutive days in which Cherith went into early labor, with intense contractions only 2 minutes apart, things have settled down. Cherith has been walking a few kms per day in an attempt to convince bub that it wasn't going to be very comfortable much longer. But nothing doing except a few bouts of Braxton hicks... Kind of frustrating... Especially for her...
Of course, bub will arrive when the time is right (who ever heard of babies staying inside till it was time to get their driver's license??), but it has been slow... It seems like things are gearing up slowly again, but who knows for sure? I don't.. My crystal ball is away for repairs.
That's not to say there wasn't a good reason why bub didn't arrive a week ago. After it all, I took Cherith to see a Chiropractor, thinking that possibly something was out of line, and sure enough it was. According to the Chiro, would have quite likely caused labor to stall the way it did.
Maybe that was what was slowing things down, but then again, maybe bub just didn't get the memo.
I'm looking forward to meeting the little bub. But at the moment, with Cherith only a day or two over her due date, there is no real rush.
After months of threatening to come early, the little rascal has decided to wait overtime. We have been here in Toowoomba for over a week now, since things seemed to be starting up.
But all is quiet lately. After three consecutive days in which Cherith went into early labor, with intense contractions only 2 minutes apart, things have settled down. Cherith has been walking a few kms per day in an attempt to convince bub that it wasn't going to be very comfortable much longer. But nothing doing except a few bouts of Braxton hicks... Kind of frustrating... Especially for her...
Of course, bub will arrive when the time is right (who ever heard of babies staying inside till it was time to get their driver's license??), but it has been slow... It seems like things are gearing up slowly again, but who knows for sure? I don't.. My crystal ball is away for repairs.
That's not to say there wasn't a good reason why bub didn't arrive a week ago. After it all, I took Cherith to see a Chiropractor, thinking that possibly something was out of line, and sure enough it was. According to the Chiro, would have quite likely caused labor to stall the way it did.
Maybe that was what was slowing things down, but then again, maybe bub just didn't get the memo.
I'm looking forward to meeting the little bub. But at the moment, with Cherith only a day or two over her due date, there is no real rush.
Saturday, 22 September 2012
Thursday, 20 September 2012
The best laid plans of mice and men...
So... We had planned to go up to Queensland for something of a working holiday. A great chance to catch up with family and friends, and as my work near home was coming to a close, we thought it would be a good time for the trip. On Monday we packed, planned, and tentatively decided to go on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on how quickly we got everything sorted out... But,
The best laid plans of mice and men, go oft awry....
On Tuesday morning Cherith woke up at 2AM with regular, strong contractions (At 29 weeks, that is a very bad sign!!). Deciding not to wake me straight away, and not being able to lie still, she got up and went out of the room for a while, but nothing seemed to help. She woke me at 2:30, and on medical advice over the phone, took a painkiller and slowly went back to sleep. That was about 4. At 6, she woke up again, and the contractions were still there, though the painkiller was still numbing things, and we realized Tuesday was obviously not going to be the day to travel. By 9AM, the painkiller had worn off, and the contractions seemed to be getting stronger. I put her in a hot bath with magnesium and lavender oil, and the pain level dropped out of sight. Feeling much relieved, Cherith enjoyed the bath for a couple of hours, and seemed to feel much better, although the contractions were still there, they were not painful anymore.
Just before lunchtime her Dad called up and wondered if I could do an afternoon's work with him, so we got some lunch ready and went up, Cherith deciding she could rest better if she was with her mum, rather than at home alone. The instant we arrived the contractions kicked in hard and strong again. Within 20 mins her mum had called an ambulance... They arrived, asked a few questions, loaded Cherith into the ambulance, and set off for the hospital (A good hour's drive away, 40kms of which is dirt road). I took off for home, to grab a few things we'd need in town (Namely, my wallet, and some clothes, that thankfully we had packed already...) from there I went to town, arriving ten minutes after the ambulance, wondering just how many plans were about to go awry...
The ambulance girls said that Cherith was in labour, a fact the midwives at the hospital also confirmed, but, thank God, they were able to halt the labour, and with baby going into an excited and happy kicking frenzy at the chance to continue incubating ;), we both fell into an exhausted, and somewhat restless sleep... Regular checks confirmed that things were definitely settling down, though taking their time.
