I'm a mommy.

I just spent who knows how long (too long) getting ready for this Saturday...

On Saturday, August 30th, Nicole Ramos and Joel Purcell are going to get married. For this joyous occasion, there are a group of my friends from Moody having a mini "reunion." Ilene, Leah, Ashley, Amanda, Kristin, Nicole and I were all RA's together, 2 years in a row, under our RS Tammy. Though we had other girls we were RA's with for year 1 and year 2, the 7 of us were the ones together for the whole 2 years. We had way too much fun in those 4 semesters as RA's - retreats, small group, the quote wall, boy-talk, mutual concern over the girls on our floors, prayer, etc. I love these girls.

Since graduation in 2006, we have all begun to live our adult lives - 2 are in grad school, 2 are wives, 3 are dating, 2 are teachers, all are working, 1 is a stay-at-home-mom.

Which brings me to the sentence at the beginning of this post...I have a new dress (thanks mom and dad), which needed some minor adjustments to become more presentable. I just spent some time in front of a mirror with safety pins to fix it up. During this whole process, I was realizing how uneven my "tan" is and how obvious it is that I don't have my college figure anymore. Oh, and look at that gnarly bruise smack dab in the middle of my calf, hope that's gone in time for the wedding.

Wow, I'm still Bekah as I was in my RA days, but a lot has changed - husband, a baby, and, oh yeah, 15 extra pounds since that baby. Hmm, and what is everyone else doing these days? They are all hard workers and grad students, and I'm a, um, stay-at-home mom. Dude, why was I letting this bother me? Why was I getting so nervous about my appearance and conversation for Saturday?

Then it happened. As I hung my pinned up dress in the closet, I could hear Micah in his room (though he was supposed to be asleep), and a little cry from him. It hit my heart. This is my son. I am who I am today, a wife and mom, and I love it. Micah is the reason I stay at home. I stay home to teach Micah, raise him, care for him, and keep the house in order so that my hard working husband can relax with his wife and baby when he returns from a long day in the office.

As for my dear RA friends, they aren't going to judge me for what I do (as maybe our career driven society would)...and they are all in their own stages of life doing what they need to do right now. I'm a mommy, and I'm thankful to God that I am one.

Eating the house.

Just a moment ago I was on the computer getting caught up on some correspondence and miscellaneous work. Micah was playing silently in the corner. Wow, I thought to myself, he is doing a really good job entertaining himself...but he sure is quiet...maybe a little too quiet.

I turned around to check on my son, and I found him gnawing on the windowsill! White paint flaky's were all over his chin, and the sill had obvious bite marks on it. The crazy kid should've just told me he was hungry - I would have gotten him something to eat!


Micah, at the scene of the crime:


The damage:

"Wings"

After Micah was born, I got 2 little bald spots at my temples. Not too noticeable, but it was definitely frightening because, well, girls aren't supposed to go bald. My hair has been slowly growing back...first there was the porcupine stage - little patches of hair by my temples stood straight up...but now due to the humidity and my slightly wavy hair, I look like I have 2 "wings" growing out of the side of my head. The other day I got Micah up from his nap, and he too had "wings" from bed-head. Now I don't feel so goofy.

Fungus among us...

Sometime over the last weekend, Micah developed a diaper rash. I treated it for a couple days with a number of sample diaper rash creams I've acquired since he's been born (Desitin, Balmex, Johnson & Johnson)...yet nothing seemed to really help it go away! I finally decided to call the Doctor's office yesterday. I spoke with a nice nurse named Monica and I described the rash that had been spreading over my son's lower regions.

I was told to treat it with Lotrimin. "Isn't that for foot fungus?" I inquired. Yes...Lotrimin is for foot fungus, and ringworm, and jock itch, and anything else fungus related. So, basically my son's "diaper rash" has morphed into fungus. Dr's orders were to change Micah whenever his diaper gets soiled so he's not sitting in moisture; wipe with a washcloth, not baby wipes; let him air-dry (2-10 minutes) after each diaper change; then lather him up with anti-fungal cream.

Letting an avid crawler who is 11 months old "air dry" after every diaper change is just asking for trouble. Yesterday he did fine - crawling around in the nude for several minutes after changing his diaper went better than I had anticipated. But I began to trust my son's capability to not pee in the house while naked too soon...

