Life as a NICU Mommy and the Issue of Germs

Joseph is a germaphobe. He doesn't like it when I take the boys swimming in lakes or public pools or when they climb in the tunnels at McDonalds. If a food so much as touches the counter, even if it was just washed, the food goes in the garbage.

I'm health conscious as well. But I don't get scared about a little bit of dirt.  As far as I am concerned, there are bad germs and there are good germs. I make sure my kids wash their hands when they've been playing with something nasty and before meals, but I don't stress out about whether we are going to pick up a germ at the grocery store.

Most people fall into one of the categories above (excepting that gross minority who don't even bother to wash their hands after using the toilet- eww).

And then there are NICU Mommies and Daddies....

I can still remember the first time I was able to leave my hospital room to go see my tiny preemie son. I had only gotten a short glimpse of him in the operating room, and then they had whisked him away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with me confined to my hospital bed. I didn't get to see him for a whole day after he was born. Family, friends and co-workers all got to visit my baby before I even really laid eyes on him. Thankfully I don't remember much of that day, which is a good thing because I must have been very sad.

Anyway, about the first time I left my room to see my baby--- I remember Joseph told me I needed to wash my hands really well. (He had been in the NICU room many times already, so he knew the protocol.) Well, I learned how to wash my hands very thoroughly in my high school medical electives, so I thought I was good. Nope, Joseph wasn't satisfied. He said I had to wash for like 30 seconds all the way up to my elbows and scrub harder. That was my initiation into the world of a NICU Mommy.

The parents of NICU babies are very concerned about germs--- and for good reason. Preemies are not as hardy as full term babies. A little bit of dirt really will hurt them, and the tiniest germ can wreak complete havoc on the system of a preemie. If you so much as scratch your nose or touch your mouth, you need to wash your hands for fear of spreading sickness to your baby.

I remember worrying so much about germs. We would make sure our visitors weren't sick, and we didn't even want healthy people to visit if they had even been around someone who was sick. The NICU is a very sterile place, and it should be that way.

Once you take your baby home, however, keeping your baby healthy becomes more tricky. Therefore, the safest place to be is at home. Austin came home from the NICU in December. We didn't take him anywhere but the doctor's office until the end of March. He was six months old before we even took him to church. I guess if it had been summer, we wouldn't have worried so much, but we were terrified that he would catch RSV and end up back in the hospital. (Thankfully, he didn't get sick at all that winter.)

Fast forward to 2010 when David was born, and we were like totally different parents. Our full term baby was more hardy and able to fight off sickness without fear of hospitalization. It's amazing what another two months in the womb will do for a kid.

All that being said, if you are going to be around a premature baby, please be conscious of germs, and don't visit if you are sick or if your kids are sick!

Life as a NICU Mommy- Before the days of Facebook

It used to be that everyone knew about our NICU story. Not so much anymore. I mean people don't usually go around talking about their 6 year old's birth story. There are typically other things to talk about- school stuff, younger siblings, etc.  So, if you've never heard our story, please keep reading...

Austin was born at 29 weeks gestation. Don't let his sweet demeanor fool you.
He was just as fiesty then as he is now!

If Austin were born today, people would know about his dramatic birth almost instantly via the world wide web. However,  the internet was a much different place six years ago than it is now. I'd never heard of Facebook, Twitter or Google Reader. People didn't send as many emails. Nobody sent text messages because it was too expensive. Information just didn't travel as quickly six years ago as it does now. What that meant in our case was that, other than our parents, very few people even knew I had developed pregnancy complications until days or weeks after Austin was born. If the same thing had happened today, I'm sure we would very quickly make a Facebook status- maybe it would be something like this:

"We had our baby 11 weeks early today. Our cute little peanut weighs two and half pounds and is a tiny 14 inches long. We'll post a picture as soon as we can. "

Or maybe it would be more like this:

"Austin was delivered this morning by emergency c-section. We haven't been able to hold him or even touch him because he is so fragile- only 2.5 pounds and 14 inches long. Emily is still very sick from the preeclampsia. Please pray for us."

It's crazy how technology has changed our lives so much in so little time.

