Up and Down

This past couple of weeks have been up and down and mostly calm. For myself, I reached a new goal in running, then promptly became sick and wasn't able to run at all for the balance of the week. On Tuesday last I ran 5 miles, the first three being on a new, difficult, and hilly stretch, the final two familiar and flatter. Then I woke up Wednesday with "that feeling" in the back of my throat and head, and ended up spending the next two days on the couch with fever and yuck. I contacted Sorita to ask how soon I should resume running, and she suggested that with the heat as high as it has been, I should wait until I am really all better.

I did get a lot of reading done on a book that I had anticipated would take me far longer to read. A Patriot's History of the United States has turned out to be easy reading for such a thick book. Recommended by Glenn Beck, we ordered it months ago, but I've only recently had the time to pick it up. I won't summarize it here, but I do recommend it - good clear history of our nation.

The big news for our family- the Up for the past weeks, is that Nathaniel has redeployed from Iraq back to Hawaii! No more war zone for him; Praise God! We get regular updates and phone calls now with the news of his return to "stateside" life. Hawaii is still dreadfully far away, and we were not able to be there for his arrival, but his Commander's wife arranged a special surprise for him.

Several weeks ago- before we left for Michigan, we received a letter from this dear woman with a request that we send her some special things and a new set of sheets for our returning soldier. She recognized that a number of the men had families who would greet them with special homecomings, but the single soldiers would be returning to empty barracks rooms. We gladly packed up some framed photos, a book or two, and a couple of other things with a new set of sheets for our soldier. I also tucked his cell phone and charger into the box, so he could call us right away. An email exchange with the organizer of this surprise confirmed that she had gotten the items safely and had set his room up. The phone she kept and charged herself. Nathaniel called us from a buddy's phone as he reached the various stops on his flights from Iraq to Ireland, Alaska, and finally Hawaii. But when he arrived at the base in Hawaii I received another- more surprised call from his own cell phone! The Commander's wife had called him over after the Welcoming Ceremony and handed him his phone and told him to call his Mom- now!

What a blessing to participate in some small way in his return, even though a trip to Hawaii to greet him was impossible. If he'd been anywhere that my car could reach we would have made it there, one way or another. But a flight to Hawaii is out of the question. Phone calls, facebook, and email do make the world smaller, but being there for our son's return - second return- from the war has never been possible and we can't recover that. He'll be coming home for a month visit in a couple of weeks, yet to welcome him returning with his comrades isn't meant to be.

So, I guess that it was an up, and a down.

Now we count the days for his arrival here- Praise the Lord!

At Last

We are clearly past any danger of Winter snow. (hope that declaration doesn't prove false)

It just seems so very, well, Spring-like, out there this past week. The milder temperatures combined with something special about the sunlight, the return of birdsong to the mornings, and now a whole lot of rain, are all together announcing that Winter is past, Spring is HERE!

The lift in my spirits may be all of these, but I also attribute this new lightness that I feel to a phone call received in the middle of Monday night.

"Hi Mom!"

My very-most-best-favorite words.

Nathaniel called after two months of non-stop work in Iraq. Two months which, for his family at home, had begun to seem like an eternity. Evidently, the Iraqi elections had required a whole lot of support from our helicopters, which then required a whole lot of maintenance from Nathaniel and his crew. They worked around the clock; each shift extended and working until the guys could only stumble to their beds and crash until it was time to get up and do it all over again.

Only Monday did Nathaniel begin to receive a few of the multitude of letters that we had written to him beginning in early February, and was surprised to hear that we had sent cookies. I have since learned that he got the cookies we sent and they are evidently not too bed after a month en route. (But he's 23, a guy, and a soldier.)

He sounded great. He sounded like my son. My Nathaniel.

Since Monday we have had a brief instant message chat online, and I have seen signs of life on his Facebook.

And I have not ceased in my grateful praise and thanksgiving to my Lord, who knew all along where Nathaniel was, what he was doing, and was indeed holding him close and working on his heart.

