Green time

Last weekend I went on an overnight women's retreat with others from our new church. It was so nice to get to know new people, and to spend time with an old friend whom I was rooming with.

By the time an hour of free time rolled around on Day 2, however, I was ready to recharge with some time alone. So I took a walk on the lovely retreat grounds, enjoying the gorgeous spring. This "green time" was just what I needed.

I brought a little journal and did some writing under a tree. How can you not be peaceful and inspired, surrounded by such beauty?

Update on big life stuff

A couple of months ago, I blogged about big life changes. I'm happy that I have good updates to share!

My dad had surgery for his prostate cancer 2 1/2 weeks ago. My sister Becki and I were able to go to Arizona for the surgery. He's had some complications in his recovery but is doing better and better. When they checked out the prostate after removing it, they found the cancer was more aggressive than the biopsy had shown. But because they found it very early, they were able to get it all with surgery. No radiation, no chemo. He should still live another four decades or so. (He's 61 now. I'm thinking positively here!) We are so, so, so glad that this was found early and that they handled it aggressive treatment. We had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!


Not bad for one day post-surgery, eh?


I also shared in my previous post that our church decided to disband. We checked out several churches, and we found one in our area that we really like. That "in our area" caveat is an important one. Ever since moving to the metropolitan area where we've lived for 12 years, we'd had to drive a pretty good distance to church. That gets old. So to find a church close to home is fantastic. And it's a church that isn't "churchy," if that makes sense. It's casual. It's full of people with very imperfect lives. Well, every church is full of imperfection, but at this place, we're made to feel that we can be honest about that, instead of hiding it. That's pretty cool. I'm going to start working in their children's ministry, so I'm looking forward to that. We think this is the place for us.

Life is good. God is good.

A week full of changes

Last week was crazy.

Monday I got bad news about a friend who is making some really poor choices. I can't go into more detail than that, but I'm still trying to figure out how to respond.

As I was still mulling over that, I got a call on Tuesday evening from my mom.

"I'm going to tell you something that's going to be hard to hear," she prepared me. "Your dad has prostate cancer."

Ugh. My dad, who is almost 61 and has run multiple half marathons in the last few years, has cancer. The same cancer that took the life of my grandfather (my dad's dad) and my father-in-law (who passed away before I met The Engineer.)

My parents had just gotten the news Tuesday, and they weren't sure yet how bad the cancer was. I felt a deep trust in God when I heard the news, and both of my parents were displaying peace and faith. But I was still stressed and emotional. It was still hard to wait until Thursday afternoon/evening, when my dad would see the urologist and get more news.

Thankfully, the news Thursday was very good! The urologist is 99.9% sure the cancer has not spread. They found it early! My dad has been very consistent with his checkups and bloodwork, paying special attention to his PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) levels. There's a lot of controversy right now about how useful a PSA level is. My dad's was very low, and the doctors did not think he had cancer. But the number was rising, and with my dad's family history, that was enough for the specialist to suggest a biopsy, just in case. Thank God my dad said yes!

So he will have surgery in November to remove his prostate. The doctor expects it to take care of the cancer completely, and my dad has a very good chance of not having any serious side effects. If you pray, we'd love you to join us in praying for my dad (Sam) and my mom (Cathy) during this time!

Let this serve as a reminder to you and those you love--whether you're male or female, get your regular checkups! And ladies, get your men to go in. Make the appointment for them if necessary! Women tend to get checkups more regularly than men, and this needs to change! A couple of years ago, The Engineer started having annual physicals, including bloodwork to check his PSA. When Zoodle gets older, we'll impress on him the importance of regular checkups too.

"It's cancer"--two terrible words. But "We found it early"--those are four words that make the news much easier to take.

So, that's brought us through Thursday of last week. The week wasn't over yet!

When The Engineer and I moved to where we live now, we had already connected with a church. They needed a worship leader, and that's The Engineer's area of passion and gifting. (He plays guitar and sings.) We have been part of that church family for the last 12 years.

And I really do mean that word, family! They were a wonderful support to us during rough times (like The Engineer's brain surgery), and good times (like the birth of our two children and the recent birth of Munchkin, the baby I carried for Ann.)

The church changed through the years, as most churches do. The first pastor moved when Chickie was a year old, and last year the second pastor moved. Through the years people came and went--in fact, The Engineer and I have been at that church longer than anyone else! But with all the changes, it remained our home, our community.

After our last pastor left, things just never really recovered. We called a new pastor but it didn't work out for him to move out here permanently. Many people felt it was time to find new church homes, and our numbers dwindled. Finally, we made a decision last weekend, that it's time to disband this community of believers.

It sounds like sad news, but I'm actually really excited. The gradual decline in numbers over the last year or so was very hard and very sad. But we were stretched in so many ways during that time, and God used it to bless us and grow us. And you know, it's okay for something good to come to an end when it's time for that to happen! It means we are free to find another church where we can grow and serve, to find a new community that, I am confident, will become our family!

And so many of those we've connected with over the last 12 years are still part of our family. The best example is Ann and her husband and kids. Ann and I have been very close for some time now, but when I had the extraordinary privilege of carrying her baby, it knitted our families together in a deep, beautiful way. And there are others, people I know I can call on to share my joy and my pain. We'll keep those relationships, whether or not we share a church with those individuals.

So this ending is really a very cool opportunity to discover a new beginning, and I am excited!

This week there isn't too much going on. Zoodle has a cough. We're studying spiders in homeschool. It's Wednesday morning at 8:30 and we're all still in our PJs. It's been a fairly normal week, and I like it that way!

But life moves forward, and big changes come, whether we like them or not. I'm just glad I can trust a big God to be with me on normal days and days that are full of turmoil. Every day, He is there.

Home away from home

I adore the nursery at our church. The people who work there love my kids. When you drop off your 2-year-old and ask her for a kiss and she presents her hair to be kissed (not her cheek or her lips--that would require lifting taking her attention away from her toy), you know she's comfortable. When you tell her goodbye and she doesn't respond, you know she loves it there. And when you come to pick her up and she doesn't want to leave, you know how lucky you are.

Zoodle likes it, too. Even in his current Mommy phase, he is comfortable back there with workers who love him. And it's always meant so much to me that if my baby is crying and isn't quickly comforted, they come to get me. I'm respected as the mom, so I know I can trust the teachers.

It's just what an "infants, toddlers, and twos" class should be. Most of the time is spent playing. There is a very short, simple Bible story and a craft, usually coordinated with the Bible story and involving coloring and/or stickers. And mostly, there are involved teachers who freely give their time to my kids.

As moms, we love our children so deeply, and it can be hard to leave them with people who don't have the same absolute devotion to them. But it's not hard to leave Chickie and Zoodle with the teachers in the nursery at The Bridge Church. The genuine love they have for my kids is beautiful, comforting, and a true gift--to Chickie, Zoodle, The Engineer, and me.

Kendra, I know you're probably reading this. Thank you for lovingly handling the children's ministry at our church. You are the arms of Christ, embracing our church's children, and the mouth of Christ, teaching them. You sow into their lives, and I pray you'll reap tremendous rewards.