Speaking of technology, I don't know what I would do without my blog. Every once in awhile, I get in the mood to write and reminisce about our experience. This is usually precipitated by some sort of momento that I find laying around the house- a picture, a preemie diaper, or in this case, a journal.

You know, I've come across this journal before- years ago- but I guess it was all too fresh for me to be affected by it. It's now been six years, though, and I've forgotten so many of the details. Looking back in my mind, it almost seems like a dream or a movie. It's only when I read something I once wrote or I touch a piece of preemie clothing that Austin once wore that the memories flood back.

I used to journal every day. I would write out my prayers in detail, list bible verses that I read, and document praises. I wish that I could say I still continue in this spiritual discipline, but in fact, I journal very seldom these days. The demands of having two small children, along with a bit of laziness on my part, mean that I am doing good if I can read a few chapters of my Bible each day. With that being said, it is easy for me to look back on journal entries from the past and think that I was once ultra holy or something. I know myself well enough to know that is not the case. I used to often "preach" to myself from scripture as I wrote out my prayers, so I have to remind myself that the words I wrote down may not be indicative of my exact spiritual state at the time.

All that being said, I was encouraged by what I read in the journal that I found. It is good for me to remember that I was close to God during that difficult trial. I found it fascinating to read the entries that I wrote immediately before being admitted to the hospital and throughout the time that Austin was in the NICU. I also have specific medicals stats marked down that are very interesting to read now.

Here's a little timeline:

Monday, September 18, 2006-

I had blood glucose testing done at my doctor's office. I was 28 weeks pregnant. My blood pressure was slightly elevated. On the way home from the doctor's office, I called my mom, and she mentioned something about toxemia. I'd never heard of it, so I looked it up. Here was my prayer:

"Lord, please take care of Austin and myself. I am concerned about the high blood pressure. Please let it go back to normal and let my bloodwork come back normal. Thank you for the doctor's wisdom. Help me not to worry this week. You are sovereign and will take care of all my needs..."

Tuesday, September 19, 2006-

I got very little sleep overnight, I remember. I was stricken with some kind of terrible stomach ailment, and I felt just awful. Before heading back to the doctor's office to get some labs done, here is what I wrote:

"Dear Lord, please heal my body. help my blood pressure to go down and my stomach to feel better. Help my contractions to be harmless and not labor preterm. Help me to have a good day and not to worry. I trust you to take care of me. Thank you for Joseph and for my mom. Thank you for my unborn baby. Help him to grow and develop. Help him to go to full term...Let me have a good day at work... Be with Joseph this morning. Get him through his classes. Give him restful sleep this afternoon...."

I had no idea that my world was about to be turned upside down. I was working at the seminary as a secretary. Joseph had just started working nights at UPS in addition to Smoothie King. He had a full load of seminary classes, and he was doing an internship at our church. I can't help but remember that Joseph ended up getting very little sleep that day or the days that were to follow...

My journal stops here for a few days. Here is a blog post I once wrote that will fill in the gaps. When I got to the doctor's office, it was discovered that I was much sicker than anyone realized. I was admitted to the hospital with preeclampsia and got sicker and sicker until they delivered Austin on Saturday.

My journal picks back up on Sunday, September 24, 2006:

"Praises: Austin was born yesterday without complications. The Lord helped me to make it through a c-section. I am feeling better. Encouragement from friends; good doctors. Prayers: Baby Austin's health; Joseph and myself as we come to reality..."

Our reality was like a dream for the next three months. Austin spent the first 72 days of his life away from us- being cared for night and day by NICU nurses. We visited him every day with the exception of one or two days when I was sick with a fever. Somehow God saw us through. It was hard, and it is still hard. But there is one thing that I know with confidence- God is sovereign, all-powerful, in control and good even when circumstances are difficult.

This is Austin now- almost 6 years old!

Thoughts regarding Infertility and Mother's Day

I just read an excellent article written by Dr. Russell Moore titled Mother's Day and the Infertile.

