Our Father [Mother]

When I walk for exercise, I often go by myself. Depending upon the weather and my committments, the time of day varies, but I often take the same route. During part of the walk, I usually pray the Lord's Prayer.

“When you pray,” returned Jesus, “you should say,

‘Father, may your name be honoured

—may your kingdom come!

Give us each day the bread we need,

and forgive us our sins,

for we forgive anyone who owes anything to us;

and keep us clear of temptation.’”

- Luke 11:2-10, J.B. Phillips New Testament

It has occurred to me lately how fortunate we are that Jesus gave us this prayer, and that he started it with the words, "Our Father." What a privilege, that we are invited - we are actually taught by His firstborn son - to approach God on such intimate terms. (If you have father-issues, perhaps you would prefer "our Mother").

"Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult." - Ps 96:10, 11-12, 13

God is King, and He is our Father [Mother] - yours and mine. We have been created, called into being, (some like to say, "adopted") by the King. We are all part of a royal family, by the loving grace of God. With all of the celebrations surrounding the anniversary of the Queen of England's reign this year, it is a privilege to consider that you, I, and everyone we meet are also daughters and sons of the King.

This doesn't mean that we won't have difficulties, but it does imply that we can't be stripped of our heritage - an awareness which can help us, especially during hard times. The disciple Peter puts it this way:

"Beloved: The end of all things is at hand.
Therefore be serious and sober-minded so that you will be able to pray.
Above all, let your love for one another be intense,
because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.
As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another
as good stewards of God's varied grace.
Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God;
whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies,
so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

"Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you, as if something strange were happening to you.But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ,
so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly." - 1 Pt 4:7-13

Pray. Love. Serve. Hospitality. Glory to God. Sufferings. Glory to God.

I love simple instructions - in fact, the simpler, the better.

"He brings everything to completion, and fills all things, in general and in particular, completely and essentially with himself. He is more intimately and more really present to everything by his being than each thing is to itself, for in him all things are united together, and live in him eternally." On Cleaving to God by St. Albert the Great

What does He offer us? Completion. Fulfillment. Intimacy. Presence. Union. Home. Eternal Life.

One of the most moving and transformational displays which I've ever witnessed of what this way of life can bring in the way of fellowship, openness, community, praise, surrender, love and acceptance was during the Living Proof LIVE event in Kansas City in April. I've written about it here. Now, there is a brief video online which will show you a tiny slice of the energy of love and prayer that was in that place. Here it is (look closely and you'll see Maribeth on stage).

Up here in the North, this kind of display (nearly 10,000 people praying together) is not common - but it is a blessing. We are all children of the King. Thanks be to God!

The Spark of the Divine

Perhaps an aspect of the radical goodness of the Good News which was truly GOOD and truly NEWS is the promise, expectation and awareness of the Holy Spirit in each one of us.

“You will receive power

when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” ~ Acts 1:8

"To span the infinite gap between the Divine and the human, God’s agenda is to plant a little bit of God, the Holy Spirit, right inside of us! (Jeremiah 31:31-34, John 14:16ff).

"This is the very meaning of the 'new' covenant, and the replacing of our 'heart of stone with a heart of flesh' that Ezekiel promised (36:25-26). Isn’t that wonderful? It is God doing the loving, in and through us, back to God, toward our neighbor and enemy alike, and even toward the sad and broken parts of ourselves." - Adapted from Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality, p. 97, by Richard Rohr

Acknowledging our humanness, our doubts and our limitations in the midst of this Divine gift, Fr. Rohr added this prayer:  "...Break through my closed door, O God."