As a mother my heart was concerned over his long silence. Yet my prayers, (and I take no credit for this) had turned to reliance on God's perfect wisdom and knowledge of the situation. Our Lord has a plan for Nathaniel, who is now an adult, which is for my son's good, and for my Lord's glory. I asked the Lord to help me to trust Him as He worked this plan out for Nathaniel; that He would be glorified not only in Nathaniel's life, but in my response to whatever that plan might involve. Loosing my grip of control over my son- which was a fiction anyway- took the balm of the Word and the ministry of the Spirit as I prayed over these past many weeks.

God graciously allowed us relief from the silence with that phone call. His plan might have been different, yet no more or less glorifying of Himself in the ultimate outcome. But this time the plan included a drop of mercy for us as well.

So, sing away birds of Spring, my heart sings along with you.

Too Long Without Posting!

This has been such a busy few weeks- I have to look through my pictures just to keep track of what's been happening! We were blessed with a visit from Nathaniel, Halloween fun, new car, Michael Card in concert, Alex came for a long weekend to meet Nathaniel and see his favorite future-in-laws, Jim and Isaac had a neat camp-out with fathers and sons from church, Fall Fest with our church family at the Lucas's farm, the Quakertown Regional Conference on Reformed Theology, a Thanksgiving meal with our church family… wow. Way too much to cover in one post!

So let's get started with Nathaniel's visit. He missed Kate by mere days, but was able to "skype" with her several times with only 5 hours time difference instead of the ten hours from Hawaii. Since we live several states away from his friends, when Nathaniel visits we get him exclusively to ourselves- not the reason we moved, but certainly a fringe benefit. The day he arrived from the tropical paradise of Hawaii we were having bitterly cold temperatures and brisk winds- nice introduction to the Pennsylvania Autumn! I met him at the Harrisburg airport and we had a nice visit on the drive home- once the heat was on in the car! Now that I am working several days a week Nathaniel had some quiet mornings at home. But when I was home we made sure to make some of his favorite meals, update certain technologies necessary to our modern lifestyle, and watch some fun movies together. Not exactly "fasten your seatbelt" fun, but we manage to enjoy it!

Halloween this year was slightly different for us. The neighborhood at the end of our road was planning a "private party" to which we were invited as well. Our friends Tony and Sherri Sacco invited us to join them for home-made pizzas and soup before the festivities began. The kids, however, were unwilling to give up the trick-or-treating down Fawn Road, so we split into two groups- the kids, with additional friends Lillian Noble, Eun Ho, and Isaiah went down Fawn while Nathaniel, Jim and I went to the Sacco's to start our pizzas- yum! To sum up the evening I'll just say that fun, wonderful food and candy were had by all!

The next night, Saturday, Jim and Isaac went with Fathers and sons from church for an overnight camping and hiking on a portion of the Appalachian Trail. Nathaniel, while eligible, considered sleeping outdoors to be just a bit too cold for his tropically-inclined self, so he joined me, the girls and Isaiah for the free Michael Card concert at the Lancaster Bible College. I do not often have music on in the house, and usually only listen to what the kids have on. If I have a choice though, I will listen to hymns, soundtrack compilations, or Michael Card. I so appreciate the theology woven into his lyrics. As a student of the Word first, and musician second, his love for Scripture and the life-changing truths found there are so beautifully evident. A thoughtful listen to a Michael Card cd causes me to meditate on Christ and His providential hand in my life. So when I found out that he was playing in Lancaster I was thrilled! It was labeled a "concert", but the atmosphere was far from what I remember concerts being like. (Of course, my last concert was Van Halen in the mid-80s…)

The evening was more like a casual visit with a friend, taking a walk through the Bible as he encouraged us to read through the Bible from beginning to end. No special program or regimen needed, just pick it up and read, then begin where you left off the next day! How simple is that? I am giving it a shot now, having tried before and failed. The songs progressed through the Bible from Genesis all the way through Revelation and the instruments progressed through his many guitars and other stringed instruments, the piano, an accordion and even a little concertina! Only one accompanist with him, the whole time was a sweet fellowship with brothers in the Lord and a blessing to all in attendance.

