Forest Friends

It is funny how sometimes things just happen perfectly.  I needed one of those times . . . and this weekend I got it.

When Kenneth and Diana were little, Don went on a perpetual quest to find a game called Forest Friends.  He and his brothers played it until the spinner pad had been wiped of its images, and he knew it would be a good game for our little ones to play.  But alas, we never could find it.

Two weeks ago we were in a toy store looking for a gift for Caleb.  They did not have our desired gift, so we began to look at games.  Indeed Candyland and Chutes and Ladders were there . . . but not Forest Friends.  Phooey.

With Don's birthday upcoming, I decided I would try to find Forest Friends.  An initial attempt came up with a few games, but I was not going to spend $40 for one.  So I went to EBAY.  Amazingly, several choices came up, and I was able to acquire a nice, barely used version for much less!

Within a few days, the game arrived in the mail.  Using some ultra-swift, sneak techniques, I managed to keep the emails hidden, the wrapped game under "wraps," and the game a secret until Sunday, when Caleb gave Papa an early birthday gift.  He helped Don unwrap it, and within about 5 minutes, they were playing it.  Caleb caught on quickly, and it became the game of the day.

Don was thrilled with having a fun memory of his times as a child . . . and the best thing is we got to leave it in Kansas City!

Barkskins

Our summer read for our book club was Barkskins, by Annie Proulx.  It is a lengthy tome (though not as bad as Anna Karenina or Atlas Shrugged) about the lumber industry in colonial times.  The brutality of the colonials, the prejudice toward the Native Americans, the lack of concern about the wanton pillage of the forests depressed me to no end, but I could not quit reading the book.  Proulx's writing kept the story interesting, and her descriptions were beautiful.  It was not hard to visualize the beauty and mass of the forests, the cruelty of the masters, the arrogance of the colonials . . . all of it, yet the book ended with a spark of hope.  I had read a review in Oprah and she highly recommended Bearskins.  At first I wasn't so sure, but after reading it, I recommend it, too.

Into Every Life Some Rain Must Fall

Many years ago - maybe 1982 - Liz McClure, the mother of two of our students, was talking about her daughter who had passed away.  I expressed my condolences, and I will never forget her comment to me . . . "Karen, into every life some rain must fall."

Don and I, Kenneth and Diana, Melinda and her family . . . we have all led charmed lives.  We still do .  But this year the realities of life have hit us in more ways than I can count.

Have there been good things?  Of course.  We had a wonderful trip to Spain, the cabin addition is awesome, CJ and Kara were married, little Mia joined our family.  Unfortunately little Mia's challenges have kept us on our toes, and they are not over yet.  Combined with the break-up of several relationships, the death of our 20-year-old godson, and illness among several of my friends, I am ready for the rain to lighten up.  I am beginning to feel like I need an Ark.

It is times like this that I remember the poem about the footsteps in the sand.  When there is only one set of prints, God reminds us that He is carrying us.  His one promise to us is that He will not abandon us, and this string of difficult times has certainly been proof of that.

We will continue to plug forward, knowing that we have great support from our family, friends, and God.  That is the best we can do.