I have been quite busy these past few days. I have come back from one trip only to turn around and go on another. I flew on the first trip and drove on the second. I am thankful that I did not follow my dream to be an airline stewardess. I love to travel but I have a hard time getting a good night’s sleep in any other bed than my own. When I got back home I had a couple of easy days with work. That was nice. I could unpack and get the rest of my Christmas decor up. But the last few days have been hectic and I have felt a bit undone.
When life gets hectic I try to focus on the good things that happen during the day. I enjoy my job. I love seeing my patients and providing home health care to them. I also enjoy the times I have to write and work on my novel but my favorite time of the day is when I talk to my daughter. She is going to college right now and is pursuing a degree in Respiratory Therapy. She never did study in high school because her social life was more important. She did not even realize how intelligent she was. I put her through one semester of college when she got out of high school and she decided that college was not for her. She moved out and started working with her boyfriend at that time. They were working for a company which told them that college was a waste of time. They worked for this company for a couple of years then both became disillusioned with the company and moved back in with me.
It was an interesting situation to have both of them living in my house. In six months the relationship between her and her boyfriend dissolved and he moved out. She got a job and started to evaluate her life and she decided she wanted to go back to college. She started to take her prerequisites for a dental hygienist degree but changed her mind and switched to Respiratory Therapy. She is doing so well in college and the program has her going through clinicals right from the start, which I think is brilliant.
There are times when she calls me or talks to me when she gets home and she tells me about her clinicals. To hear her talk about her clinicals is the highlight of my day . She truly loves working in the healthcare field. It is slowly infusing more appreciation into my life for the job that I do also. It is a privilege for me to be able to visit the elderly and other sick people in their homes. I am always amazed at how welcoming my patients are to me. They are all dear sweet souls. My daughter has been favored in her clinicals. She has gotten to see things which others rarely see and she values each and every experience. Hearing her excitement breathes new joy into my heart for the wonderful job that I am able to do every day in home health nursing.
I have started to read your blogs Jeanee and I really enjoy them. They are well written, descriptive, and not too long and always make a wonderful point for me to ponder. They often intersect with what is going in in my llife.
My son Harrison, my second child, is 19 and was not good at school. He is street smart and very knowledgeable about the areas he is interested in. He tried a semester and a half of TCC but that did not work out. In order to pursue a traditional academic path he must get through Math and he struggles with that subject. But he has never developed really any study skills.
His Mother and I decided to put him in a program with Gateway Church to learn out to become an Audio and VIsual technician and he has just completed the first semester of one course. Quite expensive, one car and book costing $600.00. He now is not sure he wants to carry on and I do not have a problem with that.
He has, though found a job with lots of training and incentives at Quick Trip, around the corner from our house.
Otherwise he hangs out with his buddies, plays basketball, video games and still smokes weed.
I pay for his car note insurance, and cell phone not counting the maintenance of the house.
I have decided to leave him alone and let him decide what he wants to do. We are going to refinance the small car loan and I want him on the car loan and for him to start contributing. He has talked about moving out with his buddies, but I have told him, if he moves out, he must pay for his car and insurance, I will carry his cell phone a little longer and of course I pay health insurance. What do you think I should do?
He is interested in going into radio or tv and I have done all the research for him but does not take action. He has started going to Gateway with us on Sundays, but of course he seems reluctantly present when he is with us.
In any case, my wife continue to pressure me to get remarried. She says we must restore the covenant of marriage under the eyes of God and for the legacy of our children. However, she shows me little or no outward love or affection but wants me to go through the motions. I have problems with that. What do you think?
In any case, I enjoy reading your blog.
Thank you.
Mark Weaver
marco1496@msn.com
682-220-5135
I am glad to hear that you are doing well.
Wow! I was just thinking of you yesterday. It is so hard to know when to let go and let a child flounder in the sea of adulthood. In the case of my daughter I provide her lodging but she pays all of her other bills. I have cosigned the loan for her on her second car because she was very responsible with making payments on her first car. She continues to pay for her health insurance, cell phone bill, her college, and her groceries. Some people think I should be charging her rent but I don’t think that is necessary. She is being very responsible in all other matters so I don’t mind her staying with me for free. Saying that, I do not go up to her room and fuss at her about how clean or dirty it is. That is her part of the house and it is her responsibility to take care of it in the manner in which she is comfortable. (Usually it is a bit of a mess but she is so busy I have much mercy in that arena for her)
As for Harrison -I would say to wean Harrison off very slowly from his dependence on you. Make it so subtle that he doesn’t suspect you are trying to make him independent. As for your wife, it is important to know that marriage is a covenant which is based on the sanctity of God. If you feel as if God is involved in a remarriage then I would support it. There is a verse in the old testament which says you should not remarry the same spouse but I think that may need to be read in context. I think your wife is a Godly woman but sometimes I think she processes God’s love and direction through her head and not through her heart. I will keep you in my prayers and continue to be your friend no matter what happens. You are a very wonderful friend. Thanks so much for your comment and for sharing your heart.