Dealing with pregnancies, Elderberries, Chase’s schooling

Three of the ladies who are “direct reports”, that is, they are employees of the company who report directly to me, are dealing with pregnancies. One is due to deliver in the next six weeks and is dragging out her departure for maternity leave as possible – a fact I appreciate. One has a daughter who is pregnant for the first time after over seven years of trying to conceive. The third just got back from seeing her first grandchild be born to her son and daughter-in-law, which turned out to be a complicated and frightening process. The baby is now fine, but it was touch and go for the first several days.


Both of the first-child situations have an older child in the home from a previous marriage which, within the respective homes, makes the pregnancies less life changing; never the less, each is very significant. It is only for the one that I have had to make serious adjustments to personnel to backfill the position. Thankfully we were able to find a very good young lady to cover the job until the new mom returns in eight weeks or so.

What seems odd is that none of the ladies mind talking to me about it. With the babies we have had and with the tiny ones we have taken into our home, it is a comfortable subject to me also. Perhaps that is why the discussions do not feel the least bit strained; that and the fact that Mama and I are truly missing having little ones around. Couple that with the knowledge that these ladies know I pray for them, they keep me well informed so that I can pray effectively.

I gave my boss some of the elderberry syrup I had prepared for our home use and it worked very well for him. He has been dealing with bronchitis for over a month and I know he was under a doctor’s care, but things did not seem to be getting better. His was like the infections I used to get before I started keeping my head covered. Anyway, the remedy was so effective that he has ordered more of the dried elderberries so he can make up his own batches – and he is telling everyone about it.

We stayed after church last night to look over the material used in the school at our church. Mama and Chase were very impressed. Chase even thought that the material as a whole will be challenging to him as he progresses through the curriculum. From my standpoint, I have not felt that we were getting our money’s worth out of the school he has been attending, but I have prayed about it and said very little to hint at my thoughts for fear of influencing the decision I knew was coming.

It was easily decided to move Chase into the school at our church, but the issue of timing was of some concern. It is not difficult to make the transition from an academic or a record tracking basis but there are many things about the school where Chase is going that he will miss. He has a great attitude about the whole transition and I pray that that attitude endures as we tackle the challenges ahead. We are jumping in almost immediately.

Maybe we should have started here, but I leaned on the side of meeting more than his academic needs in the transition to Texas. That plan failed as the basketball season progressed, but it tested Chase’s character – and he came through fine.

Looks like he will probably be my most bounced around child as we progress through this year into the next.