New Year 2016 Update #88

Looking back

I wrote steadily for the first three months of the year, but stopped when Helen fell and required so much extra attention. I found that I couldn’t focus my mind. I began writing again once she returned from the rehab hospital and things settled down to a regular routine. Once she left in September, I devoted more time to writing until she returned just before Christmas. All told, I wrote about a quarter million words. That equates to over 800 pages of material including a 250-page finished manuscript. It’s ready for publication, but we lack the funds, so we’re just waiting for now. I hope to begin the next book in earnest very soon.

Right after Helen came home from the rehab hospital last summer, I met a fella from our church who has a small internet business and a need for a slightly used, unemployed computer geek (such as myself). He needed to grow a little bigger, so he would contact me when things began to look favorable.

In the meantime, I continued looking for work. With Helen’s return, her lack of mobility, and her loss of basic functions, I redoubled my efforts for several weeks. I have lost count of the number of applications I have put in over the past 28 months in Dallas, Saint Louis, and other parts of the country. I had several nibbles during the summer and fall, but nothing came through.

Eventually, the fella from our church contacted me again with renewed optimism. He wanted to schedule an interview and talk about a different position that he could use right now. We met before Thanksgiving and scheduled to begin part-time on December 1^st. His needs would give me flexibility to work with the kids, maintain the house, and continue writing. Although the pay would reflect the limited hours and not permit us to move out of Helen’s house, it seemed an ideal way to reenter the workforce.

To make a long story short, my friend has had some problems with a new client and his old developers. So, we’ve had to delay my start multiple times. We are currently looking at March 1, 2016.

It’s just as well since Helen came back from North Carolina for two long weeks during Christmas and New Year’s Day. I paid for a helper to come for four mornings and two afternoons a week when the kids had therapy and pre-school sessions. This allowed me to recover from the multiple messes each night, preparing meals, laundry, and other caretaking responsibilities. Helen paged me about once every night of her stay – 2 am, 4 am, 6 am – I never knew when.

The aid also allowed me to travel down to Bolivar, MO to attend the funeral of a close friend from college who recently died from cancer while living in China. I was best man at his wedding and spent quite a bit of time with his family back in my twenties. We had seen each other recently (October 2014) at a reunion in Rolla, MO. He was rejoicing at the time from remission and looked forward to many more years. However, the cancer returned this past fall and suddenly took him.

I grieve at his passing, but rejoice with his example of a godly husband, father, grand-father, and businessman. I wrote recently that for every fallen TV evangelist and mega-church pastor, I personally know ten men and women who remained faithful to their work, their families, and their God. I had Shelton in mind as I wrote that line before I knew of his death.

We celebrated Thanksgiving quietly this year. It was the first time since we married that we had the day for just our family. Similarly, we celebrated Christmas with just Helen and us. The kids found their small presents under the tree and their big presents already assembled in another room (Santa’s elves stayed up very late on Christmas Eve). All presents were well received this year since both kids are old enough to appreciate the occasion.

We got caught in a traffic accident on December 1^st. We stopped for a light on Olive in Creve Coeur, but the guy behind us didn’t. Just a slight tap to the back of my SUV knocked some of the rust off the trailer hitch, but the other guy had all sorts of problems to his grill and hood. I love my car! Last week, the temperature dropped to almost zero and my SUV wouldn’t start, so we had to miss church. I hate my car! When the temperature rose the next day, the car started without incident. I love my car!

Looking forward

Adam continues speech therapy. For most of the past three months, he gained new sounds but struggled to form words. Sometime in December though, he started speaking voluntarily. Since the beginning of the year, he responds to questions with fairly clear words. We are waiting to hear whether insurance will continue paying for therapy or whether he will “graduate” from therapy. He had made such great progress that we won’t be disappointed either way.

Julie has graduated from speech therapy at her pre-school. Her teachers have suggested a few short sessions of fine-motor skill therapy to round out the rest of the school year before she starts kindergarten in August. Unfortunately, we will have to begin paying for school starting February 1^st and we still have no income. So, we might have to pull her out unless something changes soon.

Julie now talks so much that we constantly have to tell her to keep quiet. She wants to tell us stories and jokes and prattle on about her toy animals. She also teaches us whatever she has learned about the animals from pre-school. Both Adam and Julie have excellent memories.

Julie’s eating issues continue to improve. On her own she can take hours to complete a meal. When Sarah or I keep after her, she can finish in about 20 to 30 minutes. She has favorite foods, but not picky. Mostly, she eats like a kid her age with all the usual problems and praises. We went out to eat at another family’s house this past weekend. Julie did great, but Adam argued a bit. I think terrible two’s may have started with him.

The main piece of a retaining wall (that my father built some 30 years ago) fell down last month. I have planned the replacement, but will wait about a month or so until the bitterly cold weather abates. One of the toilets began leaking just before Christmas in time for the annual Horn holiday plumbing emergency. I repaired it over the weekend and glued down some of the tiles in the bathroom. I replaced the battery in Helen’s car last week after the car died at a gas station and nobody could successfully jump-start it. I carried the battery one mile, up-hill, and in the snow (but decided to wear my shoes).

I have a list of a dozen major problems that we face right now. A full paying job (or a $1.5 billion winning lottery ticket) would resolve them all. News flash to the guy who won $300 million and wants to keep his job: Please quit. I could use the job and so could millions of other people!

Once again, we hope for a resolution to arrive soon. In the meantime, we are simply doing whatever we find in front of us.