Spring, Part 2

Warmer weather has slowly returned this week and the landscape is showing signs of recovery from the freeze that hit two weeks ago. I think, given a little time, our trees will grow out new leaves, but they will be really susceptible to another stressful event (like drought) this year. I saw on a locally produced gardening show (WNPT's Volunteer Gardner) that the freeze we got this year was a once in a lifetime event. The last late freeze of this severity on record happened in 1881.

AN UPDATE ON MOM. Mom is doing pretty well. She is still sore. The issue of concern has been some persistent residual bleeding. She saw her doctor last Monday. He was concerned by the bleeding as well but wanted her to monitor it through the week and return on Friday. On the return trip he put packing in the area where the surgery was performed. This did not work as work as planned and I took Mom to the ER that night. They kept her overnight for closer observation and she came home Saturday afternoon. We are hoping this is something that just needs time to heal instead of a return trip to the operating room. At least she had good meals at the hospital! As an added treat during Mom’s recovery, Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob arrived Thursday.

BEN IS BAPTIZED. Ben’s baptism was yesterday morning. He has been excited about it all week. While getting ready for church he wondered aloud, “How do you think I’ll feel?” Then answering his own question, he said with a mischievous grin, “I know, WET!” We have some precious photos.

JENNA TURNS NINE! Jenna’s ninth birthday was Wednesday. Due to the schedule, we waited until this weekend to celebrate. Jenna’s Uncle Will chastised Vicki for not having a cake on the day, but she was serenaded with Happy Birthday several different times. (Vicki promised to do better in the future.)

Jenna had a slumber party Friday night. Maegan Garst, Mackenzie Barrow and Macy Burysek were picked up at school and brought to our house for an evening of fun and excitement. Ben got to see the girls on the way home from school but poor Nate was completely left out. He kept wanting to meet Jenna’s friends but the closest he got was shouting “HEY JENNA’S GIRLS!” from Pauline’s deck as they were playing in our yard.

While I was taking Mom to the ER Vicki took this gaggle of girls to Kids Party Jumps in Hendersonville. They grabbed pizza on the way home and spent the rest of the evening doing “girl stuff” here at the house. The next morning Vicki made breakfast for all of them before sending them on their way. Vicki was surprised that nine year old girls can chow down as much as any boy.

Saturday night Pauline hosted a birthday dinner for Jenna. Mom, Aunt Mar, Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob all came over.

FIRST PLACE! Jenna was pleasantly surprised to take first place for her computer art in the county art contest. She has a blue ribbon for her underwater scene.

SOCCER SEASON IS UNDER WAY. I took the boys to their games Saturday morning (Jenna’s slumber party was not quite over). Ben played first and he did really well, even scoring the first goal for his team! He seems to have a better grasp of how the game works this year. You can tell he understands his position and tries to play it rather than just following the pack of kids chasing the ball. Nate is playing soccer for the first time this year. He got his foot on the ball and moved it a few times but has a lot to learn about playing the game.

SELF-SUFFICIENCY. So I’m walking by the bathroom and I hear Nate grunting. Opening the door to see if he’s okay, I find him trying to pull his pants off (it’s bedtime). I ask if he needs help. “No,” he replies, “I got it all under control.”

ADOPTION UPDATE. For those of you keeping Brent, Cindy and Tyler in their prayers, here’s the latest news:

We had our meeting with Ty's birthfather [Thursday]. His mother and stepfather were there as well. We didn't know they were coming, but luckily, it didn't throw us off-balance too much.

He was very nice and courteous. He asked several good questions as well as did his parents. Overall, we feel the meeting went well. We were all nervous at first (especially him it seemed), but we all relaxed after a while. 

He is still processing everything and wants to do the right thing by Ty. So, we really don't know when we'll know more. He still wants to pursue a paternity test just for peace of mind and so there is no doubt.

May I say THANK YOU once more for your continued prayers. This is not a journey to walk alone, and we are blessed to have you all.

And we appreciate your prayers on their behalf as well.