Madonna & child, Eze, France
- note the dove (symbol of the Holy Spirit) at her feet

One of the daily devotionals which I receive via email is called "A Daily Spiritual Seed." (You can find a link to it on my sidebar.) As today is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, today's edition of "A Daily Spiritual Seed" contained the following reflection, based upon the Lectionary's Gospel reading (Luke 1:39-56):

"Reflection on the Gospel from http://www.dailyscripture.net/:"
"What is the significance of Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth before the birth of Jesus? When Elizabeth greeted Mary and recognized the Messiah in Mary's womb they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of the fulfilment of God's promise to give a Savior. What a marvelous wonder for God to fill not only Elizabeth's heart with his Holy Spirit but the child in her womb as well. John the Baptist, even before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leapt for joy in the womb of his mother as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King to be born. The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us to enable us to know and experience the indwelling presence of God and the power of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God reigns within each of us. Do you live in the joy and knowledge of God's indwelling presence with you through his Holy Spirit?" (emphasis added by me)

It's interesting that Elizabeth and Mary, and the unborn baby John, all experienced the power of the Holy Spirit before Jesus was born - before Jesus ever mentioned it, promised it or breathed it upon his friends. Knowing this is so suggests that the Holy Spirit is indeed a gift within each one of us, given by God's grace.

What does this power mean to us?
Why would God give it to each of us?
What is it for - what is its purpose in my life, and in yours?
What kind of power comes with this Spirit?
What are we to do with that Holy gift of love and grace?
What would God want us to do?
How blessed we are to live in a time when the Holy Spirit has been revealed, and how blessed we are to have access to writings and teaching about it. God has told us in so many ways that He loves us, animates us, lives within us (and that we live in Him).

Butterfly with lavender, Senanque Abbey, Gordes, France

"After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

'Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 

For you granted him authority over all people  

that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him...

I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,

that all of them may be one,  

Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  

May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

I have given them the glory that you gave me, 

  that they may be one as we are one 

 —I in them and you in me—

so that they may be brought to complete unity.

Then the world will know that

you sent me  

and have loved them 

  even as you have loved me.' " - John 17

I Dreamed About Her

Katie came to me in a dream last night, in a way that she hasn't done before.
She was on a path like this one.

She was smiling her huge, free, happy smile.

Her presence was so attractive and powerful that I awoke.
I wanted to embrace her, but it was too brief for that.
It was long enough to feel her energy, her essential loving and joyful nature so strongly, the way she was before she got sick.
I felt as if she had been right beside me.
It was good.
I am thankful for this glimpse of my girl.

21 Years (xoxo)

If you like reading about travel or romance, read on...

Gregg and I just spent three days in Victoria, B.C., celebrating our 21st wedding anniversary. If you've been a reader here for any length of time, you'll recognize the theme. We used to head up to Sooke Harbour House outside of Victoria, but it has changed so much during the years of our marriage that we don't go there anymore. Though I'm sure the food is still fabulous and the views and accommodations are among the best I've ever experienced, the atmosphere is not quite to our taste nowadays.

Here are the specifics:
1)  the owners expanded the inn, so now it accommodates many more guests than it used to do. It's not as cozy and quiet as it was when we first stayed there
2)  they have raised the prices beyond what we think is reasonable for the rooms that are desirable (above the bottom floor) - there is much less quiet and privacy in the ground-floor rooms
3)  they quit packing lunch for guests. The breakfast is wonderful, and delivered to your room, but the lunches and the loaner-backpacks were a big plus for us, when we used to stay for two nights and go hiking in the local parks and beaches. This is no longer offered
4)  we found the restaurant's staff to be increasingly pretentious. Sooke Harbour House has been very glowingly reviewed for many years for a variety of good reasons, but as the accolades poured in, so did famous people, and we became uncomfortable with some of the airs and graces of the newer staff.

If a few of these things were to change, I would love to return to Sooke, but thus far, they haven't, so we now stay in downtown Victoria, in a hotel that is part of a chain. It has everything that we want - and we can stay there for two nights at the price of one night at Sooke Harbour House. We drive up to Port Angeles early in the morning, park our car and walk to the first morning sailing of the Coho ferry. After settling in our seats, we enjoy the view from the ship during the hour and 45-minute ride across the Strait of Juan de Fuca:

Looking back at Port Angeles and the Olympic Mountains from the Black Ball Ferry Line's M.V. COHO

Once the ferry has docked, we go through customs and then walk to our hotel via the waterfront paths. Here is the view from our room:

Looking NW from the hotel.
That's the Victoria Clipper cruising into the Inner Harbor.

Here is the view out the other window, to the South.