That's all I can fit in now. I'll put photos into a separate post before continuing the storyline of the past couple of weeks.

Winter Is Sure Settling In!

The past couple of weeks have been busy between getting settled with Kate home again and winter weather disrupting our routines a few times. Kate has begun work with a "friend-of-a-friend" who owns an internet-based retail business. She has been packing orders for shipment and enjoys the flexible hours. She is still filling out applications for "real jobs" to sustain her until she is finished with the application and preparation process with Mission to the World. Once that process is complete she will be jetting off to (hopefully) Berlin to intern with a Missionary family there, possibly this spring.

We've spoken to Nathaniel several times and, as expected, his adjustment to Hawaiian life has been painless. He has received the Christmas gifts that we ordered for him- yet still can't get the math of the time differences straight. When he texted the news that he'd gotten his packages I'd just fallen asleep. The phone going off on the bedside table caused an adrenaline surge that shot me out of bed! Still, I'll take that any day over wondering if he got his gifts and how he liked them. This year he'll be able to be on the phone with us when he opens his presents instead of in Iraq emailing us about them!

Last week we celebrated Isaac's 10th birthday! It's hard to believe that our baby is already in the double digits. Since he has lately become quite the carnivore, we took him to Texas Roadhouse for dinner where he chose his own steak before we were seated- and ate all twelve ounces of it- medium well! The next night we took one of his friends to play laser tag; Jim and the girls played along as well. Now that Jim has experienced Laser Quest, I have a feeling it won't be long before the kids talk him into it again!

Saturday the 15th was our Church's Christmas Brunch for which I've been planning the menu and organizing volunteers to cook. This has been happening annually for a number of years with the exception of last year. So I've never been to one, yet have been hearing the stories for the entire year we've lived here. When Annie, who hosts and coordinates the brunch, asked me if I'd be willing to help I said, "of course"! But being in charge of the food was more than a little intimidating. Fortunately our church is blessed with many willing volunteers and good cooks. So I give all the credit for the success of the food to this group of ladies. I chose what I like to eat, (my primary talent) and they did the cooking!

The cool thing about the brunch though, is that we once again had Andree Seu come speak to us.! She spoke at our retreat in September and I have been reading her articles in World Magazine for years. Her writing touches my heart and listening to her speak gives me a voice for when I read her each week. So very down to earth, she spoke on joy. When God promises us the fruit of the Spirit it isn't for someday, it is for today. As Christians we need to exercise "muscular faith" and take hold of those promises now- regardless of the circumstances. Before she spoke I had the "joy' of introducing Kate to her, as Andree had been at L'Abri in the 70's. They discussed the changes that have apparently seeped in since the passing of the founder, Frances Schaeffer. What a treat for Kate to talk to someone who already knew what L'Abri was and had been there in the "glory years".

Meanwhile we have had a bit of snow and a whole lot of ice. Two ice storms disrupted power- most recently for the whole day this past Sunday. School was delayed once and yesterday I canceled school for our family because we'd spent the night with friends and it was simply too hectic to get everyone to the right places in time! The ice storms have damaged many of our trees, breaking branches and toppling whole trees even! We are still hoping for some real snow that stays so we can go sledding. It's funny though, after the storm has passed and the sun breaks through, all of the trees look like crystals blazing in the sunshine! And once the melting starts it's as if Aslan has returned to Narnia!

Finally, Erin has recently announced that she is now a vegetarian... sniff. Yes. Evidently her health teacher had a class on just where our meat comes from and the various processes it goes through and the additives with which it is, um, altered/ polluted/ poisoned (?), and decided that she'll consume it no more! For health reasons, of course. I'd like to get a hold of that propaganda-pushing health teacher and... well, maybe not. So mealtimes have an added dimension, and I have to think more in planning! (Not more thinking! Nooooo!) She's determined though, and ridicule is not allowed. She is my one athlete and far be it from me to discourage self-discipline and the desire for healthy habits.

That's all for now. I hope to be posting more often- we'll see! Cheerio!

And the Time Flew...