Joe

Frost Damage

The recent cold temperatures have not been good for us. It’s going to be a bad year to be a farmer around here. I think the fruit crops are a total loss. While the wheat looks okay from the road, a closer inspection will reveal frost damage as well. Those folks who sowed their corn early are now wishing they hadn’t. The hard frost hit many of our trees at a critical time too, and we are wondering how many trees will go through the summer without leaves. Our gorgeous early spring looks a lot like the late stages of autumn now.

ANOTHER REBIRTH! It was a couple of Wednesdays ago that Ben came home from church and told me he wanted to become a Christian. After talking and praying with him the first thing he wanted to do was call Bro. Bill. When Bro. Bill answered the phone Ben said, “I want to be a missionary!” I wanted to hear more of this conversation but Ben had the cordless phone and was pacing through the house and it was hard for me to keep up with him.

We have talked to Ben quite a bit about becoming a Christian, read some books on the subject with him, and we all met with Bro. Bill Sunday morning. Bro. Bill really relates well with children and as he talked to Ben about his faith in his own childhood you could tell Ben was really following him. Some of the expressions on Ben’s face were just precious. What’s so funny is when he is asked if he knows what sin is he usually gives an example when answering. This example is often about something he has done to Nate.

For those of you not familiar with Baptist traditions, those who want to become a Christian will come to the front of the sanctuary and meet with the pastor during the last song of the service. Ben did this Sunday. If Mom is feeling well enough to come to church Sunday Ben will be baptized then. He is very excited about this.

UPDATE ON MOM. Nothing has changed with Mom since I sent out the update the other day. She is sore but not complaining of a lot of pain. We do appreciate your prayers.

SISTERS IN FAITH. Mt. Carmel served as host to a women’s conference last weekend. There were about 300 women in attendance. Vicki and Pauline really enjoyed the fellowship, the speaker, the music and, of course, the chocolate.

YOU TRY TO TRAIN THEM TO DO RIGHT, but sometimes you just have to give in and give recognition where it is due. Usually when the kids belch at the table we make sure they at least say, “Excuse me.” But the other day Ben cut loose with such resonance and duration that I just had to stop and salute him. I hadn’t heard one that good since college.

WATER HEATER WOES. My neighbor, Jimmie Pitt, is a wonderful guy. I showed up on his doorstep last Monday and said, “You want to ride to Lowe’s with me?” That trip took over the majority of his day which he readily spent with me. I got up that morning to discover we had no hot water. A visit to the flooded basement told me I would not make it to work that day. Fortunately it is a hand dug, unfinished basement with its own drain so the flood was the least of my worries. On returning from town we went to work. By lunchtime our new water heater was at work. Everyone needs a neighbor like Jimmie Pitt!

Joe

Happy Easter

In stark contrast to the last few weeks I can tell you it is cold here in Tennessee. We woke up to 24° F this morning. The weatherman reported last night that this will be the second year in a row where Easter will be colder than the preceding Christmas.

EASTER ACTIVITIES. This being Holy Week on the church calendar, our church activities have continued. Thursday evening I went to the community Maunday Thursday service at Cross Plains Methodist Church. Communion is one of the main focuses of this service. This was the first time Mom had received the Lord’s Supper by eating a piece of bread dipped in grape juice and the second time for me. What was a new experience for both of us was that the service closed with a stripping of the church ceremony (where all the decorations are removed before the congregation is dismissed). We were also to leave in silence which was hard for Mom to do. Yesterday we had a noontime community Good Friday service at our church. Afterward we went to Cracker Barrel for a late lunch. Of course, we went to church for our Easter service this morning. With no church activities this evening we had an Easter dinner at Pauline’s.

APRIL FOOL UPDATE. Lori emailed me after reading the last edition regarding the April Fools joke played on Kenny. Sorry Kenny, but the people deserve to know the truth. Lori writes: “Just one update -- when I found him he was out in the front yard looking up at the roof. She REALLY got him good if she got him out of his nap chair on a Sunday afternoon. God Bless Aunt Mar for doing what I've never been able to do.”