I was catching up with my sister Elizabeth today. While chit-chatting, I took care of my fungus-bum son by taking off a soiled diaper and letting him dry out naturally. I let him air-out about 10 seconds too long...I glanced over at Micah, standing up by the coffee table, and all of a sudden I see a stream of something yellow pooling at his feet. "Elizabeth, I have to go! Micah's peeing on the floor!"

The funniest part about it is that Micah didn't even think anything unusual was going on. The only difference is that there is usually a diaper to keep everything in place.

Two pieces of mail.

After putting Micah down for the night I remembered that I hadn't gotten the mail today. So, I slipped on my flip-flops, grabbed my keys and jogged down 3 flights of stairs to our little mailbox. I inserted the key into the box, and reached in to collect my few pieces of USPS mail for the day.

As I walked back up the stairs, I began reading the first piece of mail - a letter from Compassion International. It was stating that there is a global food crisis going on right now, and that is affecting the families and children that Compassion supports. The price of simple staple foods has more than doubled in some areas and is even considered a life-threatening food crisis! Wow, this is serious stuff. I have noticed the price of food go up in my local grocery bill the last several months, but it has not affected me in a life threatening way at all.

After reading the letter from Compassion, I opened up my next piece of mail. It was an ad and coupon for Bed, Bath and Beyond. I glanced at the ad, seeing a number of kitchen gadgets and accessories that I do not need, and clipped the coupon for potential use down the road.

And then it struck me. Those two pieces of mail were completely opposite! On the one hand, Compassion reminded me that there is a real life threatening crisis for food; and on the other hand, Bed, Bath and Beyond reminded me that there is a whole lot of stuff out there that I just don't need in my kitchen to add to my current clutter of belongings.

I can't quite wrap my mind around the issue of such extreme imbalance in our world. So much need and so much abundance on the same globe.

_____________________________________________
P.S. Here is the link for Compassion's Global Food Crisis Fund, in case you're interested in donating:
https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/global-food-crisis.htm

P.P.S. Sorry that this blog is WAY outdated...The Windy City Ruths have been traveling a lot this summer, and our web-site was under construction. So, needless to say, I dropped the ball on blogging. I plan on writing some "highlight" posts here soon to let you all know what went on in our summer!

Ralph John Sovilla

My grandpa passed away on Wednesday, July 9, 2008. He had been on his deathbed for nearly a week, so family was able to visit him at the hospital as they could. I was here in Chicago, enjoying a visit from two of my sisters, Hannah and Diana. The three of us were together when we heard the news of grandpa's death.

Now my sisters have gone back to California, and Scotty, Micah and I will be flying in on Friday night to attend grandpa's funeral service over the weekend. It is slightly odd to be here in Chicago, going about my daily duties and responsibilities, not fully experiencing what my family is going through back home - relatives from out of town, funeral arrangements, details and programming, talking, laughing, crying, going about their daily duties. I will just be one of those "out of town relatives" coming in for the funeral on Sunday, yet he had been my only surviving grandpa left...

On occasion, I am reminded of grandpa's life and death, and am able to get a sense of what is going on back at home - through a song, my sister Rachel's blog, a phone call, a memory... Last night, a song began to play on iTunes, as Scott and I were doing work on the computer. Scott said something like, "Does this remind you of grandpa's life?" I've heard the song a dozen times before, always thinking it was tragic yet beautiful at the end. This time through, I intently listened to every word. Though it doesn't all accurately depict grandpa's life, I noticed a lot of similarities.

Here's the song on YouTube (with just a screen shot of their album cover while the song plays), as well as the lyrics below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=535KzUZsefA

Deathbed, by Relient K

I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe this is the end

But this is my deathbed
I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight
I know I'll be home

The year was nineteen forty one
I was eight years old and
Far far too young
To know that the stories
Of battles and glory
Was a tale a kind mother
Made up for her son
You see
Dad was a traveling preacher
Teaching the words of the Teacher
My mother left mourning
Went off to the war
And died there with honor
Somewhere on a beach there
But he left once to never return
Which taught me that I should unlearn
Whatever I thought a father should be
I abandoned that thought
Like he abandoned me