(Please note that I published 4 posts today, so scroll down to see the rest!)

The rest of our time with Nathaniel was a bit more calm and sane, yet also short. He and Jim were able to indulge in the traditional Pennsylvania pastime and go hunting with our friend Ed Wisniewski and his son Edward. While they came home empty-handed, (as Jim tells it, they "took the guns for a walk...") they still had a bunch of "manly" fun.

Isaac's teacher invited Nathaniel to come speak to her class. He did this last year, so was prepared with a slide show of photos from Iraq as well as a Google Earth presentation of where in the world he's been with the Army. The trip over the top of the globe from Iraq to Hawaii was particularly impressive...

Christmas tree time! We hauled ourselves out in the cold to pick a couple of trees to put up for the holiday and were very pleased with the available selection. Bekah chose the big tree this year as I found our smaller tree.

Since our main tree is in a back room of the house we decided to put up a smaller tree in one of the front windows "for the people". I enjoy seeing Christmas trees lit in houses as we drive by in December and wanted to have one visible here as well. Our little tree is perfect for the lighter ornaments and frees up space on the larger tree so it's not as crowded. And it's so cute too!

Kate brought home an ornament she bought for the family while in Germany. She also has a suitcase full of gifts that she has been excitedly alluding to for a couple of months now and is wrapping them as I type!

Milo has had the funniest reaction to the Christmas trees. Having been an outdoor cat most of his life, this is his first year indoors for Christmas. He looked at us like we'd gone mad when we brought the trees in. Then, as he investigated further and watched us decorating the trees he decided that they must be for him, and is now delighted with his trees covered in toys! He now spends most of each day underneath the trees napping, taking an occasional waking period to bat at the ornaments within his reach. Silly boy...

As we decorated the trees Bekah got a fire going in the fireplace and Isaac brought out the S'mores fixin's!

All set for the holiday. Merry December everyone!

Thanksgiving part 1

What an eventful few weeks! Skipping to the best part, we have Nathaniel and Kate home with us now, safe and sound. Between the spectacular beauty of the Autumn woods, to the fuzzy cuteness of our baby bunnies; from the joy of having our kids home to the revolving door of family and friends coming to visit, it's been a great time.

Our bunnies, now three weeks old, are old enough to come out and play. The kids bring them in daily for cuddle sessions- are these little guys ever going to be hand tame! They are adorable!

Nathaniel arrived home on Friday the 16th, ... (wearing the t-shirt I got for his birthday)

(Haikus are easy
But sometimes they don't make sense
Refrigerator)

... and was followed closely by the arrival of my Mom, her husband Fred and his granddaughter Caroline who drove them all this way from Texas. Family reunion time!

Kate flew home on Saturday the 17th and we all greeted her at the airport with hugs, kisses and flowers. She is so glad to be home!
Sunday night it actually began to snow! By Monday morning there was enough snow that the kids had a two hour delay for school. Did they stay snuggled warm in their beds? No! At 6:30 they were begging to go outside with their sleds! Good grief!


We did more cooking and eating out with company here than is probably wise to do so close to Thanksgiving- but it's just a whole week of Thanksgiving as far as we're concerned! We had to make Kate and Nathaniel's favorite dish, Chicken Scarpariello. I'd never had a chance to make it for Mom so the timing was perfect!
We had a terrific visit with Mom, Fred and Caroline. Monday night we said goodbye since they'd be leaving in the morning. There never seems to be enough time for these visits, but we sure packed a lot into this one!

Yahoo!

Nathaniel has left Iraq! We got a call on Sunday from Anchorage, Alaska, where they'd stopped on their globe-circling trip to Hawaii. He'll probably be very busy for a while- the Army is good at that, doing whatever it is they do when a unit like theirs returns from deployment. He'd once said something about cleaning the sand out of the helicopters...

Whatever he's doing, he's doing it someplace other than a war-zone. Praise God! I hope to soon hear from him via a call from his new cell phone, which he plans to run out and buy as soon as he's able.

Whew- this is one grateful and relieved Mom, signing off for now.