Ballet

Here are some recent pictures from Kiley's ballet "recital".









She has so much fun doing ballet. Who knew?! Her mother is such a tomboy that I have trouble understanding the appeal. But she loves it and that's what matters.

Pictures

I set up a Flickr account today but it appears that you can't upload photos from Flickr very easily from a Mac. So, I found a few that I can upload directly from my hard drive. Here they are:



This is Brad and me at Robyn's birthday get together.



This one is Robyn's Christmas picture.



This is Kiley's Christmas picture.

I couldn't get the girls to get together long enough to take a picture of both of them. So I took them separately and added some effects. I think they turned out okay.

Today I had one of those 'happy I'm a parent moments'. I asked Kiley what she wanted to be when she grows up and she replied, "A Mommy"! Whew, maybe I haven't scarred her for life too much yet!! I'll get the hang of this picture and Flickr thing and post some more as they become available. TTFN

For more pictures on Flickr click here

Christmas

What a blessing. Although it was a tough couple of days, it was wonderful to watch my children enjoying their new plastic play things. Robyn is standing and just on the brink of walking. It never gets old watching them grow and learn. We were blessed to get to stay home for Christmas. It took some doing, but my mother finally gave in to letting us come to Chattanooga after Christmas. So, we will be traveling there on Thursday. I think 2008 will bring a fresh wave of adventures to our clan. Brad and I are gearing up for the race season. We hope to do a half-marathon and a triathlon in the Spring. We are both working with a trainer right now and I am really enjoying that. Who knows, maybe we'll have a future in swimsuit modeling before long. I hear they make good money! Brad surprised me with a new camera for Christmas. I have always been interested in taking pictures but really want to develop it as a hobby. So, he got me a Cannon EOS Rebel XT. It is a SLR cameral with 8 megapxl capacity. If any of you can help me take really good pictures with it, please feel free to give me advice. I hope to start posting some pics here soon if I can learn all about Flickr and uploading and links. I am a littel behind the technological curve for where I need to be for excersising the full picture taking force of the Cannon. But I can learn! Take care and Happy New Year!

Routine

Thank God for routine. I thought I would be the last person on Earth to ever say that. It is funny what you come to appreciate in the absence of it. Christmas decorations are up and the house is festive again! What a blessing. The girls are getting excited about the big day. Robyn's birthday party is this weekend. I can't believe she is already a year old. What a year it has been. I have a lot to be thankful for this year. The older I get, the more humbled I am at the every day blessings being poured out to me and my family. All I can say is that this year has taught me to drink it up. My family is tired but we are grateful to be together this holiday season. There is a certain cathartic reality that hits you when you go through the holidays after a loss. Every gift you receive is laced with a unique sense of guilt and appreciation. Yet, it is in the giving and receiving this year that I realize that I am still very much alive and grateful to be so. I am grateful like never before to be giving. I enjoy the chaos of this moment and wish for it to drift by like the sweet smell of a vanilla candle. It just feels like I'm home. I think this is what dual Kingdom citizenship is about. And, of course, I don't mean the gifts themselves. I mean the exchange between friends and family. It is the simple pleasure of companionship and comraderie that I am enjoying this year. May we not lose sight of that part of the season. Peace and Joy.

Whew!

We are home and settled in. Finally. The house is still a wreck but it feels good. I have never been so thankful for routine. I went running with my running group this morning for the first time in a long time. It was therapeutic. Thank you for all your well wishes, meals, prayers, and hugs. All of you are our support system and I don't know what I would do without you. We are finally coming up for air and it feels good.

Unbelievable

I have been through the dying process before with a couple of relatives. Obviously, the medical staff involved on my Dad's case has been through this before. And we all agree on one thing, this man is amazing. One week after we brought him home, the hospice doctor said he had less than 5 days she assumed. That was over 2 weeks ago. We have been in limbo ever since. We adjust our lives to compensate for what is happening. After nearly a month of mostly being away from our children, we came home yesterday. We spent 2 hours in town and left again, in an RV with our Jeep in tow. We have decided to set up shop in Chattanooga for a while. Brad and I discussed it, and while it seems like a crazy thing to do, we both agree we don't feel that we can be anywhere else right now. We had hoped to come back home and then come back to Chattanooga for the funeral, but realized that my Mom is likely to have a different emotional experience after Dad actually dies and we will need to be on hand to help make decisions. It is a very tense situation. Do we stay or do we go? There is no right answer. Everything else is coming second right now and I pray people will continue to be forgiving as they have been to this point. I pity anyone who cares for cancer patients and/or hospice patients. It is a tough job. Each time I decided to come home, Dad takes a major decline and then levels out. He is defying all odds. He has had no intake for 16 days, NONE! His respirations are beginning to decline as is his heart rate. Please God, help him let go. The hospice workers are looking to us for answers as to why he may be hanging on. Is there anyone who has not said goodbye? No (at least not now since we decided to bring the grandkids). Are there any issues he needs to work out? Yeah, plenty. But none we can help him with. We've already done all of what we can do. Is he right with God? How are we supposed to know that?! You think I am kidding. The social worker and others literally asked these and other questions. Who knows why he is hanging on still. The human spirit is an amazing thing. I think I am beginning to understand a little more about how Jesus survived fasting in the desert for 40 days. My Dad must be in some spiritual realm I am not the least bit familiar with. Whatever the case, we continue to pray he can release from this world soon.

