The website looks up the number one song the day you were
born. My song was The Stripper, by David Rose. That’s so not me, although I was reportedly
born naked…
I like to tell people The Twist was the song popular when I was born – and I will actually do the Twist in public! [And fortunately nobody checks behind me...]
If you're so inclined, see what the song was when you were born, and tell me in a comment...
Michael has read two books for school that
are really excellent children’s books, Hatchet and Brian’s Winter, both by Gary Paulsen -
and I am thinking of looking for more of his books. We finished the book
Brian’s Winter last night. Usually we both read. I make him read some, and I
read some. He follows along the text while I read, and it helps him to hear the
correct pronunciation of the word, and a good cadence. He still has trouble
with those two things. I need to read to him more. I used to read to Alesia
every night. I don’t mind reading to the kids, but I am usually running 100 mph
at night between getting ready for the next day and trying to ensure they get
enough sleep at night.
Paulsen’s books are really fascinating
because he often puts his characters into situations where they are in unfamiliar
territory and they have to survive. The main character of Hatchet is a 13 year
old boy who is stranded in the woods after a small plane crash. He has to
develop survival skills and his only real tool is his new hatchet. Paulsen
spent a lot of time living in primitive conditions and is obviously an
outdoorsman. He knows what he’s talking about, and that’s clear on every page.
I really admire authors who live their stories, who write authentically.
Although Paulsen’s books are technically written for kids or adolescents, they are great reads for anyone. Mother got so intrigued with hearing the story of Hatchet, she borrowed Michael’s copy and finished all of it in one day. I was so fascinated with Brian’s Winter that I insisted we read three chapters yesterday. Paulsen writes simply but with great richness of detail. The stories are real page-turners.
It was a tense weekend, because I had heard
the company was going to announce layoffs today. [Thanks, Jenean, for the
cupcakes, they were needed!] It’s always a sad situation. Home Depot
is giving good severance packages and outplacement services, and doing it right, but it’s still tough, even though I still have my job.
I heard on the radio that 39% of all US
companies are looking at layoffs in the next six months. Yikes.
When I was first thinking of adopting Alesia
and how I was going to manage that, I got laid off from the company where I
worked. I was hired back about a week later, because someone else quit, but it
was incredibly nerve-wracking. In hindsight, I should have just gone ahead and
found another job then, but I didn’t. I did end up quitting about a year later,
mainly due to some friction with my boss. It was a really hard time for me personally.
However, it ultimately led me to Home Depot and this has been the right place
for me. I get to do employment law, which I enjoy, and I am not incredibly
stressed out every time one of the kids has a doctor’s appointment.
One positive thing about living through this
recession is that I have to trust the Lord that I am going to be OK, no matter
what happens. A friend of mine gave me a copy of Psalm 91, and I read it every
day. My favorite part is this:
“For he will command his angels concerning
you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so
that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
My adoptions have taught me that they only
correct way to respond to problems is to pray, and be calm, and allow God’s
peace to do its healing work. I cannot solve my problems all alone. When I try,
I fail. When I trust God, I succeed.
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Michael was disgusted with himself today
because he didn’t do well on a writing exercise for his ESOL teacher. He is
acquiring language at a phenomenal rate, but writing is still his hardest
thing. I told him it’s really difficult, even for kids who have been speaking
English all their lives. Writing was hard for me as a kid, and I was reading
years above grade level from the time I was in 4th grade. So no
wonder it’s tough for Michael, who only started learning English a few years
ago.
Last summer, Mother worked with him a lot to
improve his writing skills. Writing one paragraph was agonizing, for both of
them. He couldn’t spell most common words. He still has a hard time with a lot
of words, things like “from” and “would” etc.
Michael read a story in school today called the Memory Box, about grandparents with their grandson visiting for the summer, and they make a Memory Box, because Gramps has gotten Alzheimers. Yikes. It was a sad story. Michael is supposed to make a memory box to bring in Friday, sort of an elaborate show & tell. He nixes every idea I give him. I don’t know why. This is going to be a tough project for us.
This is Michael when he was still in the orphanage. He was about 10 here.
