Tough night last night for Mom. We heard a thumping-bumping sound coming from her bathroom. When we got there she was sitting on the toilet OK, but she had slipped in the process and smacked her head against one of the handrails. Seems that when she went to bed she somehow pushed her house shoes into the closet. She's used to them being right next to the bed, so when they weren't there she ventured out in just her socks. Not that great an idea when the floor is tile. She will for sure be sore today. We've been debating making a call to the neurologist to see if there is anything else we can be doing. The problem is the lack of consistency of the symptoms. We're wondering if it's pretty much all a result of the dementia.
Jachin was scheduled to have a baseball game last night in LaMarque. When we arrived, however, the league president said he didn't know anything about a game with us. There were no umpires and the LaMarque team we were supposed to play wasn't coming. I think the boys were still young enough that they were OK with just hanging out and playing catch with each other for a while. Coach Kel was extremely frustrated, though. He was furiously making phone calls to try to salvage something out of the evening.
I remember way back when I was playing baseball as a kid. The only time other than rainouts that we had a game canceled was when one of the kids in the league was drowned. If I remember right he was the right-handed one of a set of identical twins. His brother was left-handed. In Little League they had been greatly feared as power hitters. They were in a different region than I was, but we had to play them in the all-star game, and they both hit crushing home runs over the lights. Needless to say they absolutely destroyed us. That was the game where we finally got a runner to third base only to have their third baseman fake a throw to first on a ground ball and then turn around and tag the guy out. It was a great play, and the third baseman and I became friends when we played together in Pony League. About the only positive memory I have of that game was a stop I made in the hole between short and third. I didn't bother making the throw, but it was a good stop. Anyway, Jerry died when we were in Pony League and the games were canceled in his memory. The adults all understood and respected the decision. The kids, on the other hand all wanted to play in his memory. Different perspective, I guess.
Remembering that different perspective has shaped the way I approach a lot of things. When there are differing opinions in a church discussion, for example, I try to listen to both perspectives without making a judgment one way or the other. Then I look for ways to draw the two perspectives closer to a center ground so no one has to feel like they lost. Sometimes that's very difficult to do. I have even been accused of trying to avoid issues, because I often am feverishly writing down notes and ideas. I'm just not good enough to do it all in my head any more. It is a time-consuming effort, but very much worth it when it is successful.
2 Peter 1:5-9 says, "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins."
Father, help me be a perspective-seer and consensus-builder. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment