Monday, February 03, 2014

A `Things' Post

My friend Shannon does a post every once in a while with cool things to check out.  I have a few random ones so I will share them here :)

1.  Shannon mentioned something and I'm going to do it again here.  Have you heard of the `One Match' program?  It's through Canadian Blood Services and is separate from blood donation.   It does take about 10 minutes to go through but I think it's worth it.  So instead of looking through facebook for 10 minutes, maybe check it out?  They send you a cool kit where you get to swab your cheek for DNA and mail it off.  I did mine last week.  Who knows, you could help someone by donating your stem cells.  Here is the link.

2. Depression sucks.  I have many loved ones who suffer from depression and/or anxiety.  As much as I want to complain about the viruses attacking my family over the last 2 weeks (OH MY GOODNESS, I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!), I know it's nothing compared to what so many people go through every single day.  This video was good for describing depression and I asked Gary to show it in his class. Click here.


3.  SHE IS clothing.  There are a few things I love about this.  Let me tell you a few.  First,  I love it when women start up their own businesses.  Love when they take a risk.  Love when they can share their passion/artistic abilities with others.   Secondly, I love the message behind this.  Often I find that Christian stuff can be kind of cheesy, do you know what I mean?

I love that Kim is making clothing based on Proverbs 31:25.  Proverbs 31 talks about a wife of noble character and this verse is `She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without the fear of the future.'. My strength, when things get tough, comes from God.  My prayer this past week may have been begging for health for our family and strength to get through it.  I know the viruses that hit our home are NOTHING compared to what most people go through every day, but for me, it was weighing me down.

When I was in Kenya, I would talk to Gary on the cell phone once a week.  On Wednesday afternoons, I would sit in the cow pasture (where there was reception) and talk to Gary.  One day, he told me that my mom had bone cancer.  No cure.  Immediately I felt God holding me and protecting me and keeping me strong.  I would not have handled it well on my own.

Again, here is the link to her clothing line.


And now, just some pictures of the kiddos.  We have spent A LOT of time together over the past 2 weeks and are looking forward to being healthy again.

Kai Bear.  I love this kid.  It's sometimes hard to remember that he's my child not my buddy :)  He is very much `our' child.  Obsessed with watching cooking shows (he dreamt he was on Chopped) and loves to learn, especially in a school environment.
Koen (Just before getting sick.  Again. We just thought he was grumpy.).  He is so full of questions now.  Mostly he wants to know what various words mean.  After writing that, I can hear him say, in my head, `What does `various' mean?'. 
Nya (excited to find an old cell phone on the lawn).  This kid amazes us.  She's an amazing mix of Kai and Koen.  A very fast learner who loves to be goofy.  She will do everything and anything her brothers do.  The `Nya' ingredient is the volume.  She is loud,especially when she does not get what she wants.  We are learning how to discipline this strong young woman.  She melts our hearts daily and we are all so smitten with her. 

I hope you have a wonderful week full of good health!
 Love, Louise

3 comments:

  1. Kai's hair isn't so bad. I think it suits him! :) Hope your house is healthy soon!

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  2. I LOVE this post ;) It was kinda cool doing the swabs hey?! I was fascinated by just swabbing my mouth a bunch of times and then tossing 'em in an envelope...

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  3. Good to catch up, Lou, and sorry that its been a rough few weeks health wise. Your kids are gorgeous, and I adore Nya's smiles.

    Thank you for posting the black dog video. I lost an ex co-worker this week to depression, who had a 10 year old boy and 12 year old daughter. I hadn't known, and he was so successful, a great guy. It's hit me hard (in the sad, and the petrified way), and I'm wishing we could have TALKED about it, and supported and helped, and normalized.

    Your marriage posts are a good reminder. Thank you. We just played connect4 (I'm not quite sure when that became our mini-date), and it was great. t

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