By forty seven I was fourteen
I'd acquired a taste for liquor and nicotine
I smoked until I threw up
Yet I still lit 'em up for thirty more years
Like a machine

So right there you have it
That one filthy habit
Is what got me where I am today

I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe this is the end
I can hear those sad memories
Still haunting me
So many things
I'd do again

But this is my deathbed
I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight
I know I'll be home

I got married on my twenty first
Eight months before my wife would give birth
It's easier to be sure you love someone
When her father inquires with the barrel of a gun
The union was far from harmonious
No two people could have been more alone than us
The years would go by and she'd love someone else
And I realized I hadn't been loved yet myself

And there's your typical spiel
Yeah if life was a highway
I was drunk at the wheel
I was seeing the loose ends
All fall apart
Yeah I swear I was destined to fail
And fail from the start

I bowled about six times a week

The bottle of Beam kept the memories from me
The marriage had taken a seven-ten split
Along with my pride the ex-wife took the kids

I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe this is the end
I can hear those sad memories
Still haunting me
So many things
I'd do again

But this is my deathbed
I lie here alone
If I close my eyes tonight
I know I'll be home

I was so scared of Jesus
But He sought me out
Like the cancer in my lungs
That's killing me now
And I've given up hope
On the days I have left
But I cling to the hope
Of my life in the next
Then Jesus showed up
Said "Before we go"
"I thought that we might reminisce"
"See one night in your life"
"When you turned out the light"
"You asked for and prayed for my forgiveness"

You cried wolf
The tears they soaked your fur
The blood dripped from your fangs
You said, "What have I done?"
You loved that lamb
With every sinful bone
And there you wept alone
Your heart was so contrite

You said, "Jesus, please forgive me of my crimes
Sanctify this withered heart of mine
Stay with me until my life is through
And on that day please take me home with you"

I can smell the death on the sheets
Covering me
I can't believe this is the end
I can hear You whisper to me,
"It's time to leave
You'll never be lonely again"

But this was my deathbed
I died there alone
When I closed my eyes tonight
You carried me home

[Jon Foreman of Switchfoot sings, as the voice of Jesus:]
I am the Way
Follow Me
And take My hand
And I am the Truth
Embrace Me and you'll understand
And I am the Light
And for Me you'll live again
For I am Love
I am Love
I, I am Love

It's about time...

I just spent the last 15 minutes reading my sister Rachel's blog...and I got inspired to write a new post for Ruth Reflections. There is PLENTY that I have been thinking about blogging over the past month (a trip to CA, Scotty's new web-site which has already been up for 4 weeks, 2 huge Breakthrough events that are over, and many cute Micah stories), but the details and photos for those events will have to wait for another few days. Why? Because I am currently in Arizona at my in-laws, and the photos I want to post with the above mentioned stories are on my computer in Chicago! I'll have to do a couple "Snapshot" blogs when I get back to Chicago next week. But for now, it just feels good to finally write something again.

Arizona...at the moment Scotty and Micah are napping, Auntie Amanda is resting, G'pa Scott and G'ma Lisa just returned from running some errands, and I am checking e-mail. Oh yes, and the 4 Pomeranian dogs are lounging inside in the cool kitchen (they aren't prone to enjoying the Arizona heat outside, and prefer the indoors). :-)

The last couple days here in AZ have been grand. It is nice for me to see my husband get a vacation! He's been working so hard at Breakthrough, and at home too (doing graphic design on the side). It's great to be here with family, and enjoy good, long conversations about life. It's wonderful to take a stroll around the neighborhood with my hubby and sis-in-law and talk about our hopes and fears for the future. It's such a blessing to have helping hands with Micah, so that Scott and I can be spontaneous and goofy - like starting a Super-Soaker war, which ended with jumping in the pool and swimming in our clothes (thanks for watching Micah, Amanda)! It's fun to watch Scott, Lisa, Scotty and Amanda interact as a family - and it's a blessing to be part of the Ruths too (as well as Micah)! :-)

That's it for now, folks. I need to go check on my sleeping men (the little one should be up soon). I'll get back to you all next week (hopefully) to give you pictures and stories about the life and times of the Windy City Ruths from the month of June. :-)


Oh, and Rachel, thanks for being an OCD blogger, so that it reminds me that I should be blogging too. :-)