Moore writes regarding Mother's Day:

It is good and right to honor mothers. The Bible calls us to do so. Jesus does so with his own mother. We must recognize though that many infertile women find this day almost unbearable. This is not because these women are (necessarily) bitter or covetous or envious. The day is simply a reminder of unfulfilled longings, longings that are good.

However, Moore goes on to say that:

...almost every congregation is filled with previously infertile people, including lots and lots who were told by medical professionals that they would never have children! Most of those (most of us, I should say) who fit into that category don’t really talk about it much because they simply don’t think of themselves in those terms. The baby or babies are here, and the pain of the infertility has subsided. Infertile couples need to see others who were once where they are, but who have been granted the blessing they seek.

My eyes welled up with tears when I read that article because I understand.

I understand the pain of unfulfilled longings, longings that are good and right.

I understand the pain that comes when everyone around you is having babies, but you are not.

I really do understand.

I am on the other side of things, now. Our babies are here, and the pain has subsided. God has granted us two little boys, and we are more than content. This article helped me realize that even though I am no longer walking through the valley, I can still be an encouragement to those who are hurting because I have been there, too.

Help! My house is a mess. Where do I start?

Some people like to clean. Other people don't even seem to notice a messy house.

Then there's the rest of us- We like things to be tidy and neat, but we don't really enjoy housework. Add two boys to the mix (make that three if you count the hubby) and cleaning becomes this insurmountable task that never seems to get finished.

With that in mind, to make it worse, I felt like I was moving in slow motion this morning and just couldn't get going. It was probably due to the Excedrin PM that I took for a headache last night. I always feel hungover when I take any kind of medicine.

Anyway, I decided to walk Austin to school this morning since it was already 50 degrees and sunny outside. It was refreshing to get outside and walk (almost 2 miles round-trip), but when I got back I felt even more lethargic than before. And my house was a mess.

Well, Elisabeth Elliot always says to just "do the next thing" when you don't know what to do so I turned on some music, picked a corner of my living room (the least messy one :) and systematically worked my way around the room picking up toys, books, dishes and clothes as I went. Then before David had a chance to drag toys all over again, I did a quick vacuum and even felt motivated to wipe down the baseboards (for the first time since we moved here a year ago- eek). Now that my floors are clean, I'm starting to feel a little more energy.

Time to tackle the kitchen.

Spout it Out Saturday

Spout: vb to utter (a stream of words) on a subject, often at length

About the Kids:

Austin's class was featured in our local newspaper a few weeks ago, and I just realized that there were some pictures of Austin in the online version. Check out the link here: Field Elementary's Career Day. Austin is in pictures #2-5!

I signed Austin up for soccer. He will be staying after school one day a week for the program, so it will be super convenient- no long Saturdays at the soccer field for us :) This will be Austin's first time doing sports, and I think he is excited that some of his classmates are going to play with him. It is an informal program where he will learn how to play the game. You can see more info at this link: www.4kicksforkidz.com

David has recently been evaluated for speech therapy since he is not talking much. The lady who evaluated him said that he should qualify for First Steps, which is a state program where a therapist comes to your home instead of having to go to a doctor's office. He should be starting therapy in the next few weeks, so that is good.

Grown-up Stuff:

We are having neighbor troubles. Since I work for an attorney and am wise enough not to rant about specifics on the internet, I'll share two Bible verses that spoke to me this week:

"Though they plan evil against you, though they devise mischief, they will not succeed." Psalm 21:11

 "You must not harbor hatred against your brother... Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am Yahweh" Leviticus 19:17-18.

Neighbor troubles are no good.

In light of the Leviticus verse, I'm reading through the Bible chronologically this year with our church. It is going to be very interesting to read the Word from a different perspective, and I'm hoping it will help me to get a better understanding of the big picture of scripture.

Do the Next Thing

I've had a productive Saturday so far, and that makes me happy.

Saturdays are usually pretty lame around here as Joseph works Friday nights and usually sleeps for much of the day. I would love to schedule a playdate with friends for every Saturday morning, but that isn't usually possible (since most people hang out with their husbands on Saturdays).

