‘Another day’ is another miracle

Written by Malinda Just Tuesday, 20 September 2011 16:01

A year ago, Sept. 27, 2010, shortly after 11 a.m., I found myself sitting alone in a bathroom stall at KU Medical Center. With joyful tears, I silently praised the Author of Life for giving me another day with my then 2-year-old daughter. At that moment, “another day” was not assumed, but viewed as a very precious gift.

Roll back to the year before. My daughter, Gracelyn, had just turned 1. I was a new mom taking my child to a routine well- check at our pediatrician. Gracelyn had blood drawn just like any other 1-year-old. And just like any other 1-year-old, I expected normal results.

Instead, our pediatrician took the time out of his busy day to call me with results. That’s never a good sign. Gracelyn has “dangerously low”...

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Gaining wisdom a life-long journey

Written by Malinda Just Tuesday, 16 August 2011 15:37

In the 1990s, PBS aired re-runs of Michael Landon’s “Little House on the Prairie.” As an elementary school student during those years, I honestly had no idea the shows were re-runs. But I’m guessing I wouldn’t have cared.

Every day, the bus dropped my sister and me off at the top of our driveway with just enough time to spare for us to trek down to the house, drop our book bags, grab something to eat and flip on the TV at 4 p.m.

One of my favorite episodes is called “Country Girls.” In it, Laura and Mary go to school for the first time. Mary can’t wait to go. Laura would rather stay home to help with the fish traps.

In her effort to avoid school, Laura asks Ma, “How long will all this learning take?”

Laughing, Ma...

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'Most days' is as normal as it gets

Written by Malinda Just Tuesday, 19 July 2011 18:24

A few short years ago, before officially becoming a mom, I listened politely as other moms relayed stories to me. Pregnancies, especially first pregnancies, seem to bring out an abundance of solicited and unsolicited advice. In my case, it was about 10 percent solicited and 90 percent unsolicited.

Nevertheless, advice I got. “Sleep while the baby sleeps.” (If you have babies that sleep!) “You just wait.” (Wait, was that a threat?) “Housework will keep for another day.” (No kidding!)

But the thing that made me roll my eyes (internally, of course), was the stories about going for several days without a shower, or a whole day without brushing teeth. Outwardly, I was all smiles and nods, pretending I understood.

But between...

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Exposure led to change of direction

Written by Malinda Just Tuesday, 14 June 2011 16:17

When my husband and I named our daughters, we put a lot of thought into it.

We made sure our girls didn’t have any awkward initial combinations—PBJ, for instance. We avoided weird names like Pilot Inspektor—seriously, that’s the name of actor Jason Lee’s son. Yikes! And we wanted traditional names with a twist. I think we succeeded with Gracelyn and Jemma.

But, most importantly, we focused on the meanings of the names. Gracelyn means “refreshing grace” and Jemma means “precious jewel; precious gem.” Perfect for our beloved girls.

Names are important. And to a local family, one particular name carries much significance.

Blake.

Blake is an orphan. He is from Ukraine. He has Down syndrome. And friends Jerad and Anna...

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