Krissy Thomas

I was thinking about my childhood today and remembering how we never took vacations. We went on trips for relative’s weddings or we would go sometimes to conferences, but we weren’t a family that went on vacations to the beach or camping trips to wherever. We never went to Europe or The Mediterranean and we certainly didn’t spend ski holidays in Vail or summer weeks in Aspen. Actually typing that out makes me want to laugh out loud.

This all came into my mind because I was thinking of how people in poverty don’t take vacation from their lives. They have no options to escape to or from.

We were poor. My family came to the US when I was 5 and my brothers worked in restaurants washing dishes and taking whatever work they could find. They worked hard to help make ends meet for our family. My mom had a day care and my dad was a pastor. Everybody had a job and everybody worked to make ends meet and help the family unit survive. We were the oh so typical hard-working immigrant family trying to realize the American dream.

We never thought of going on vacations. It wasn’t an option. We never dreamt that people went away for days at a time to do nothing. How would the bills be paid that way? We prayed for God to provide and then we worked hard to make sure we did our part.

Here I am as an adult needing, no, wanting a vacation! I’ve come a long way from being that child who never went on vacations. I’ve traveled to amazing places in the world because of Compassion International and I’ve seen spectacular beauty, breathtaking views and absolute poverty.

So, I guess I have brain issues because I still have difficulty justifying my need/want for a vacation when I know that poverty never takes a break.

I’m just sayin.’

So today, I got the greatest gifts from those closest to me. I got a poem, a visit, an email and some phone calls and great treats at home.

I had a friend say, in a poem,  that I’m cooler than Blaise Pascal!!! Who would’ve thought such things could be true?!

Have I mentioned I love poems?

I had another friend bring me dinner and a gift!

Have I mentioned I love food and gifts?

Another friend wrote me a long heartfelt email!

Have I mentioned I love words…especially in long emails?

My son made me breakfast!

Have I mentioned how I love that my son knows me so well?

My daughter and I played in the rain

Have I mentioned how much I love being in the rain?

I took the dog to the vet

Did I mention they were so sweet to my dog and didn’t charge me for the office visit and told me there would be no charge to take out the stitches?

I feel like today was a “For Me?” kind of day…where people went intentionally out of their way to make me feel loved. Well, guess what, you did it folks, I feel loved. So there, are you happy? I know I am!

I was laying with my little boy a few minutes ago. The lights were out in his room, but light from the hallway was peeping in and bouncing off his bright blue wall. He started moving his hands around and making shadow puppets. it was pretty fascinating to watch.

i could see little creatures and shapes take form, and i kind of forgot that it was just my little boy and his two little hands creating this imagery.
then this thought crossed my mind. how often in life do i look at the shadows and get worried or afraid and not bother to figure out the sources of the shadows?

how differently would i perceive things if i started to look at the hands in motion and not the shadow puppets playing on my fears?

Sometimes I start thinking of what if’s…do you?

What if we went to church and actually cried out to God?

What if when we started hurting we talked to God instead of dialing a friend?

What if we got up every morning and spent time meditating?

What if we sometimes sat in silence instead of covering up the quiet with the t.v., itunes, conversations and everything else?

What if we were very honest with people and told them the hurts we’ve felt because of them?

What if we verbalized that we sometimes feel insecure and out of place?

What if we didn’t always grin and bear it?

What if we stopped judging people before knowing them?

What if we would listen more than we spoke?

What if we listened to the voice inside us?

What if we started believing in ourselves?

What if we trusted that the Almighty made us with precision skill to be exactly who we are?

What if we recognized that we may hurt and we may face setbacks, but in time all things work together for good for those who love God?

Just some what if’s I’m thinking of.

I can’t tell if I want to write or read today. There’s something down deep that wants to write, but I know that if I were to really start writing, then I’d spill my innards to you all and I don’t know if I’m ready for that, so all that to say, let me give you an update on what’s going on in my life. First let me say,  my leg hurts!

1. So we started tearing up and re-d0ing my front yard last weekend. Here are a couple of  before shots.

Calgon Take Me Away

My big yard

My brother Biju, a helper and I started working on Friday, then my brothers and a good friend of mine came over on Saturday and we dug up the mess! There were 12 of us out there most of the day.

Diggin' up the yard

Biju, our helper friend, Genaro,the kids and I worked on Sunday as well. Then  on Monday I went off to work while  Biju, the kids, Genaro and Abe worked all day laying sod.

When I got home from work on Monday I saw this…

So yesterday, we finally finished it all. Put in a little rock pathway through the yard where all the kids cut through on their way to and home from school.

Put in some more grass, finished the mulching and finally…voila!

Finished yard

After working for 10 hours, we finally sat down to enjoy the view of the yard while Biju finished up on the sprinkler system…when Lucy, who was sitting nicely next to me, decided to chase after a rabbit she saw across the yard. (This is where you find out about why my leg hurts…) Well you see, Lucy had a long rope tether attached to her collar which she somehow tore off in her mad sprint after the bunny. As she was tearing off, she decided to do so across my legs and did this…

Rope burn

But it really wasn’t nearly as bad as what she did to herself…Are you ready for this?

Lucy's leg laceration

And this

Lucy in Her Cone of Shame

All in all it was quite an eventful weekend. I’m thankful my yard looks so lovely, I’m horribly sad that my puppy dog got 30 stitches and has to take pain meds and antibiotics and has to wear this thing on her head for the next 10 days. However, all is still well and we’ve survived yet another thrilling weekend in the life of Krissy Thomas.Yes, my leg does hurt, but not nearly as bad as my little dog’s leg. So there you have it friends! Thanks for following along.

So, what did you do this weekend?