Archives for July 2008

Caretaking

The wheels have been set in motion. I got myself scheduled for the procedure everyone dreads — a colonoscopy. I actually went to the doctor of my own free will and asked for one, even though there’s nothing wrong with me. Good grief. What was I thinking?

Truth is, I was thinking “it’s about time”. And when I say I went of my own free will, what I really did was succumb to the arm twisting. No, nobody’s been harassing me, but you know what it’s like. All the medical information I read keeps telling me I should get one of these fun little procedures now that I’ve turned 50 (okay, so that was almost three years ago). Also, when I went in for my regular check-up last fall, my doctor wanted to set one up. I told her I needed to wait for a time that would be more convenient in my husband’s schedule since I knew I’d need him to come with me.

Now that may sound like an excuse, but it’s true. And since Christmas and spring breaks are always so crammed with other things, those wouldn’t work. Also holding me back from wanting to schedule medical stuff for myself is the fact that I accompany my mother-in-law to four different doctors on a regular basis. Do I hear an “I understand” out there? Can I get a witness? :)

Well, it’s now summer. No more excuses. Okay, so I tried one other excuse :) That one didn’t work out either so here I am, set up for the first week in August. I’ve gotta tell you — I’m not looking foward to this new experience. And something tells me that having it done once won’t help me look forward to it the next time either. Kind of like the good ole mammograms, I suppose. And yes, I was tardy getting started with those on a regular basis, too. I’ll spare you the excuses for that one :)

I’m sure I’ll feel good about getting the colonoscopy after it’s over, knowing I’ve done the prudent thing. With the medical advances and preventative health measures we now enjoy, I know I need to act responsibly in taking care of my health. How can I, in good conscience, keep asking God to protect my health when I’m neglecting to do the things I can do to protect it? (Ouch, huh?)

There’s a a lot of talk right now about going green. God has made us caretakers of this earth (remember the creation story?), and we have a responsibility to fill. God has also given us our bodies, amazing as they are and intricately made. As believers, the Word of God tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). I would say that makes us caretakers of them as well. If you’re like me, you may need to work on your caretaking skills in one or both of these areas. Let’s do it together. Any caretaking tips, health or environment, you’d like to share?

*Flickr photo by .reid.

**Wanted to tell you some good news concerning my writing — Blue Mountain Arts has bought another piece of mine to use on an upcoming greeting card! Yippee!! Thank You, Lord!

The In Between

The meantime. The interim. Something has ended, but the new has not yet arrived. Our church is experiencing this right now. We are in between pastors and have been for eight months. That’s not long, though, considering my parents’ church. They are looking for a new pastor, too, and their meantime has lasted over a year and a half now.

Our church has been very fortunate. We had someone ready to step in and serve as interim pastor within a couple of weeks. What a blessing it has been to have the same man standing before us week after week instead of always wondering who might be preaching next. Things have flowed smoothly, and we have carried on the church’s ministries for the most part. We have not been in limbo.

But we are waiting. Waiting goes hand in hand with the in between. You can’t get around it. The test becomes how we wait. Will we trust God to bring the right pastor to us at the right time, or will we grow impatient and demanding and start criticizing our search committee or complaining to God? Will we be supportive and continue to serve in our respective roles, or will we decide to “go on vacation” and just wait for the new pastor to arrive? (By the way, our search committee is doing an awesome job — truly seeking the Lord’s will for our church).

Any of you faced with an interim period in your life right now? Are you playing the waiting game? Change hits us in a variety of ways. Maybe you’re in between relationships or possibly in between jobs. Some of you may have been temporarily sidelined by physical problems, and others may not be able to move forward with a project until certain other things fall into place. Or if you’re a writer like me, you are undoubtedly waiting to see the fruit of your labor, waiting to hear from an editor.

How will we wait? What will we do with our “in between”? Let’s follow the admonition found in the Psalms: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Ps. 27:14)

*Anyone learned any “waiting” lessons that you’d like to share with the rest of us? We’re all ears — just jump in with a comment.