Instead of wasting the day away (waiting for Joseph to wake up), today I got busy cleaning, doing laundry, etc, and now

Grieving for my friend

This weekend has been hard. My thoughts have been consumed with prayer for my sweet friend Kim, whose husband, Stacy, died suddenly on Friday in a car accident here in Louisville. They have two young children, one of whom is

Is melancholy related to temperament?

Have you ever been in a season of life where you feel like you were being swallowed up by sorrow?

I know I have gone through several seasons like that,

Is there such a thing as too much sorrow over sin?

Is it possible to be too sorrowful over personal sin?

Baxter proposes three things in his sermon on melancholy:

1. That sorrow, even for sin, may be overmuch.
2. That overmuch sorrow swalloweth one up.
3. Therefore it must be resisted and assuaged by necessary comfort, both by others, and by ourselves. (Page 1)

Granted, overmuch sorrow for sin is not the typical malady of mankind in today's culture. However, some soft hearted Christians can easily fall into the mindset that they can "never have sorrow enough" over sin and "some think those to be the best Christians who are most in doubts, and fears and sorrows and speak almost nothing but uncomfortable complaints; but this is a great mistake." (page 3)

Baxter goes on to say that there are two ways in which sorrow for sin can be overmuch.

1. The first is when it is "fed by a mistaken cause."

"If a man thinketh that somewhat is a duty, which is no duty, and then sorrow for omitting it, such sorrow is all too much... Many I have known who have been greatly troubled, because they could not bring themselves to that length or order of meditation, for which they had neither ability nor time...

This one will perhaps hit close to home for some.   

"And many are troubled, because in their shops and callings they think of anything but God, as if our outward business must have no thoughts." (page 3)

To put it simply, if you feel bad for doing something that is not even sin, your sorrow may be overmuch and lead to excessive melancholy.

For example, a new mother who is spending one hour out of every two round the clock feeding her baby ought not to feel excessive sorrow if she is unable to pray or read the Bible regularly because she has neither the ability nor the time for lengthy spiritual disciplines. (Obviously, a new mother should not give up on quiet times altogether, but this is not the most helpful season of life to be beating oneself up about it.)

The other example is an interesting one that I'm sure my friends in the medical or professional field can relate to. It is not a sin to think about your work while you are at work. For example, a pharmacist may not have the time or the mental ability to pray, memorize scripture, etc. while she is setting about the important work of filling prescriptions. She may need to devote her entire focus on the business at hand (I hope she is, anyway, for the sake of her patients!!) Therefore, she shouldn't feel sorrow over the fact that she can't pursue spiritual disciplines at work.

2. The second way that sorrow can be overmuch is "when it hurteth and overwhelmeth nature itself, and destroyeth bodily health or understanding." By this, I think Baxter means that sorrow (even over sin) should not lead to a destruction of your physical or mental health. You can read more on this in my previous post on the disease of melancholy.

Is melancholy a disease?

I have to be honest.... I don't know much about the science of depression or the theories of biblical counseling or how the two connect or conflict. I know some people say depression is a physical condition that needs to be treated with medicine while other people say it simply a sin issue that can be dealt with through counseling, reading the Bible more, prayer, etc. I certainly have no intentions of making an argument about these points. Much has already been written elsewhere, I'm sure. Just do a quick Google search.

These are just quotes and things I have gleaned from my readings, and I hope they encourage you as they have me...
Baxter wrote this sermon 350 years ago in a time when depression was known simply as "melancholy." He defines it in the following way:

"But when the brain and imagination are impaired, and reason partly overthrown by the disease called melancholy, this maketh the cure yet more difficult;" (page 8 of 41)

 I like the way he describes melancholy- as a disease in which the imagination is impaired. This is so accurate, is it not? Whatever the cause of the disease (sin or physical sickness or a predisposition to depression or whatever), it does seem to impair the imagination and overthrow one's ability to reason.