Our anniversary weekend always coincides with the Swiftsure sailing race, which we love. This year, it also coincided with a gala put on by the David Foster Foundation - THAT David Foster - the musical promoter, arranger, discoverer, also known as "Hit Man." The city re-named one of its thoroughfares in David Foster's honor, for all of the charitable work that his foundation does in Canada. There was a lot of excitement in front of the Fairmont Empress Hotel, the grande dame of Victoria's Inner Harbour: police, security, big black Suburbans, a purple carpet and huge white awning, chartered buses, a Rolls Royce, Bentley and other fantastic autos...

Fancy cars lined up in front of the Empress Hotel

We do a lot of walking in Victoria - that way, the eating and drinking don't bring any guilty feelings! My favorite place to have lunch is a Japanese restaurant called Sen Zushi. Gregg loves to speak Japanese to the people who work there. We usually stop for a sushi lunch on our first day, and that's what we did on Friday, May 25th.

Then we walked some more, looked to see what was new around town, did a little window shopping, and went back to the hotel for a nap.

The concierge made reservations for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.

I bought a cute new top (on sale) to wear for our anniversary dinner, as a surprise for Gregg. I wore a black skirt and leggings with one of my shirts and this new top (a vest with lots of hand-made details). Here we are at dinner, celebrating 21 years of happiness. We are thankful!

I had the most incredible soup of my life: fresh asparagus bisque with TRUFFLE oil on top - oh, my! Heavenly!

We walked back by the light of the sun setting over the harbour. It was a busy night before the start of the race, and with much David-Foster-related activity. There is a sort of festival atmosphere around the race, with magicians, street vendors, rides for children, arts and crafts, food for sale, and lots to see. We enjoyed it all as we walked along the waterfront and through the park to our hotel.

The next morning, we followed our tradition and ate breakfast in the hotel's waterside dining room so that we could watch the sailboats departing for the start of the Swiftsure race.

Race entrants heading out to Ogden Point (where the race begins). That arrow denoting Spinnaker's Pub is for later.

Then we walked up the shoreline to see them go out. They leave in "heats," so there are starting guns firing every few minutes. The town's inhabitants come out in large numbers to watch, with their dogs and children in tow. It's colorful, festive and friendly.

Sailboats lined up behind me (Olympic Mountains behind them) and the crowds gathered on Ogden Point

 After watching the race begin, we walked around the lovely residential neighborhoods nearby, enjoying many flowers in bloom in lavish cottage gardens, Victorian architectural details and lots of clever renovations. We visited a local farmer's market, stopped for a refreshing drink at our favorite coffee shop, did some more window-shopping, and then walked back toward our hotel. We walked 6 - 8 miles each day we spent in Victoria.

After a nap, we went out to dinner at an Irish Pub which features at least a dozen (I think it's closer to 20) beers on tap - many of them are local. They also have fabulous pub fare and a lot of locally sourced food, with live music 7 nights a week. I had a small glass of apple cider, and then a glass of red wine, while Gregg had a couple of pints of a local beer with his meal. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of setting my phone against my nearly-empty wine glass...don't try this at home! Gregg's pale blue shirt paid a high price for my foolishness:

Though our waitress brought soda water and lemon, the stains remain. My bad.
Gregg was very good-natured about it, even posing with this funny bear for my camera

As we walked back from dinner, we stopped down at the Swiftsure race headquarters' tent on the quai. They had huge computer monitors up, tracking the progress of the boats in the various races. It was fun to see how far they had traveled since departing that morning.

Next morning, a clean shirt, a hearty breakfast, and all is well.

The following day as we ate breakfast, we saw some of the sailboats as they returned from the race. The wind was very strong and there were whitecaps on the waves, even inside the breakwater. We saw a number of billowing spinnakers, and knew that the sailors were having some excitement out on the open water.

We took a walk around the harbour to the opposite side, called West Bay. On our way back, we stopped at Spinnaker's Brew Pub for lunch. We've heard about it for years, and have been curious (it was okay, but not a place to put on the list of "must-eats"). Here is the beautiful view from our table, looking back at the inner harbour and our hotel:

and here I am, happy to be with Gregg, and ready for our last lunch in Victoria.

