"No Problem"

My usual response when someone thanks me for a favor is "no problem."  I guess this phrase is supposed to assure the recipient that it really wasn't much, what I have done didn't inconvenienced me - it was on my way, don't worry about it, aw shucks it weren't nothin'.

But sometimes it is something.  It is a sacrifice.  And truly, that makes the favor a favor not just something I found easy to do along the way. 

If you haven't heard, my brother in law was completely paralyzed in April with Guillian-Barre Syndrome.  He is healing slowly and can finally breath and eat on his own, but it's been a long journey - a journey that has a ways to go yet.  His wife, my sister, Marie and their sweet son, Tobias have been along for that journey, too. 

And the help they have received from our brothers and sisters in Christ has been far more than "no problem".  

- Delivering beautiful & delicious meals, sometimes accompanied by fresh flowers and little goodies taking into account all specific dietary needs

- Coming to clean the house regularly

- Taking shifts in helping Michael, often night shifts

- Coming at any hour to check on things around the house

- Doctor friends making house calls on their own time

- Noticing house maintenance and doing it

- Coming to live with them to serve full-time

- Praying dedicatedly

- Sending cards of encouragement

- Helping financially

I thanked every person I saw.  I know there is no way Michael and Marie could do this on their own.  Even with their whole, very large supportive families, it would be impossible to provide this network of support.  My heart was and is completely overflowing with gratitude.

As I thanked one young man who had come to help Michael all afternoon with paperwork he responded, "Oh no, thank you for letting us serve!  It's absolutely a joy.  We're in this together."   As he left, a tear trickled down my cheek.

He's right, we aren't in this alone.  We never are.  God never brings His children trials that they cannot overcome with His help.  He has graciously and abundantly provided through this trial.  His love overflows through each person that has bowed their head and lifted up my brother-in-law, my sister and my adorable nephew.  

God is at work here.

And there really is no problem - because the problem isn't there.

Thank you all.

TSA and all that jazz...

All the recent media hype about the TSA's nekkid-scanners and invasive full-hand pat-downs leaves the average news viewer envisioning every airport security employee as a sick pervert.  So as you can imagine I was not looking forward to the process of flying to South Carolina for Thanksgiving.  Sorry, I'm not driving from OKC to Greenville with a 7 month old.  So I took great pains to not have any metal on my body, no liquids, I even wore some rather shabby yoga pants to avoid zippers.

But the OKC airport hasn't instigated the new security measures.  Less than 70 airports have.  I was treated kindly and thoughtfully by the TSA lady inspecting my driver's license - she asked if I had any questions.  As I took off my shoes & baby sling to put in the little bins, I chatted with the TSA agent who asked Brandt's age and even babbled at him a bit to make him smile.  The lady motioning me through the detector smiled and thanked the servicemen ahead of me for their service.  Even the agent that took my bins smiled and said to have a nice flight. 

Most looked like a retired grandma that perhaps took the job just to have something to do.

So I just have to say this: with "opt-out day" tomorrow, by all means opt out of the scanner if you want.  Request someone of your gender to do the pat-down.  But for goodness sake - be nice to the employees!!

Because they are someone's loved one.  They wish they could be going home for Thanksgiving. 

And the chances are, they are as thrilled about the new security measures as you are - which is not at all.

Sisterly Love & Leaves

I am in South Carolina visiting my sister Marie, her husband and my brother-in-law Michael, nephew Tobias and sister Heidi.  Heidi is here helping out as Michael recovers from Guillian-Barre Syndrome.  In between everything else, we're getting in some good sister time, which is vitally important.

I'm the eldest of thirteen kids.  Thirteen - 13 - a baker's dozen.  Being from a big family has many perks, one of them being you have a wide selection of live-in friends to choose from.  I choose all of them.  We laugh, we talk, and we occasionally throw leaves at each other. 

And on this particular occasion, I had to take a lot of pictures of Marie

because I haven't seen her act like this for a long, long time.

She's had a lot happen lately.

And I like pictures of her.  She's beautiful. 



Of course, I have to take pictures of Heidi, too,

because she is fun while also remaining normal. 

She is the only normal Zeller.

We make fun of her sometimes,

but only in love and because she takes it so, so well.

And she's beautiful, too.

Tomorrow, we will be baking together.  We grew up baking together and its certainly one of our most treasured memories.  Marie's making the pecan pie, I'm making the pumpkin pie and Heidi is making some kind of Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip Mocha Biscotti (she's kind of an over-achiever...). 

The three of us haven't been together for Thanksgiving in five years.  I'm pretty thankful to call these two ladies my sisters.

News Flash

"I would like to announce..."



"That I now crawl..."



"On ALL FOURS!"



And he has a pretty impressive swinging-arm action to go with it, too :-)

GO BRANDT!!!



Sibling Love

The day before I left, I was back and forth packing while Charissa and Brandt played in their room.  They were exceptionally quiet so I peeked in the room and saw this:

Feel free to say "so precious" or something like that...



"Awww, sissy stuff."

I've heard it said,

that the greatest gift you can give your child is a sibling...



but I think the parents are pretty blessed, too.

That Sideways Look

There are many faces of Charissa.  They often involve some type of food smeared on her face.  But today, I believe it is watercolor paint...or maybe chalk.  Not quite certain.  She was in her art corner this morning.  They are all non-toxic so I'm not to worried.  I don't think she was eating whatever it was because it looks to have been applied as lipstick and then went a bit south.  

Charissa is a rather private person so when I bring out the camera it is only on rare occasions that she starts posing and smiling.  So I usually have to get right in front of her and start clicking.  Because I'm not a private person.  And I like pictures of my daughter.  And I'm going to take pictures of her whether she likes it or not.  Tough life, kiddo.

I start out asking her to smile,

  but usually after a couple cheesy grins,

it becomes a game of eye contact evasion,

 which then results in "The Sideways Look",

 which I can capture front-on if my camera is fast enough,

 but it really is better in all it's sideways glory.

You can tell she actually enjoys it, can't you?

I'm headed to South Carolina tomorrow with Brandt so Charissa is staying with Daddy.  Since Daddy is her sun, moon and stars, I know she's going to have a blast with him all to herself.  But I'm going to miss the little turkey.  Because I kind of like her if you haven't noticed already.

Books Anyone?

Charissa loves books.  Even when she was really young, she would sit quietly while I read her books and she learned to "turn the page" at 6 months (with board books, yes I know she's a genius!).  She still sits with books in her lap while quietly whispering stories to herself.  I am bracing myself for when this quiet play isn't Brandt's brand of play...

Today, I was puttering about the house, occasionally prying bits of cookie off a baking sheet with a knife to stuff into my mouth.  I had another epic cookie disaster yesterday and I don't know why.  But they are dandy crumbled and mixed with ice cream...or pried off with a knife and eaten alone.

Now what was I saying?  Oh, this morning...puttering...yes...

And Charissa asked if we could read books together.  I told her we could and to go get some books.  Then I got sidetracked with some chores.  I was vaguely aware of her walking back and forth from her room to the living room.  I finally came and saw this:

Books to the left, right and center all carried by a busy, little book-loving bee.

"So are you going to reeeeaaad to me, Mama?"

How can I resist?  

We didn't get through all of them...but we made a nice dent.