Living

Well, we are in limbo right now. When we left the hospital with Dad they said it could be 2-4 weeks. We are starting our third this week. Dad is holding on for now. He has been in a cycle of decline followed by plateau. Right now, he is in a plateau and so Brad and I came home last night to try to spend the week with the girls and return on Friday. We want to have Halloween with our girls. Dad has lost the ability to talk or swallow now, so it will not be much longer. But, for what ever reason, he is still with us. It is bitter sweet. Tonight our house church is coming over to help me get control of my laundry and some other projects I've been wanting to get to this Fall but have not been able to. I am so thankful for our friends at house church. They exemplify what Christian community is supposed to be. I would not be making it through this time without them. If you are not part of a small group, I recommend you become part of one. We have been together for about 4 years living life together as a smaller group of a larger church. We depend on each other and we are not afraid to reach out to each other when needed. You have to be pretty close to a group of people to ask them to come fold your underwear. I love these families!! So, we are in Jonesboro for now. I feel like a jet setter. We will return to Chattanooga on Friday if not before and I will let you all know more at that time. Much love--

Today

Hey everyone! Things have stabilized a little here in Chattanooga. Dad has his days and nights mixed up. So he is working us really hard all night but not much during the day. Hm, feels like when my kids were newborns! Overall, he is doing well. He is glad to be home. He is still very cognizant when he is awake. He knows who we all are and can communicate with us. There are moments when his thoughts don't make sense, but overall he is still very engaged with us. I appreciate all the calls, prayers, and thoughts. You are all fueling me. I'll write more later when I have a better internet signal. Just wanted to check in.

Today

Whew! I am coming up for air. We made it home late yesterday afternoon. I spent all evening learning how to give pain medicine, how to move him safely, and a whole lot of other things you don't want to know about. But I just keeping thinking, he would do the same thing for me if he had to. I have somehow made it to survival mode. Early yesterday morning, the hospice nurse had a talk with me about how it is more difficult for someone to let go if they do not perceive they have permission to do so. I have pretty much been a basket case since I got here on Tuesday. Yesterday morning seems like a long time ago now. I can tell that everyone is praying because I have no other explanation for why I was suddenly able to turn off the tears and get prepared to care for him. It is surreal. The days are running together, so forgive me if my timeline gets off. Anyway, he is pretty alert. He has an incredible pain and medication tolerance. The man will not sleep! He nods off some but if I had as much medicine as he has, I would be out. He is not complaining of pain, though, and that is the main goal. He is using all his strength to hold on right now. The hospice nurse told us he might rally and we are not sure how long that will last, but he seems to have definitely rallied since coming home. He has an amazing view out of his bedroom window. I will try to post a picture of it sometime. You've no idea how amazing it is. They have a family of eagles that nest there every year. They came to visit today. He watched three of them flying right outside his window!!! The house is pretty high on a hill so he is right at their level. So much life all around him. Hm, seems ironic. I feel comfortable in saying that I have made my goodbye with him and now am able to focus on loving him as he prepares for the next phase. He still has a sense of humor. We call me "the bartender". We joke about his meds being his drink of choice! I have been showing him pictures of the girls. Technology is great. Brad's Dad has been emailing pics to my phone and I am able to show them to him. It is some of the only time he really lights up and smiles. If you don't know my Dad, his eyes are hauntingly blue and he just stares right through you with those eyes. All of his caregivers say the same thing about those eyes. I will probably remember those the most about his physical features. He has been able to talk to us about funeral arrangements and all the tedious things we don't want to have to decided without his input. What a blessing. Mom is doing really well. You will be proud to know, we are agreeing on everything! We make a pretty good team when we have to. There are so many things happening right now that I think, 'Oh I need to blog about that' but I can't recall them all. So, it will have to wait for later. If he remains stable over the weekend, we are going to try to arrage back up care for him. I have a cousin in town that is a nurse who is willing to sit with him. Others have volunteered but it will require someone with some medical training to be with him in case he becomes distressed. So, if we can work that out, I am going to come home on Tuesday and get organized and see my family. Then, I will come back out here as soon as needed. Thanks for all the prayers everyone. You will never know how much I appreciate it. You all know I am horrible with thank you notes, but I am deeply grateful. More later--

Tonight

It's been a long day. Dad has been in and out of sleep all day. He is resting right now but overall he is restless. When he is awake, he is hallucinating. He thinks he has been arrested for DUI and has been giving us phone numbers for bondsmen and lawyers all night. It's funny how people fall back on what is most familiar when they are dying. He knows law, that is what is comfortable to him right now. So, we have been making "phone calls" to try to get his "bond" set and get him "released". Please, God, get us home tomorrow. We need a change. We need to get settled somewhere besides the hospital. He is still pretty strong, He has been trying to get out of bed and walk away. But he is not strong enough to do it, thankfully. Anyway, just needed to get all this out. I'm not really sure how to process it all. The hospice nurse says we need to make sure to communicate to him that we are ready for him to go. She says our body language needs to reflect it as much as our words. I'm not sure I'm there yet. But I'm trying to be. I want it to be over for him. He has suffered long enough.

