I told myself that if I was still feeling so bad the morning of my trip I wouldn't go. But by morning I was feeling better, still not eating much, but managing. And I couldn't wait to see some of my BFFs, and get to hear one of my fave speakers (homeschool famous), Andrew Pudewa (go listen to any of his talks right now, you won't be disappointed).
I had everything planned so well (hee hee)...where the kids needed to be, how they would get there...it took some algorithmic thinking, but I did it. I talked it through with our helper at least twice, typed it up in Chinese and English. Tobin had lots of rehearsals, yada, yada.
It was planned that the kids would walk home from school, which they love to do. Apparently I did not foresee every possible scenario. As soon as I landed in Kunming I got the text, which meant that as soon as I took off from our town, an 'emergency' happened. Sophia, using our helper's phone did an audio text, voice shaking, saying something like this: "I got hurt pretty bad at school, it bled worse than anytime ever, it was gushing blood all down my leg. I couldn't get in touch with you or anyone (this because supermom here didn't give her our helper's number to memorize or uncle J's, who would have gladly come to her aid). My teacher sprayed the stuff on it, and because I had to get all three of us home, she hired a van and brought us home, but I am fine, really."
As K and I disembark the plane I call to get the scoop and make sure Uncle J comes over to make sure she doesn't need stitches. She sent me a picture. It was a horribly gross skinned knee (skinned is putting it mildly). But J and I agreed it was too wide to stitch. I apologize profusely to Sophia for being the idiot mom who didn't give her emergency phone numbers to use for the one hour she might have needed them, and agree to give her teacher the Teacher of the Century award. We agree the injury needed to air out until night time (though it was still bleeding), when Uncle J would come back and bandage it for bedtime.
I could tell she was trying to be strong, and she was. She did great. This time she wasn't even running and falling to skin her knees, someone plowed right over her as she turned around from a long line of sinks outside where she was washing her hands. (Other school injuries for her include: accidentally stabbed in eye with pen (not her fault), accidentally stabbed in arm with pencil (she was running through the halls). She has all kinds of scars and tattoos to remind her of her Chinese school days.
When I texted David this scenario I think he really thought I was joking, because it wasn't like we had enough junk going on. You can't make this stuff up, I tell him (all the big and little things that had gone on the past month for us...and it doesn't stop here...read the next post).
Sophia's wound started to heal and she, along with the S fam kids and ours, got to walk to school and buy breakfast on the way (even though it rained), something they had been looking forward too all week.
The best thing about Daddy's ten days away was that God's grace abounded in my relationship to our kids and the way we related to each other the whole time. Certainly the sickness helped this, so I praise him for the sickness...it chilled me out, the kids took pity on me some I am sure, and we all got along great. Discipline issues were handled swiftly and calmly (all answers to prayer). I told David he needed to really praise the kids when he saw them. And he brought them these cute little nerf guns and had them strike a pose. I LOVE these pictures.