I'll let Baxter further describe the signs of melancholy:

"The trouble and disquiet of the mind doth then become a settled habit... they can delight in nothing... in a word, fears and troubles and almost despair are the constant temper of their minds... quiet them a hundred times, and their fears a hundred times return.... their misery is, that what they think they cannot choose but think..." (page 8 and 9)

I really like the following description:

"You may almost as well persuade a man not to shake in an fever, or not to feel when he is pained, as persuade them to cast away their self-troubling thoughts, or not to think all the enormous, confounding thoughts as they do; they cannot get them out of their heads night or day." (page 9)

If you read further in the sermon, the signs get more disturbing as the disease progresses- things that we would associate today with manic depression, schizophrenia, etc.

"...they seem to feel something besides themselves...bidding them to do this or that...they are exceedingly prone to think think they have revelations... prone to prophecies... and many of them turn heretics, and take up errors in religion... but these melancholy heretics and apostates usually by this cast off their sadness, and are not the sort that I have now to deal with... but the sadder, better sort, feeling this talk and stir within them, are oft  apt to be confident that they are possessed by the devil... When it is far gone, they are tempted to lay some law upon themselves never to speak more, or to eat... they often think that they have apparitions... and sometimes they are confident that they hear voices, and feel something touch or hurt them... they fly from company and can do nothing but sit and muse... and when it cometh to extremity, they are weary of their lives..." (page 9 and 10)

And for those of us who have not fallen so far deeply into melancholy, Baxter gives this warning:

"These are the doleful symptoms and effects of melancholy; and therefore how desirable is it to prevent them, or to be cured while it is but beginning, before they fall into so sad a state!"  (page 11)

So, if you think of melancholy as a disease that gets increasingly worse without treatment, it is exceedingly beneficial to cure the disease while it is in the early stages- before the patient becomes "swallowed up with overmuch sorrow." (2 Corinthians 2:7- the text for Baxter's sermon)

I'll leave you with that for now. More to come on how to cure melancholy according to Baxter. His suggestions are surprisingly gracious. If you are eager to read for yourself, just check out the links above.

Avoiding Blogger's Remorse- On the Topic of Melancholy

I've got an idea for a blog post/series, but I need to be careful so as not to have blogger's remorse once I hit the "Publish" button.

What I mean is this--- It's easy to get carried away with a blog post and write things that you wouldn't normally tell the general public. Granted, you can always delete the post, but with feed readers, etc., you can never totally remove the digital footprint that is made with those words.

My idea relates to the topic of melancholy (aka sadness, depression, gloominess, discouragement, etc).

End of Year Resolutions

I've never been big on making New Years resolutions.

However,

I've missed my car

I love my car.

My fuel efficient, reliable, petite little Honda Civic. It's a good car, but it is starting to show its age. Nothing major, just little things that start to wear out over time. I can't complain, though. When I got the Civic, it was three years old and had about 30,000 miles on it. That was back in college. Now, it is over eleven years old and has nearly 150,000 miles!

Anyway, to the point-

A Week of Birthdays

Joseph and I are one year and two days apart, so we've always celebrated our birthdays together. (Joseph's the older one.) One fun thing about having birthdays two days apart is that we get to take advantage of free birthday meals at the same time. Today we went to Captain D's. Austin was in school, so we just had David. He just eats ketchup, so we didn't have to buy him anything. :) Just kidding.... sort of. I was going to share my fries and fish, but he really didn't want anything except my soft drink... and ketchup, of course.

First Ever Mommy Retreat

I have a confession to make.

My husband took our two boys on a trip to Tennessee for three days, and I stayed home.
It was great! (Gasp!, I must be a terrible mom for admitting that!) I actually had three whole quiet days to clean, organize, hang out with other women and watch Top Shot* on Netflix.

Granted, I was a little worried about the boys, but I knew that Joseph and his parents would do a fine job of taking care of them. David was the wild card since he and I are pretty attached, but he warmed up to everyone quickly and didn't give Joseph any trouble.

Joseph had the week off from UPS, but since I had to work, and Joseph didn't want to take off from church, it made sense for Joseph to go to TN during the week by himself for a few days. I had just gotten back from visiting my parents the week before, so I was OK with him going by himself. It was a slight surprise, though, when he suggested taking the boys with him. I agreed immediately (maybe a little too quickly :), but I really thought he would change his mind about taking David, who is a little more needy than Austin at this point.