A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF GOOD JUDGEMENT. So Jenna is chewing bubble gum as she is taking a shower last night. Thirsty, she decided to get a drink of water. This is where I lose her. Not wanting to swallow her gum she took it out, and in a lapse judgement, parked it in her hair behind her left ear. It was when she wanted to put her gum back in her mouth that she discovered she was in trouble. I ran to the bathroom is response to her shrill cries for help.

Now I’ve had a lot of principals tell me that peanut butter is just the thing to get gum out of hair. We tried that. It worked to some degree but I think her hair being wet was a problem. I wound up having to cut the gum out. At least it doesn’t show. She will sheepishly confess this to her immediate family, but has sworn us to secrecy. I guess I’ve blown that confidence now (I think she knows this incident is being written up).

NATE AND HIS GRANDMOTHERS. Nate spent Friday night with Mom and Aunt Mar. Yesterday morning I called to warn them that I was coming to get him so he could pack and clean up his toys. Mom sent him to clean up while she washed dishes. A few minutes later he called to her saying, “G’Anne, I need your to help. They’re YOUR toys.”

This evening after supper the kids had an Easter egg hunt in Pauline’s house (too cold for outdoor hunting). While looking for hidden eggs under the couch Jenna found an uncooked lasagna noodle. Holding it up Pauline saw it and was glad she wasn’t losing her mind. The other day she was cooking lasagna while she was keeping Nate. She knew she had counted out nine noodles, but when she went to add them to the pot there was only eight. She never suspected a grandson with sticky fingers.

UPCOMING SURGERY. My mom is scheduled to have some abdominal surgery Thursday. It is scheduled to happen pretty late in the day. If all goes well she will spend only one night in the hospital. This will be a repeat of previous work and we are hoping she will be on track with the predicted two week recovery time. Please keep us in your prayers toward the end of this week.

ADOPTION UPDATE. A few weeks ago I asked everyone to pray about our friends Brent and Cindy regarding their adopted son, Tyler. I haven’t mentioned them again because there has been nothing new to tell. We received this email from Brent a few days ago.

We finally have an update in regards to Ty's birth father. Here's what we know:

• The birth parent counselor at [the adoption agency] has a meeting scheduled with the birthfather for next Thursday.
• The birth father wants to have a DNA test done.
• The birth father wants to see Ty. We don't think this would be next week but at a separate meeting time.

Please pray that this young man will have the wisdom to choose what is best for Ty. We believe that is for him to remain with us and are asking

God to choose to intervene and make it so.

Also, I don't have everyone's e-mail here in my home address book, so please forward this to anyone you know would like to receive an update and to know how to pray for us. We cannot thank you enough for supporting us in this way.

This has been a rough waiting game for them.

We hope everyone has had a wonderful Easter.

Joe

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Prayer Request Updates

Saturday, April 14, 2007

I ended Tuesday’s newsletter informing you of Mom’s upcoming surgery and giving you an adoption update. Here is the latest news on that...

MOM’S SURGERY went well. Her doctor seemed pleased with how the procedure went when he met with me. She spent Thursday night in the hospital and I brought her home yesterday afternoon. Her biggest complaint to me is of soreness. We are expecting the first day or two at home to be a bit rough but once she moves past that we hope she’ll be feeling a lot better. Thanks for your prayers on her behalf.

MORE ADOPTION NEWS. I have permission to forward Brent’s email on to you so I’ll let him speak to their situation.

To bring you up to date,

The birth father has met with [the adoption agency] and wanted to get all the facts straight as to his options, etc. He is tall and handsome and well-mannered, according to the social worker. He was concerned as to how his decision would reflect on his character either way. He also realizes that we have already bonded with Ty. He is still trying to process all of this, it seems. Anyway, he wants to meet with us (Brent, Cindy and Ty) next Thursday at noon. In the meantime, Bethany is sending him a copy of our adoption profile. Cindy and I are cautiously optimistic and of course we are still praying that he will see that Ty will certainly be loved and cared for in the Roycroft household and he can still be involved in his life if he wants to be.