We walked back to our hotel, picked up our bag, boarded the M.V. Coho for the States, went through customs again, and drove home.

It was a wonderful, relaxing, peaceful trip with no agenda, lots of rest, good food and drink, and many, many laughs. Gregg is the BEST traveling companion: he is easy-going, adventurous, fun, curious, thoughtful, funny and a super-packer. (That last quality is not to be under-rated, as I dislike packing intensely!)

We've been through quite a lot in our 21 years, going from two careers and no kids to one career and a stay-at-home mom of two beloved children; building a house and being swindled in the process; sharing a happy family life and then going through Katie's cancer journey, moving to Seattle and enduring her passing; transitioning to life back at home with one child living and one in heaven, and now to "empty-nesting."

I am so thankful to God for leading me to Gregg,

and to Gregg for all that he does to make our marriage a joy!

What Was It?

I have been pondering this question for weeks, since attending the Living Proof LIVE event:
in the days when Jesus was on earth, what would make a Jewish person turn aside from centuries of tradition, culture and teaching to embrace the idea that the much longed-for Messiah had actually arrived? What would make them agree that Jesus was the One, and change their lives, being baptised into faith in him? What was so compelling about him, and about his message, that they just knew - or, at least, believed?

And what would make a pagan, an idol-worshiper, a member of the ruling class, not a Jew, turn from idols and believe that Jesus was the One, and that his way was The Way - that, in fact, he himself was The Way, the Truth and the Life? What would re-orient a person's life that much? What did they hear? What did they see, that made it worth turning their lives around, and over to God, through Jesus?

I remember the first time I heard about God; I was about four years old, and a brand-new student in Sunday School. My father had decided that our family needed to start going to church, and my mother agreed, so they took us to the only church he knew: the First Church of Christ, Scientist. On the wall of our Sunday School were the words "GOD IS LOVE," written in gold letters, all capitals. I recall thinking, "Of course!" It was the most natural thing to my four-year old mind; it just made sense.

Though I am no longer a Christian Scientist, I still see Christianity as primarily an experience of LOVE - the love of God - showed to us in various ways, times and places, but totally illustrated in the life of Jesus. Perhaps belief or faith is the gate, but the experience, the message and the only kernel of truth worth taking with me to my grave, whatever happens - is love. What else could cross all cultural, intellectual, emotional, practical, time/space and spiritual boundaries with such a powerful and lasting attraction? Faith, in my experience, is not something that everyone possesses, desires, understands or receives willingly. But love - that's a different thing. Everyone can give love, and everyone desires it.

Perhaps before we can receive faith, move beyond skepticism or even belief, we need to be touched by love. Perhaps love is the activator of dormant faith - faith which exists as potential within us all.

"Jesus said to his disciples:
'I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
...Everything that the Father has is mine...
the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me
and have come to believe that I came from God.
I came from the Father and have come into the world.
Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father...
Father, the hour has come...that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ...
I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world...
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.' " - John 16, 17

Those who didn't hear Jesus himself had an opportunity to hear about him from Paul (previously known as Saul, a former deadly persecuter of those who believed that Jesus was the One). When speaking to the gentiles, Paul showed his understanding of their background, and made a beautiful, clear statement to them in Athens:
" 'You Athenians, I see that in every respect
you are very religious.
For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, "To an Unknown God."
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
He made from one the whole human race
to dwell on the entire surface of the earth,
and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,
though indeed he is not far from any one of us.
For "In him we live and move and have our being,"
as even some of your poets have said,
"For we too are his offspring."
Since therefore we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image
fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will 'judge the world
with justice' through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead.' "    - Acts 17

Paul told them the good news of the love of God, declaring His nature and will, in words that they understood (using their own poetry to illustrate his point). What a bold witness he was!

"The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from...other religions, is the knowledge of God as our Father. Jesus makes it possible for each of us to personally know God as our Father. To see Jesus is to see what God is like. In Jesus we see the perfect love of God – a God who cares intensely and who yearns over men and women, loving them to the point of laying down his life for them upon the Cross. Jesus is the revelation of God – a God who loves us completely, unconditionally and perfectly."  - from http://www.dailyscripture.net

I'm starting to believe that this love is the "good news" that made people, Jews and gentiles alike, turn from what they knew to an entirely new way of living, when they heard Jesus, his disciples and Paul speak. And it is still good news today, and needed as much as ever. I'm not talking about religion, but the Word of Love.

