Mattresses and Milestones

Recently we replaced our old mattress - after 32 years. I never really thought about a mattress being any kind of of a life milestone, but 32 years is a long time! It is part of our history - our beginning. We bought our old mattress when I was pregnant with our first child, Mary. We were in our last year of seminary and still sleeping on a mattress that might have been considered an antique! It came with the antique bed we found at an estate sale. Well, not exactly....

34 years ago after we were married we moved to Dallas, Texas to begin four years of seminary. Initially we lived in a furnished apartment near the seminary (another story!) and after a couple of months moved to an apartment near the place I worked so I could walk and Carlon could drive our one car. We had no furniture, so we decided to hit garage sales for some deals and treasures. Surely we'd find wonderful things in Highland Park!! The day yielded almost nothing other than a few pictures, one of a stern looking Spanish soldier, another by a Japanese artist (Fujita) who painted people with 6 fingers, and two Portugese labor chairs we really couldn't sit in! We did have one last stop, an estate sale in an apartment complex off of Lemon Ave. that began at 5:00 pm. Feeling pretty discouraged we just wanted to get it over with and go home. We were the first ones there and at 5:00 sharp the door was unlocked. We walked in to an apartment full of old furniture in perfect condition! The couple never had children, and after he died she lived alone until she could no longer care for herself. Mahogany - Thomasville - and old. Antiques. Pretty soon the apartment was filling up with hungry antique dealers aware of the fact things were being sold at very good prices. The gentleman holding the sale, a friend of the owner, knew we were first - what do you want- what are you interested in? The beautiful secretary for sure, the end tables, the dining room table and chairs, the linen chest - and what about a bed and chest of drawers? He took us into the bedroom where we saw a most stately mahogany four poster bed and two chests of drawers. But they had to be purchased together. The only drawback was the chests were in bad shape and needed some work and refinishing. Our one bedroom apartment had a very small balcony with only room for one bike and a very small grill. No place to refnish anything. We were just beginning to say could we please just have the bed, when a shark, I mean dealer - standing right behind us - said, "I'll take everything." The kind gentleman had to sell the bedroom set to her, but he felt terrible for us. Come over to my house, I have something to show you that I think you'll really like.

I didn't get to go, I think I was working that day, but Carlon did and the gentlemen took him into his basement, rare in Dallas, and showed him a very lovely old cherry wood spindle four poster bed complete with mattress and box springs. The mattress and box springs had been custom made, a long time ago, for a man who was very tall - well over 6 feet maybe close to 7. Well, we had very little money left for furniture, so we took it, mattress and box springs and all. And slept on that old mattress for 3 years. By the time I was about halfway into my first pregnancy, sleeping was getting more and more difficult. The lumpy mattress could no longer be ignored - not even by adventurous 26 year olds! Let's try sleeping on our hide a bed. A couple of weeks of that convinced us we needed to do the noble thing and get a brand new mattress and box springs. So we went to the best place in town - Wiers Furniture Store right down the road within walking distance of our apartment- and bought the best mattress and box springs money could buy from a very convincing store salesman. Only the best for our baby! Heaven in a bed - our Sterns and Foster made us feel like a king and queen. We hung the disapproving Spaniard over our four poster spindle bed which housed our amazing mattress, and over the years added three more children to our family, made a few moves, and grew up.

I have no idea how long our mattress and box springs were guaranteed to last - but - even now they are still fairly comfortable. But these 58 year olds need FIRM and mattresses that don't wiggle when the other person does, and keeps necks, and backs and shoulders aligned. 58 year olds have needs that 26 year olds, even pregnant ones, don't have. 58 year olds really don't sleep very well and tend to wake up a lot - kind of like babies. We didn't realize any of that though until we slept on a hotel queen sized mattress. Yes - hotel. In the morning we looked at each other. Did you sleep well? Yes - I didn't even know you were there. Humm. Let's take a look at this mattress. Simmons. Really firm. We liked it. We liked it so much we decided it was finally time to say goodbye to our regal old friend who really was good to us in every way - and bought a super firm Simmons mattress and box springs. No frills - we did our homework before we shopped this time - just a good firm mattress. Our Sterns and Foster is now a wonderful guest bed - and our Simmons has taken it's place. If this one lasts as long as the last one, and I doubt that it will, we will be 90! I doubt that WE will last that long. But it's with a sad fondness I say goodbye to our dear friend who saw us through very good years - our growing up with children years. Lots of wonderful memories - bittersweet. Thankful, and yet, sad. Who knows what our Simmons will see us through in these graying years? Don't really like to think about it too much actually. But I trust it too will be a good friend.