**FYI – check out Nancy’s Olive Leaf Ministries blog for her Summer Bible Study Giveaway (the link is to the right).

Together Again

Mission “Together Again” accomplished! Our kids, along with Dennis and Teri’s kids, made it into town as planned for our 4th of July reunion, and let me tell you, it was sweet — and I’m not just talking chocolate sheet cake and homemade ice cream sweet :) Hugs, catch-up conversation, laughter, sugar highs, and fireworks abounded. (Thanks, Doug [aka Punk Boy] and Shawn for working your magic again!) We even went inside and capped the evening off with a ridiculously hilarious game of Catch Phrase. I’m sure one particular player set a record for the longest, most round-about clues ever given while playing this game. I wasn’t going to mention names, but what the heck — Doug, you are one crazy clue-giver! :)

I know the photo above makes us look like a rather sedate group, but don’t be fooled. That was our “normal” pose. We also took a shot where we showed our true colors, but I foolishly promised not to use that one on the blog. Believe me, you would have gotten a kick out of it, but since I cherish my friends and family, I am restraining myself. After all, I don’t want to ruin my chances of enjoying another “together again” reunion with this gang in the future :)

On a more serious note, we experienced another reunion today that was not at all in our plans. Mom called on the 4th with the news that Dena, a dear friend of our family for 45 years now, had passed away. When I was growing up, Dena and her family were to me what Dennis and Teri and their family have been to our girls. We joined Mom and Dad in going to the family visitation this afternoon so we could say “good-bye” to Dena and minister in some small way to her husband and kids — our long-time friends Paul, Diane, Paula, and Robert.

So there we were, together again…though bittersweet this time. As I walked into the chapel, the full scope of this reunion unfolded before me. Not only did I see Dena’s family, but also friend after friend from my growing up years. Since she and her family attended the same church we attended so long ago, we had many of the same friends. And there they were today, to say good-bye and honor her memory. Everyone together again… everyone comforted in knowing that a grand reunion awaits us in heaven.

Friends are treasures beyond measure, whether celebrating and having fun together or comforting each other in sad times. Yes, I am rich. I thank God for my treasures. I pray that you are rich as well.

“I thank my God every time I remember you.” (Philippians 1:3)

Go 4th and Celebrate!

Yippee! It’s here! I’ve been waiting for a long time for the 4th of July to fall on a weekend. Why? For one thing, it makes it possible for our kids to come home and celebrate with us, but more than that, we’ll get to renew our family’s annual tradition with good friends Dennis and Teri and their kids Doug and Stephanie.

All during our kids’ growing up years, our two families celebrated New Year’s Eve and the 4th of July together. Homemade ice cream, chocolate sheet cake, and our own unpredictable and often hilarious fireworks displays quickly became tradition for our summer night of fun. Now that the kids all live away from home, these joint celebrations are few and far between — though I’m proud to say that Dennis, Teri, Don, and I still manage to party without them :)

But finally everything is falling into place for all the kids to be with us again. I’m not sure when Doug and Steph will join their parents, but Kristin and Shawn will pull into our place Thursday night while Kelli arrives Friday morning — with a new boyfriend in tow, by the way :) She has given strict orders for the fireworks contingency to wait on her before going to purchase our contribution to our reunion spectacular. For me, the truly spectacular part of the night will just be having everyone together again.

How about you? How will you be celebrating the 4th? I hope you get to enjoy the company of family or friends — or if you’re lucky like us, even have the best of both worlds. As we all kick back and take a break from our regular routines, let’s not forget the reason our nation has a celebration on the 4th of July. Let’s thank God for our freedom and for those who have paid a high price so that we can enjoy it. And as we remember, let’s join in the joy. Let’s freely go 4th and celebrate!

“Then all the people went away to eat and drink…to celebrate with great joy…” Nehemiah 8:12

*Flickr photo by Mar10o