April 19, 2006
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Michael y mis quatra niñas en Stephenville. Yes, I now have four daughters. I think I may be able to claim Molly Stripling as a dependent this year on my income tax. She and Lya really get along well so they spend about a week together every day. She is a great gal, though, so the elder Striplings had better watch out or I will take her away from them!!!
We just got off a phenomenal phone call with Lorena. Her nurse Miguel was our moderator tonight, and he and she were in fine form. My heart is singing as I type this. SHE SOUNDS FANTASTIC!!! Her "voice" is strong and forceful even is she is only saying "uh huh" and "uh uh". Listening to her laugh, though, is the very best part.
She laughed wonderfully hard when I told her about my travails shopping with the girls the last couple of days. The girls had to tell her about dinner tonight, and that elicited some more heart-warming laughter. [More about that later.] We also got a great laugh from her when we told her how hot it has been for the last couple of days -- and she had a beautiful laugh at our expense because it never gets as hot in Tepic as it does here. We asked her if she was improving, and we got a truly joyous laugh that literally brightened our day. I asked her if she said something to me the other day when I thought she had -- and I was reward with an "uh huh" and another joyful peal of laughter.
I began talking to Miguel in Spanish -- and he asked me please to repeat what I had said. I was unable to do so for quite some time because Lorena was laughing so hard. When I accused her of ridiculing my Spanish, she began laughing so hard I was afraid she might hurt herself. She was literally gasping for breath between howls of laughter. I, of course, put on an award winning performance of being hurt by her humor and having my perfect Spanish ridiculed. (Sure I was acting!!!) I am not sure exactly what struck her funny bone so hard, because I know I didn't pull a faux pas like I did a few years ago when I asked her mother how the vieja (old woman) had been instead of how the viaje (trip) had been. Nor did I do anything like the diner I overheard in the Mexican restaurant who ordered a chimichinga instead of a chimichanga. Whatever it was that I did or whatever I was that Lorena perceived that I did (or maybe it was merely the fact that her heart was so full tonight that she was reveling in my Texican Mexican): whatever it was, it was wonderful, and I cannot wait for it to happen again. In fact, our entire conversation tonight was one beautiful round of laughter after another. Thank God!!! Miguel is a superb nurse, and he was an excellent moderator. Her caregivers there in Mexico are gifts from God, and I thank Him daily for them.
The girls were all excited today because Stephi and Lya took their math TAKS and felt that they should be rewarded. We went by the grocery store and bought makings for a delightful salad and enough spaghetti to feed the population in the greater Rome area. Stephi, Lya, and Molly then prepared an incredibly wonderful meal while I climbed up on my roof under the huge oak tree that grows up through our patio roof that connects our house to our garage and garage apartment. There, I proceeded to blow off the sixteen tons of oak blossoms other arboreal detritus while I dodged raindrops and lightening bolts. It seems that half the time I am on that roof blowing it off, I am holding my breath wondering if I will even hear the thunder produced by the bolt that zaps me. (And, yes, you jokers that I can hear out there snickering, I used a leaf blower. I don't care if you HAVE heard one of my lectures...)
We are supposed to get rain over the next few days. We have had NONE for six weeks now, and we are DRY. I have now learned that day before yesterday, we hit 108º F, and yesterday we were up to 105º. Today, we only hit 80º, from what I can tell, and a beautiful cold front blew in this evening with a scarily lovely electrical display that scared the bejeebers out of me as I toiled on the roof under my oak tree and just enough rain to make me think a time or two that I was going to slide off the roof... Hopefully, we will end up with several inches of rain before all this is over.
Some updates on some of my folks. Kacy has been in Thailand for several weeks now receiving additional training to return to Africa where she will be working with the Muslim tribe. Chris and Michelle are back in China where they are spreading the Word. I would really ask for your prayers for these folks and the teams they are working with. Then I saw Reatina Rogers this evening and got caught up on several of my Lipanders -- especially the Wrights (for some reason...) [LOL -- and Tara, you had better write me!!!]
We are so richly blessed. Last Sunday, I basked in watching the Everetts at church. Little Kylie is so beautiful -- and I am so reassured seeing how she has recovered from her devastating brain injury. [ kgeverett] Lorena's miracle is continuing. Much too slowly for me, but I am Mr. Impatience. She is improving, and her laughter is balm to my very bruised spirit. To God be the glory. Thank you.
Comments (2)
Your daughters should ground you (literally) if you were up on your roof yesterday! That lightening was popping everywhere! You Spanish story is funny… I remember when I was a kid, we had several employees on the ranch that did not speak English. Dad had a set of records (yes, the big black disk thing that spun under a "needle" - for you really youngsters out there) teaching him Spanish, plus just working with the men. His Spanish was very rough… We bought all the groceries for these employees and one day they told dad they wanted some huevos. Usually mom did the shopping because dad is a foreigner in the grocery store… he’s probably only been there a half-dozen times in his life. But for some reason I don't remember, he and I were doing it and he was searching for calf fries (Mountain Oysters) instead of eggs. He felt really silly when he discovered his mistake and was really teased by my mom that even if that had been their request, you can’t buy calf fries in Piggly Wiggly! Thankfully, after years and years, he speaks very good Spanish now!
This is the sort of story that tickles Lorena. For those of you who do not know, "huevos" is the Spanish term for eggs, but it has become the slang term for testicles. Consequently, in the same way that "sucks" has become acceptable and "gay" has become unacceptable in many quarters of our society, "heuvos" (in Tex-Mex) has come to be socially unacceptable. I have actually had Tejanos who would never dream of ordering "heuvos" for breakfast. Chicken eggs are "blanquillas". Thanks, Kerrie.
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