Thank you for your love, interest and prayers. Keep sending them up!

And thanks again for all your prayers.

Joe

Preparing for Easter

It seems like everything has greened up really early this year. The dogwoods, red buds and forsythia are in full bloom now. Last Sunday I reported that we broke a heat record. We at least tied the record Monday. It has been warm since then but not unseasonably hot. Mowing season has begun.

SOCCER MADNESS. Soccer season is getting started for us. Nate is old enough to play this year. I took him to his first practice Tuesday evening and he was so EXCITED! The bad thing is that each kid has practice on different evenings so we’ll be burning up the road to Springfield a lot. Their games start the Saturday after Easter.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD. Friday night we all went to see Disney’s newest flick, Meet the Robinsons. We hear the 3-D version is awesome but Springfield doesn’t have that capability. It was a clean script and fun to watch. I don’t think Nate enjoyed all of it though. He kept asking Vicki, “When is your movie going to be over?”

MOVIE MADNESS. I will take this space here to tell you that we discovered Netflix several months ago. Before this it was a rare thing for us to rent movies. The general rule between Vicki and I was that we had to rent something we both liked. To add to this problem for me was that Vicki didn’t usually like to rent something she had already seen. Netflix has solved this dilemma for us. Now we alternate our movies in the queue. The beauty of it for me is that I can find movies I’d like to see that most video stores don’t carry (e.g. the sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still). I am currently in the middle of a multi-month James Bond marathon (Vicki usually enjoys the first hour of the film and sleeps through the rest).

THE POWER OF CHRIST IN ME is the title of the Easter musical our choir performed Saturday night and Sunday morning. They did a great job! We had two of our church members give their testimonies during the service which was really powerful.

HUNTING EGGS. Of course Easter brings Easter egg hunts and our children have enjoyed the fun. Sunday afternoon we had a hunt for the younger kids at church. Ben and Nate both made a pretty good haul this year. Jenna went to the hunt for the older kids that night. As an added twist to the fun they hunt their eggs by flashlight. This is done in Ross Swann’s pasture next to the church. He says he finds eggs throughout the year. Between all this we attended a cookout for all three volleyball teams and their families at Ed and Connie Coleman’s home. It was all a lot of fun but made for a full afternoon.

PASSOVER? Yes, we actually held a Seder meal at church last night with about 40 people there. It is really interesting if you have never done this before. The word seder means order and there is an order to the whole experience. The best way to describe it is to think of a long, interactive, responsive reading. During this we partook of traditional elements such as bitter herbs (horseradish), charoset, parsley dipped in salt water, a roasted egg, unleavened bread. The seder meal is the basis for the Christian ordinance of communion or eucharist. Our meal lasted about two hours and also included a feast with baked chicken, salad, spinach casserole, honey carrots and chocolate cake. And I can say that the recipes were kosher (but the cookware and utensils, while clean, may not have been kosher, at least not Vicki’s).

It was a really neat experience for me as it adds a lot of depth to the symbolism of communion and adds to my understanding of scripture concerning The Last Supper. If anyone is interested in reading the liturgy we used just let me know and I see if I can get a PDF copy to you.

THE TRICKSTER TRICKED. Not only was Sunday “Palm Sunday” on the Christian calendar, but it was April Fool’s Day as well. This is the day most of us try to beware of some elaborate scheme coming from the mind of Kenny Swann. This year the prize goes to Aunt Mar. After a long track record of being had by her nephew Aunt Mar was able to turn the tables this year.

Sunday afternoon Aunt Mar called Kenny and asked if they had a white cat. It just so happens they have a white stray that has taken up residence with them. Kenny, who is not a cat lover, isn’t too crazy about this. On learning that they do have a white cat, Aunt Mar tells him she saw it up on their roof. After hanging up Kenny is complaining about going outside to check on this cat because he knows Aunt Mar will worry about it--that’s when Lori reminds him what day it is.

A bit later Aunt Mar called me, thrilled that she had tricked Kenny. I told her that part of her life is complete now. She laughed as she agreed with me.

Joe