If we could receive that Word afresh, with ears like those hearing His message for the first time, perhaps we would find that Love activates faith. Faith leads to experience. Experience confirms faith, which increases faith, and leads to gratitude, praise and more love.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God,
because God is love.
This is how God showed his love among us:
he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
This is love:
not that we loved God,
but that he loved us
and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Dear friends, since God so loved us,
we also ought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God;
but if we love one another,
God lives in us
and his love is made complete in us.."   - 1 John 4

This I believe.

My Love Has Returned

Gregg is back at home after a week in Spain! It's so good to have him here again. I don't mind the fact that he gets to travel in his work - he loves it - and what makes him happy, makes me happy, but I am thrilled when he returns safely to me.

I had a busy week while he was away. On Monday, went to my friend Reba's house to make a stepping stone for her sacred garden space, in memory of her daughter, Hannah. Though I didn't know Hannah, our families have been on a similar journey. Reba was kind enough to ask me to contribute a stone. She has a good number of them awaiting placement in her garden, and I can't wait to see how they will all look when the landscaping is finished. I used a butterfly outline, and placed the pieces of glass within it while holding in mind the following story:

The Unknown Shore by Bishop Brent
"A ship sails and I stand watching till she fades
on the horizon and someone at my side says
She is gone.
Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all.
She is just as large now as when I last saw her.
Her diminished size and total loss from my sight
is in me, not in her.
And just at that moment, when someone at my side
says she is gone, there are others
who are watching her coming over their horizon
and other voices take up a glad shout -
There she comes!
That is what dying is.
An horizon and just the limit of our sight.
Lift us up O Lord, that we may see further."

Wednesday, I went to Seattle to pick up 120 gallons (that's four 30-gallon tubs full) of fleece from the Guild Association. Some generous donor contributed this, and the kind people at the Guild office thought of our guild, and offered it to us. If you would like to make fleece blankets for the hospital, please let me know - you are welcome to share in this bounty!

I also took a walk in the sunshine at lovely Magnuson Park with a dear friend from high school days, who is back in town briefly (before heading up to Alaska for the summer - thank you for taking time to get together, Angela)! Afterward, I dropped off a batch of blankets and quilts at the hospital, and had visit with Julie, our beloved Childlife worker. Julie tells me that they plan to use my book in training their Childlife interns.

While at the hospital, I ran into one of the doctors who took care of Katie (Dr. Brogan). He told me that he had finished reading "Because of Katie," liked it, and wanted to share it with his staff. Another of the doctors told me that he has read it, and said that "it was well done." I also read an endorsement (on facebook) from a doctor who took care of Katie, and who has since moved to another part of the country.

A cousin who lives across the country, contacted me recently, saying that she had read and shared the book with the chief pediatrician of a hospital in her area. The pediatrician read the book, commented positively on it, and stated her intention to use it in training other doctors (thanks, BJ!). These reviews from doctors really encourage me to keep spreading the word and promoting the book. My dad continues to help me with this (thanks, Dad!). I appreciate all feedback, and feedback from medical professionals helps me to know that the book has potential to achieve its purpose. If you haven't ordered a copy, you can do so by clicking here

or using the links on my blog's sidebar. Please consider sharing a copy with your own doctor, or anyone you know who is in the medical profession. If you have already ordered a copy,

Thank you!

Feel free to leave feedback for me, as a review on the book's Amazon page (accessed by clicking on the ad above), in a comment here, or an email message.

During Gregg's week away, I worked on sanding and oiling our deck chairs. I have four more to go, but the two that I finished look much better, and ready for our spring and summer (which always includes days of rain). Here is a picture of the progress:  before

and after:

We've had many days of gorgeous weather, but they have been replaced by a streak of spring showers. On the bright side, beautiful flowers are blooming all around us, peeking through the lush greenery.