When it came down to it, Joseph ended up taking both boys with him. He knew that his parents would be severely disappointed if he left David at home. Plus, I would have had to find a babysitter for him on the days that I work.

Here's what I did on my mommy retreat:

1. Woke up every morning and had a nice quiet time (quieter than usual, let me add)

2. Played my new Wii fitness game called ExerBeat. Its great. I like it better than the Wii Fit Plus, and it was only $20. It uses two Wii remotes, so it measures the movements in both arms instead of just one. I'm getting pretty good at the Salsa dance moves, but I'm not very good at Hip Hop.   

3. Cleaned and organized- The biggest projects I tackled were Joseph's office and our bedroom. Those were the two rooms that never got completely finished after we moved into our new apartment. Now they are done! It's such a good feeling to have our apartment organized. I also did some work in the boys' room rotating toys and straightening their dressers.

4. One night I was able to go out to dinner with my friend Katie using one of the Living Social coupons I purchased. It was so fun! I'm going to try to get out like that more often.

5. I spent a few hours getting to know my new neighbors, which was fun, and my sister stopped in for a little visit on her way home from vacation.

6. I did work at the office two mornings as well, so it was not all fun and games :)

7. I went to the grocery store once and to Target to pick up some more school supplies (found cheaper jumbo crayons at Big Lots, but I just bit the bullet on the other supplies. Got some superhero Kleenex, which should give Austin some cool points at school.) Other than those times, I pretty much stayed at home and was either productive or social. I only watched TV while I was eating lunch or dinner, so that's pretty good time management, right?

What did I gain from my Mommy Retreat? Well, I got the apartment in a good organized condition, so now I can work on maintaining it. I had a nice break from the daily responsibilities of being a mom. However, being on my own also made me appreciate my boys and my husband. It was nice to be on my own for a few days, but I would definitely get lonely after awhile.

It's funny because when my sister came, I practically begged her to let me cook dinner. It was nice to cook for somebody else after fixing food for just me all week.

Joseph and the boys had fun in Tennessee, and I had a productive week in Louisville, but it was really nice when my boys came home. David clung to my neck when he got out of the car, which told me he missed me, and Austin greeted me with sweetness, too.  I savored their lovin' until it was time to fix lunch for everybody. Let me say that I was happy to fix them lunch, and I did it with zeal.

*My thoughts on Top Shot- If you haven't seen Top Shot, I highly recommend it. It is a reality show where twenty or so men and women compete to see who is the best marksman. They live in a big house like in Big Brother, but there is much less drama because it is all men (and one woman). They compete in different shooting challenges using different weapons. I am not typically interested in guns and stuff, but this is a pretty interesting show. There were 10 episodes in the first season. It's on Netflix.

Kindergarten Ramblings

Ideally, we would love to send Austin to a top notch private Christian school, but we don't have the financial resources for that right now. (Have you checked out tuition for private school? $5,000/year is pretty typical for two or three day kindergarten. It goes up in cost for every grade. That's like college tuition people!)

After realizing that private school was not realistic, we were left with two options:

1. I quit my part-time job at the law office and homeschool, or
2. We try to get Austin into a good public school and see if that route is even an option. If not, we homeschool.

As I have indicated in prior posts, we don't know anybody who sends their kids to public school in Louisville. One reason for this is that many, if not the majority, of Louisville's schools are weak academically. Another reason is that many Christian conservatives have given up on the public school system because of religious and ideological reasons.

We were willing to give the public school system a shot, but only if we could get Austin into one of the two schools nearest our home. Since Austin was chosen for a good school within walking distance, we decided that we would see how things go for kindergarten.

What's the worst thing that could happen? We pull him out and homeschool. Not that big a deal.

I am hopeful that things will work out. I've joined the PTA Facebook page, and it seems like there are a lot of active parents. We have lots of activities next week to get ready for school. Austin will go to Kindergarten Camp for a few hours next week, and we have a school wide cookout to attend.

There is something in me that just loves to fill out a planner. I've already transferred the school calendar to my personal planner and made notes about things like school picture day and PTA meetings. I know they are doing a Field Trek in October, which is like the Panther Prowl walkathon that they did at my elementary school to raise money for the school. I've been collecting box tops and signed up to link my Kroger card to the box tops website.