Now it's Thursday afternoon... Maybe we will make it to QLD soon, but who knows... The midwives have suggested it would be a wise move, considering we live an hour from town, and that the nearest hospital to here which could handle such a premature baby is Newcastle, a solid 6 hours drive away... In QLD we would be 30 mins drive away from the nearest hospital, and they would handle almost anything. But, as I've said, the best laid plans of mice and men....
The doctor suggested that pending a few tests to be done today, Cherith might be sent home this afternoon, so we'll see how that goes. Fingers crossed the tests all show good results. I'm eager to meet the little rascal, but not before it's time. Meanwhile, we have been living in a hospital room, trying to subsidize a hospital diet with some real food...
The best laid plans of mice and men, go oft awry....
On Tuesday morning Cherith woke up at 2AM with regular, strong contractions (At 29 weeks, that is a very bad sign!!). Deciding not to wake me straight away, and not being able to lie still, she got up and went out of the room for a while, but nothing seemed to help. She woke me at 2:30, and on medical advice over the phone, took a painkiller and slowly went back to sleep. That was about 4. At 6, she woke up again, and the contractions were still there, though the painkiller was still numbing things, and we realized Tuesday was obviously not going to be the day to travel. By 9AM, the painkiller had worn off, and the contractions seemed to be getting stronger. I put her in a hot bath with magnesium and lavender oil, and the pain level dropped out of sight. Feeling much relieved, Cherith enjoyed the bath for a couple of hours, and seemed to feel much better, although the contractions were still there, they were not painful anymore.
Just before lunchtime her Dad called up and wondered if I could do an afternoon's work with him, so we got some lunch ready and went up, Cherith deciding she could rest better if she was with her mum, rather than at home alone. The instant we arrived the contractions kicked in hard and strong again. Within 20 mins her mum had called an ambulance... They arrived, asked a few questions, loaded Cherith into the ambulance, and set off for the hospital (A good hour's drive away, 40kms of which is dirt road). I took off for home, to grab a few things we'd need in town (Namely, my wallet, and some clothes, that thankfully we had packed already...) from there I went to town, arriving ten minutes after the ambulance, wondering just how many plans were about to go awry...
The ambulance girls said that Cherith was in labour, a fact the midwives at the hospital also confirmed, but, thank God, they were able to halt the labour, and with baby going into an excited and happy kicking frenzy at the chance to continue incubating ;), we both fell into an exhausted, and somewhat restless sleep... Regular checks confirmed that things were definitely settling down, though taking their time.
Now it's Thursday afternoon... Maybe we will make it to QLD soon, but who knows... The midwives have suggested it would be a wise move, considering we live an hour from town, and that the nearest hospital to here which could handle such a premature baby is Newcastle, a solid 6 hours drive away... In QLD we would be 30 mins drive away from the nearest hospital, and they would handle almost anything. But, as I've said, the best laid plans of mice and men....
The doctor suggested that pending a few tests to be done today, Cherith might be sent home this afternoon, so we'll see how that goes. Fingers crossed the tests all show good results. I'm eager to meet the little rascal, but not before it's time. Meanwhile, we have been living in a hospital room, trying to subsidize a hospital diet with some real food...
Monday, 13 August 2012
Good, quick, or cheap
Which would you choose? It is a simple fact of life that you can only choose from two of those three options in any given circumstance of life. This can be good and cheap, but then they won't come in a hurry. They may be quick and cheap, but then you will sacrifice quality on the altar of speed. They can be good and quick, but price will certainly be at a premium in that case.
Then there are different types of people. There are the perfectionists, who will never cut corners when quality is concerned. There are those who don't like to put in more work and effort than necessary. To them, quick is always a priority. There are others, who will put in any effort to save money, often sacrificing a lot of time, and losing quality in the process. Which type are you?
I've been discovering that quality is very important to me. I don't care if a job takes a little longer, as long as I know it is well done. I will usually never buy the cheapest product on the market, because I've discovered that it usually isn't worth the savings to have it break or wear out so much more quickly. I do a job properly, so I know I won't have to come back shortly and fix it or do it all over again. It's just who I am. I used to get frustrated with my dad for being a perfectionist, only to discover I am one myself.
So, which do you choose? Think about it. You can only choose two. If you think you are getting all three you are being conned.
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