Lilac and

rhododendron, our state flower. This huge beauty is an annual feast for the eyes, which our neighborhood anticipates and enjoys. It has a "brother" cut from the same shrub, a few hundred feet down the street.

Blessed Be Your Name

I love this song. I loved it during the summer of 2006, when the sun was shining down on me, and the world was all as it should be - and I sang it through tears after Katie's diagnosis. It is a prayer that I still love to sing and pray.

 
Blessed Be Your Name by Tree63

Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be your name

Happy Mother's Day!

To all of you lovely mothers out there

(and/or children of lovely mothers):

Happy Mother's Day to you

(and your mother)!

We've had a wonderful weekend here.

It began on Friday, when David arrived from college to spend the summer at home.

Now that's what I call a Mother's Day gift!

On Saturday, we slept in, took a walk in the sunshine, and drove to pick up Gregg's parents to take them out for lunch at the Tea Room at Port Gamble. Port Gamble is an historic village about 20 minutes' drive from our town. Gregg's Auntie Ruby used to live in Port Gamble, which was one of the first settlements out here, and was modeled upon the design of a New England town. The lumber mill was a big employer in the old days. Now the historic buildings are used for new pursuits. The Tea Room was originally a house, built in 1890.

Scones, Devonshire cream, jam, fruit tarts and quiche

Gregg's mother, Gregg, me, David & Gregg's father

I know that Elaine loved being with her younger son...

...just like I love being with mine!

The Tea Room offers a wide variety of luncheon items, including a traditional high tea. We enjoyed every bite of our lunch.

After we took Grandma and Grandpa back home, Gregg and I took a walk on the beach while David ran some errands. Then we made dinner, and afterward, our neighbors came over to play basketball with David on our court. Later, David went out to see more friends.

Today was my mom's turn. We got up, had our coffee, and I opened sweet cards from Gregg, David and Andrea & Mike. I love reading cards!

David also presented me with these:

What a great guy! Thank you, David!

Then we took gifts over to my parents' house so my mom could open them at home, and afterward, we took the ferry to Seattle.

We met Jim & Caroline at the club for Mother's Day Brunch buffet.

Jim LOVES dessert(s)!

Gregg likes his dessert, too

After a busy, sunny weekend full of family activities, I am thankful to be the mother of two precious children

(one is here, and one is in heaven - still so hard to belive that can possibly be true!)



with a man I adore (whether he is being silly or serious).

 

I am thankful to be the daughter of a good woman, who gave me a wonderful start in life, and who is still a great friend to me.

Thank you, God, for creating mothers, for allowing me by Your grace to become one, and for giving me the mother and the children You gave to me!

Nurses ROCK!

Want to see what AWESOME looks like? Check this out:
This is the SCCA cancer ward, where Katie was treated, where we lived for weeks and months in 2006, in the hospital where we stayed for her surgery and recovery after all five rounds of chemotherapy. These are the halls we walked, the rooms we inhabited, and (some of) the nurses who took care of our girl...and Kelly Clarkson (the singer) just tweeted about the video:
"Oh my goodness y'all have to see this! It's beautiful! I can't wait to visit these kids and nurses! It's Seattle Children's Hospital, I believe. God Bless y'all!"

Nurses ROCK! Thanks to every one of you, especially those who took care of our daughter!

"Wrecked" by Anna Davies

Congratulations, Anna!

One of our Camp Goodtimes friends, Anna, has written a new YA book, which is called "Wrecked."
Don't you just love that title?
You can hop over to amazon (using this link) and check it out; you can read an excerpt, and pre-order it (in paper or Kindle format) at a very good price. You can also check out her blog on my sidebar.

Anna is someone whose character, spirit and sense of adventure I admire, and I just know that this book is going to be a good one. She works in the crazy world of NYC publishing, yet still manages to keep her head, sense of humor, optimism, generosity and her wits about her. Anna has been a great encourager and champion to me and others, and she deserves all the success in the world.

On Saturday, at the Field's End Writers conference, David Guterson said something that stuck with me. He told us that the Field's End community was founded in the wake of 9-11, in the firm conviction that

"great writing matters. Great writing has the potential to make the world a better place."

I agree.

Congratulations, Anna!