If I'm going to send my kid to public school, I'm going to do it right. I'm going to be involved and know what is going on at my kid's school. I'm going to meet other parents and teachers. I'm going to get to know the school's new principal. I'll volunteer to chaperone field trips and do room mom type things.

You know, this whole kindergarten thing might actually be fun.

Are we home yet?

Joseph and I have lived in Louisville for six years now. We were married for six months before Joseph started seminary, and during that time we lived in a little house in rural West Tennessee. I was finishing up my bachelor's degree and working part-time at the campus library, and Joseph was working at Lifeway and serving on staff at a church as a youth pastor. Looking back, those six months seem like such a short time compared to the six years we have spent in Louisville. I kind of forget about them, actually.

Our families are in TN. We both grew up in TN, went to college in TN and were married in TN. We lived in our first home together in TN. But we have lived in KY for most of our adult lives. The question is- Are we home yet? Has Kentucky become our new "home" or do we still consider TN to be home?

I'm really not sure.

Our boys have been born and raised in Kentuckiana (Kentucky/Indiana= Kentuckiana). We are still living here even after Joseph finished seminary. We like living in Louisville, in fact. It is a neat city.... However, when we go to TN to visit our parents, we still catch ourselves telling people that "We are going home to TN for a few days." There is a special place in our hearts for our home state of Tennessee, where the grass is greener, the air is cleaner and the potholes are smaller. (Kentucky has terrible roads!)

So, the question is still out there, "Are we home yet?" Only time will tell.

On Memorizing Scripture

Things that come to mind when I think about memorization:


- all the times I nervously stood in front of the class in grade school and had to recite a piece of poetry.

- all the times I have memorized the Romans Road or other faith sharing plans only to forget the scripture references.
- all the times I have had nightmares where I am in school again, and I forget my locker combination.
- all the times I have memorized phone numbers and addresses only to forget them once they are replaced with new ones.


Can you relate to any of these things?


Now onto the topic of memorizing scripture.


Nobody is going to deny the importance of memorizing scripture. But the traditional way that we are taught to memorize scripture is hard. Take bible drill for example- You recite the scripture reference. Then the verse. Then the reference again. I don't know about you, but the hardest part for me is remembering the scripture references. (I'm not that great at remembering numbers anyways.) Well, I've found a way to memorize scripture that works for me, and I thought I would share it.


Don't memorize single verses. Memorize a whole chapter or better yet, memorize a whole book of the Bible. I just finished memorizing the first chapter of James, and it took less than a month. 

I've found that memorizing larger portions of scripture gives me a sense of accomplishment, and I am able to review the words easier if I don't have to recall a whole list of chapters and numbers. For example, I can't tell you the exact verse number, but I do know that, "..everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry," can be found in chapter one of the book of James. A few years ago, I memorized the book of Philippians, and I know that the passage of scripture that includes, "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God," is found in the 4th chapter.


If you have a favorite verse, that is a good place to start. Then, start memorizing the verses in front of and behind that verse. Eventually you will have the whole chapter memorized. Then, instead of counting sheep at night, you can review that whole passage of scripture. That is how I came to memorize the book of Philippians. I started with a few verses in chapter one and decided to build on what I had learned. Eventually I had to whole chapter memorized and I decided to keep going. I still have to review Philippians to keep it fresh, but I will never forget it. I wish I could say that about the dozens of random verses I have memorized over the years.


I can't help but think about the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. In light of that book, I am proud to say that I am the book of Philippians and the first chapter of James and the first 18 verses of John's gospel. If Bibles are ever scarce or become illegal or I am trapped on a desert island, at least I will have these precious portions of scripture to cling to.

I'm definitely not the first person to come up with this idea. Here is another blog post that has been circulating lately about memorizing scripture.

Blessings,
Emily

Cooking with Willing Hands

Several ladies from my church have created a cooking blog, and I am a contributor. I just posted a Black Bean Soup recipe. Click here to be directed to the Cooking with Willing Hands blog.