Major changes

Dad had called to tell me he and Claudia went looking for wedding rings.  A week or so later he called to tell me he asked her to marry him.  She said yes!  I teased him about asking her to marry him before he had his shoulder surgery.  I later told her he was not a very good patient.

I reflected on thoughts that might have gone through his mind when he asked Claudia to marry him.  When he asked Mom to marry him, he probably thought that was the only time he would ever have to do that.  Did his mind flash back to when he asked Mom to marry him?  How can one block out those memories?  I am very happy for them.  As a dad would tell his child he had his blessings, I told Dad he had my blessings.  I thought it was funny.  They are going to get married October 1, 2005.

There are major changes because Dad and Claudia are fixing up the house.  Dad told me he took down pictures in the hallway.  This was a sore issue for me a while back, but I am fine with it now. 

 

I took Lauren and Ashton down to St. Simons for about a week at the end of May.  The house was a wreck with all the renovations.  All the furniture was in the middle of each room, so the painters could paint.  The screen porch was going to be glassed in and be an extension of the den.  New white cabinets are going to be put in the kitchen.  The list goes on.

Lauren walked in and slowly looked at all the changes.  She was not handling it very well.  I tried to motion to Dad without her seeing to quit talking about it.  Later in the week, as I was talking to Dad he started crying.  He did not like that Lauren was upset.  I told him she would get used to it.  Lauren doesn’t like any change.  She does not even want to go into middle school even though it is the same school.  She will have classrooms in different buildings and a lot more teachers.  Change brings her stress.

U  Are you being sensitive with those having difficulty with the changes?  U

He felt like he has to glue everything all together.  I told him he is having to do the things Mom always did and not to get overwhelmed; to take it in a little at a time.  He said, “What am I doing?”  He mentioned it happened so soon (about Claudia and him getting married).  I told him our timing is not God’s timing, and it was God’s will they met.

Claudia called Dad, and as they were talking he mouthed to me she was crying.  Dad wanted me to talk to her.  She too was upset the changes were upsetting Lauren.  I went through the whole spill with her as well.  I told her she had to make the house the way she wanted to and everything will be all right.  I also told her we needed to talk about these things and not hold it in.  

**Notice how the ladybug has a heart on it behind its head:)