Shalom Saturday

Pastor Chuck, from our church in Ann Arbor, used to always talk about "Shalom" as being the way "it" is supposed to be, the way God intended it to be. At the end of stretches where Dan has worked a lot, I can feel the "wrongness." I am exhausted and just feel emotionally fragile. Dan responds to the workload by becoming discouraged about the long road he's on as a resident.

Then, when Dan is home for a whole weekend, it just feels right. I think the boys can feel this, too. Calvin is generally a happy, content, and independent little guy, but when Dan is home, he takes it to a new level. His smiles are even brighter, his chatter is non-stop, and the pace of his walk becomes almost a run. Jack sleeps well and seems to kick and smile more while he is awake. I just feel more relaxed.

Dan was off this past weekend, and it was a little taste of shalom for all of us.

We went on a long morning walk to an office park near our house on Saturday. Jack slept the whole time while I pushed him in the stroller while Calvin walked with Daddy.

Calvin's little legs carried him for two miles next to Dan. Through the grass, over the bridge, around the lake, and down the paved trail. Everywhere he went, he found "balls." Anything round qualifies...rocks, light bulbs, pine cones, etc.

Cal claimed that the geese were "A Buddy's!" That means he likes them. We'll have to change that =)! Here he was watching one of the geese fly away. We've noticed that even when his eye is patched, he is able to see things like this from far away!

Calvin wore his new running shoes that he LOVES. He frequently points to them saying "dada" and "Bop-pa." I think he likes having shoes that look like Daddy's and Grandpa's. The only downside to these shoes is that they have laces. Hence, the stops to re-tie them.

When it was time to cross a street or walk through a parking lot, Calvin gave Dan the stick he was holding in his left hand to reach up to take Dan's hand. When back on the sidewalk, Cal waited for Dan to give him his stick back before taking off on his own.

That evening, we headed to the Duke Gardens to have a picnic together. We made burritos for the occasion, and Calvin surprised us by actually eating his. He sat on the blanket to have his burrito, occasionally interjecting a "dada" and pointing to Dan. I think he was excited to be doing and eating the same thing as Daddy.

Jack and I played on the blanket while Calvin and Dan did a little exploring after dinner.