Heartaches and Homecomings....

Forgive me, but I'll tell you in advance I can hardly put together a coherent sentence tonight. I've had a full heart, overflowing with some heartache, some joy. I don't know who said this, but I think of it alot: "Life for the believer is a daily walk of sorrow and joy existing on parallel planes."

Joyful things:
1. Seth is home from Colorado! Yea. We're all so glad to have him home. Dan and I were actually enroute to home from our four day business trip to Mississippi when Seth (traveling in Mo.) called us. The conversation was so "seth" ...
"Hey Mommer, how are you?"
"Great Seth, I was just about to call you! How are you?"
"Fine, fine. Where are you?"
"We're just east of Columbus...almost home! Where are you?"
"I'm in Missouri. But right now, I'm on the side of the road because a semi just hit me."
"WHAT???"

He proceeded to tell us the story (mean, mean truck driver) which was a "hit and run" (meaning - Seth is going to have to pay for the damage to his car - no collision insurance). But I am JOYFUL because he wasn't injured, except for his wallet and an inconvient stay in Mo., and he is home.

2. Our married kids are looking at houses! oh, how I remember how exciting it was purchasing our first home. I'm so excited for them.

3. Dan is in negotiations for his third project in Mississippi. His current project will provide income for us until December, so we are hoping there is another one on the horizon soon!

4. Our remodeling is almost done! Can somebody say "AMEN!" I'm so tired.

5. Everyday joys: laughing with Michaela about my facebook quiz: "How many kids should you have?" Oops...my answer came up two or three! We laughed about loading up kids 4 - 8 and taking them back to the hospital. "What are you doing here?" "Well...my facebook quiz said I wasn't supposed to have these guys."
Listening to Moke play our new (used) digital piano! It has a beautiful sound - I am so thankful to have music in the house again! Watching Seth pay Michaela a dollar to scratch his back, taking Danielle to Columbus State (yes - we got lost), sorting through her growing-up pictures for her upcoming graduation, laughing with Jen and Danielle at the bar (you wouldn't believe what we were talking about!) ... these and so many other sweet memories. I wish I could tuck them all away and pull them out in vivid detail when I want to remember these moments.

Heartache things:
1. Please pray for the family of Shawn - a 21 yr. old that shot and killed himself on Wed. night. It is a heart wrenching story - as far as anyone knows - he did not know the Lord. But we all hang on to hope. Nathanael and Zac trained with him, and the Goodwin family knew him much better. Ryan was in the parking lot of Shawn's apartment when he ended his life. Please pray for his family, for his friends and especially his 19 year old sister. She found out recently that she has a heart condition that may cause her life to end in less than a year. I can't wrap my brain around this one at all. I know that God is merciful, full of compassion - I just felt like someone punched me in the stomach when I heard this news.

2. This is kind of a joy/heartache: First, I was able to spend time with Sophia last week! She, as always, melts my heart with her sweet smiles and waves. She was also able to be home for three days with her family inbetween her chemo. this time. She is once again back in Children's, and is having alot of pain and side effects. She has fractured two of her fingers also. Please keep praying for this little warrior! I can barely talk about her without tearing up. She is so precious. Ginger and Adam will forever be in my book as my hero's of the faith. They are remaining so strong through all this. I pray little Sophia can be home, healed and whole. May/June is still the target time.

3. My friend Linda is still grieving the loss of her Mom. It hurts me to see her hurt, and yet I know that death is a part of life for all of us. Jen's cousins are still in extrememe pain over the loss of their little son. Death is so brutal and so final - and yet it ushers those of us that believe into the very presense of our Lord. Joy/Sorrow - running on parallel planes.


I flipped open my Bible to Isaiah this morning as I am always drawn there during this holy season of remembering Jesus death and resurrection. I will close with a random assortment of verses that spoke comfort, hope and peace to me:

"You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat." (25:4)
"You will keep him in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." (26:3)
"O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress." (33:2)
"He tends his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." (40:11)
(I thought of Ginger/Sophia and April/Malachi)
"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." (8)

Amen.