When God is Silent

Once a quarter we have the wonderful privilege of making a trip to Omaha. Carlon is on the board of Grace University and that means I get to spend quality time with my daughter and son in law and grandsons! We generally get to visit the Children's Museum and the fabulous Henry Doorley Zoo, eat a couple of great meals out - Smash Burger, La Casa Pizza, and have Saturday morning donuts from Mrs. Olson's shop in "Little Italy" where my husband grew up. Truly the most amazing donuts anywhere! I love my daughter and son in law's home - a grand old 100 year old two story in the historic Hanscomb Park neighborhood. It's right down the road from Gerald Ford's birthplace, close to downtown - with character hard to find in the suburbs. I love taking walks when we are there - tree covered streets and sidewalks, squirrels that have the run of the neighborhood (people actually attach squirrel feeders to their trees!), homes of all shapes and colors and sizes (some have picket fences enclosing their front yards) and rich with stories from a long forgotten era. It's sometimes loud (they live on a bus route and thoroughfare) and yet, peaceful. I love it.

The past two years, Mary and Aaron have been on an international adoption journey. Almost a year ago they were matched with a little baby girl who was chosen just for them. They awaited word for when they could travel thousands of miles and many hours and finally meet their little girl. The time came, they stood before a judge - only to be told they were not approved and their return visit to bring her home put on hold. Not because of anything lacking on their part but because of an investigation that put all adoptions on hold. So, sadly yet hopeful, they returned home - and continued to wait and pray for an end to the investigation and word that they were approved and could bring their baby home. Maybe we're not exercising enough faith - maybe we should fast - maybe we need to pray for her more diligently - maybe we're not claiming promises - maybe our doubts are getting in the way - maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe. Maybe God isn't listening. Maybe....God doesn't care. And then, word came that the investigation was over! Those waiting for adoptions to be finalized would finally get to bring their babies home - just a few more days, maybe just a few weeks. One by one, friends they met on this journey were approved, but still no word about their baby. And then, another snag - another dilemma, one their case worker had never experienced, only heard about. Rare. Really God? More prayers - another crisis solved and more problems averted. But still they wait, with hearts that ache to once again hold their baby girl. Her room is all ready with carefully chosen decorations both old and new, a reflection of a lifetime of hopes and dreams. One of my favorite things are the pastel butterflies that seem to be flying away above her crib. Butterflies - new life, freedom - hope! Her birthday is coming up. This baby will soon be a toddler! We hang on to what we know is true - God is good. He may be silent for now, but He is good. He loves our little girl with a love that is humanly impossible to comprehend. And - He loves us too. The grand old house in the beautiful old neighborhood with a very special family is ready, along with an entire community of relatives and friends who have never met but already love her. So we rest in His silence and continue waiting- for Hope.

Update: The very morning I published this post, Mary called with the news that their adoption papers had been signed!! Hope belongs to them now. Her birthday is today, July 30!! Happy Birthday little Hope Bezualem Shaul!

Desperation

Recently our daughter was here with her three little boys and we decided on the spur of the moment to go the park, the beautiful new park by Lake Overholtzer. As is often the case, little boys who hadn't needed to use the bathroom 15 minutes before while we were still at home suddenly needed to go - the whole nine miles. So Mary and the boys walked quite a distance to the most likely place to find a bathroom, in fact where a bathroom was located, only to find them locked. Then they saw a couple of portable units on the other end of the playground. After another long trek, and looking at the condition of the units, all of them decided they'd be wise to wait. Soon the boys were running and playing on the equipment, "Good." I thought "They'll be fine for a bit." Before long I saw Micah, one of my five year old twin grandsons, walk over to an area underneath one end of the jungle gym. He sat down on the ground and buried his head in his arms. I walked over to him and bending down asked what was wrong. He looked up at me, earnestly and with red eyes said, "Nana, I'm just praying that somehow we can find a bathroom!"

You know, sometimes the most mundane, everyday things can bring our worlds to a standstill and make us miserable. And our worlds are full of those kinds of things. "It's just life" you might say, "I'll... survive." True, but God cares and He is in the midst of our everyday, ordinary chaos. And He wants us to not only survive, He wants to be our strength and help every step of the way. He uses those times to deepen and mature us as He brings us to a place, where like Micah, we finally bury our heads in our arms and say "Lord, I need You!!" God cares about you and me.

So, He cares. Then, why doesn't He fix everything and change our circumstances? Why doesn't He make life perfect for us? You know, Micah didn't find another bathroom, one didn't fall from the sky or arrive on a heavenly truck. In fact he and Eli and our daughter went back to the filthy portable unit - and survived - with STRICT instructions not to touch anyone or anything until after a bath which followed not long after!

God says to you and to me, if you let Me, I'll walk with you every step of the way, through every season, valley, and storm of life. Oh and by the way, not only will I walk with you, I will carry you - no matter how filthy you get. And the miracle is, He may not change our life circumstances but He will change us. And that is what matters most of all.

Psalm 62:1-2 (NLT) "I wait quietly before God, for my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my fortress, where I will never be shaken."
Isaiah 41:10 (NLT) "Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand."