Today we celebrated Leslie’s one year anniversary of being a cancer survivor. Yesterday, the 28th, was the actual day. Mike & Becky took us to lunch along with Wil & Kristin, and Kyla. We had a wonderful time celebrating God’s goodness to us over the past year.
Another week has slipped by, and blogging has not received any attention. It’s not that I don’t think about it. I do! But everything seems to crowd it out. And I hate it, because writing is such an outlet for me. I guess it can’t always be a first priority. Paying work must come first!
I had yet another trip this week. I managed to avoid the airport on this one, something I am always thankful for. I loved flying growing up. I loved going to the airport. But since 9/11, it has become a nuisance I only want to tolerate when necessary.
On this trip I drove to Valdosta and back. I visited ten churches in the three days and saw a lot of farmland in South Georgia. From the interstate there isn’t much to see, but the back roads from Perry to Americus and to Albany, as well as from Valdosta to Thomasville, have plenty of character. I even had a close call with a turkey.
As much as I love my visits with churches, it’s always good to be home with my family. This week, Leslie and the kids had VBS at our church. Before I left, I gave the kids “the lecture” about going to their classes and being friendly (and not clinging to mom). The girls weren’t especially excited. But when I checked in after the first day, I got a glowing report. Everyone was having a great time! Leslie taught the older kids (4th and 5th grade). Today I went to closing ceremony and enjoyed seeing the kids sing and do all the motions to the songs they’d learned. The Munch was particularly amusing as she left her seat to go up and sing. I watched her turn to Leslie and give her a very animated wink.
This morning I had the privilege of sharing a devotional with ten new missionaries who were finishing their assessment and training at MTW. The event is known as Interview and Orientation (I & O), and I always enjoy any part I get to play in it. Afterward we spent time in prayer for each of them as they now prepare to raise support and get ready to head to their fields.
I got to stop in and visit with my parents this week, and with my oldest sister and her family who were there. It was a short visit, but I managed to leave with two bags of fresh blueberries (exclusively for Leslie, according to my dad). So far, McGrooter has been the one to eat most of them though. The boy loves blueberries!
The summer is flying by and is nearly half over for Leslie and the kids. It’s hard to believe they will all be at the same school this Fall. Munchkin turned 4 this week and will begin pre-K. We celebrated when I got home on Thursday. I think we sang “Happy Birthday” to her at least three times, thanks to her older siblings.
This weekend, I loaded up the kids and we headed to Brentwood, TN to my cousin, Lissa’s home for a family reunion. Leslie was at a teacher’s workshop in St. Simon’s for the weekend so she wasn’t able to go with us. We crammed into the Civic and headed out on Friday afternoon. For the majority of the trip up there, I thought I had made the worst judgment call. I was exhausted after a marathon of late night work and the kids were sharing a very small real estate of space. But we made it safe and sound Friday evening.
The entire weekend was a lot of fun, especially for the kids. I think there were 19 kids there, so it was exciting to say the least. Lissa and John really put on the spread and we all had a wonderful time visiting together. There were water balloon fights, a jumping house, time spent in the pool, a cookout, a clown, etc…
Today we headed home, and the kids and I did much better (thanks to two good nights of sleep). Below are some pictures from our time there.
I never got a chance to put pictures of from Mom’s retirement. Lara did a good write-up here if you want to read it or see more pictures. Here are a few from my camera…
And McGrooter and I spent some time in the shade yesterday with his new left-handed glove he got for his birthday. It’s amazing how throwing a little ball really draws out the conversation with him.
Leslie had her colonoscopy today, and the report was a good one. Dr. Moore explained that he didn’t see anything to be concerned about. He could see where her colon had been resected and that was normal. He did take some biopsies from that area, but that was protocol. We expect nothing but good news from that. We were both relieved of course. Our family was too.
Leslie and I talked about the fact that neither of us were worried. After all the zapping and chemo she’s been through, I didn’t expect anything to be there. I think the real challenge before us is further down the road. Will it come back? But we know better than to live in fear. And really, this is a life lesson. None of us knows if we have tomorrow, or if our loved ones do. So we continue to delight in the fact that our hope in all of life rests in Christ.
I think Leslie is blogging tonight as well, so check her blog for updates.
In other recent news that I haven’t had a chance to blog about, I sold my truck. With rising gas prices, we realized that a small car would suit my long commute better. I placed the truck on Craig’s List, and within an hour received an email from a gentleman who bought it from me a day later. He needed a truck, and for a truck mine got good gas mileage. So it was a good fit. I did get other inquiries from the post, one of which I wanted to share. I got this from someone named “Captain Hank”:
I’d consider swapping my 43′ houseboat for your truck and camper top. Then you could liveaboard during the week, saving thousands on gas, instead of commuting.
If interested, I’ll send you pictures and more info.
I have no idea whether he was serious or not, and I’m not sure that life on a house boat would really fit my style. But his email gave me a good laugh!
I ended up a week or so later with a little used Civic. So far I am pretty pleased, especially with my first tank of gas yielding 34 mpg with mixed highway/city driving. Ironically, I’ve been surprised by the number of comments I’ve gotten about it, all pertaining to the gas mileage. I think a lot of people are doing the same thing.
I didn’t get a chance to post any pictures from Relay For Life the other night, so I am adding a few now. The first lap of the relay was just for cancer survivors.
Here are the kids waiting for mom to come around the bend
And here is Leslie’s family
Paul & Cindy came out to support her
And the exitement builds
Finally, Leslie came by with a big smile
On Friday evening, the five of us went to Flowery Branch High School to participate in the Hall County Relay for Life walk. We were joined by Leslie’s parents, her grandfather and his friend Ethel, our friends Paul & Cindy, Kristin & Kyla, and several of the teachers at Leslie’s school. It was a tremendous time together.
Leslie walked with all the survivors on the first lap. Then we joined her on the second lap for caregivers. The rest of the night we walked, talked, and visited with many people who were there. The kids and I all wore our Cancer Superhero t-shirts.
A lot of money was raised for the American Cancer Society. For us, however, the main point was to celebrate Leslie’s fight against cancer and her continuing recovery. I was particularly proud of her, as well as the kids. They were troopers and lasted until nearly 11 PM. I brought them home, where we arrived with all three of them fast asleep in the back seat.
It’s hard to believe all that Leslie has been through in the past year. But this was a time to reflect on God’s goodness to us through it all, and thank Him again for His care for us.
Tomorrow we will travel to Griffin for my mom’s retirement ceremony. We’re excited for her and are so thankful that she will finally be able to finish at the end of June.