Update

Hey everyone. I know you've been wondering what's going on since I left town abruptly yesterday. Once I got to Chattanooga, I quickly got up to speed on the information. It looks like the doctors have decided not to pursue anymore treatment for Dad. They do not feel that he is capable of handling any more procedures. Basically, what he is experiencing now is complications with his radiation. The radiation treatment burned his esophagus so that nothing is able to pass to his stomach. Therefore, they have had to insert a feeding tube through his nose. They did not feel he could handle surgery to insert one into his abdomen. What this means is that his nutrition options are limited. We also found out through his hospital stay that the cancer is still active in him. Therefore, it is not prudent to continue to try to treat symptoms when the cause is untreatable. So, we are meeting with Hospice today to make plans to send Dad home. I had some great conversation with him yesterday. He was very alert, seems to know what is happening and is handling it much better than I am. I think my Mom called everyone East of the Mississippi to come now because Dad had visitors non-stop all day yesterday. He was exhausted by the end of the day. We don't know how much longer he will have. Hospice usually enters the scene when they expect a person to live no longer than 6 months. So we may have quite a bit of more time with him than I thought yesterday when I left town. However, much of the rest of our time is going to be under sedation. So I am thrilled that I came to have a few last good father-daughter talks! Thank you to all of you who have stepped in so many times to take care of my children and my family. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your emails and text messages. I don't know what I would do without all of you. Right now, you are my web. God Bless you. We continue to take it one day at a time. I will write more when I know more.

Cute

What more can I say!!??

Water

As most of you know by now, it was a disapointing day for Brad and me in Chicago on Sunday. We were two of the thousands who were diverted off the course at about mile 16.5. The word for the day was water. I guess I should say lack thereof. If you want highlights on everything that went wrong you can go to the Chicago Tribune website. Or you can catch Brad's play-by-play at www.fitshump.blogspot.com. There is a link on this blog. There has been outcry from many runners about the events that transpired. As for the Shumpert's, we came prepared, we slept well, ate well, prayed, and showed up ready to conquer our goal. At the end of the day, we learned a lot about what it really means to train for a marathon and that just when you think its all about running the race, sometimes its not. For instance, our experience was that there was no water at the very first two water stops. We knew we were in trouble and a pattern was developing. Since we are pretty resourceful, we found water in other ways. The generous citizens of Chicago came out in full force with ice, water in dixie cups, garden hoses, and encouragement. All the race participants around us were trying to get word back to the officials to "GET US SOME WATER" only to find out after it was all over with that the official public response was that "...there was no problem with fluid supplies" but rather that "...the runners should have been more prepared and that the runners were not only consuming the fluids but were also cooling themselves with them". Well, I don't know about the rest of the country, but that is what we runners here in the south always do. It's how we train. You have to cool yourself internally and externally to be able to hold up in the kind of conditions we train in. After all was said and done, Brad and I calmed ourselves down by being grateful that we were possibly rescued from a much worse fate and that the real goal achieved here was that we accomplished something together in the midst of full time jobs, 2 children, and my Dad's illness. We have grown closer as a couple and that is what is most important. We have some pretty good war stories to tell and we were part of history. We will put all the newpapers and Chicago Marathon parafanalia in a box and someday when our children ask about it, we will recall the day's events. But for now, it is time to lay it to rest and move on to the next race! That's the beauty of running, if you're lucky there's always next time!

Dedication

The nerves are building! We made it to Champaign, Il tonight. We had dinner and are now settled in our hotel. I think I'm glad we stopped here tonight because I remember the feeling of being in Chicago from the last time. Brad will know what I mean tomorrow. Once you're there, there's no turning back. The dream starts to become reality and all the energy is focussed on this one event and you are the center of attention for the weekend. This marathon is (I believe) the best attended marathon out there. I can't wait for the crowd support. When we first commited to doing the race, my parents were planning on coming with us. As I write tonight, Dad is in a hospital in Chattanooga and his future is even more uncertain than ever. It's been a bitter sweet day. In some ways I am glad they did not come because Dad needs to focus on himself right now and Mom needs to be there with him. I am lucky that they have already done this with me once before. Ironic, huh? This is something most people only aspire to do once and I was lucky enough to realize that dream and have my family there to realize it with me. I knew when I trained before that something divine was pushing me to run that race. I'm glad I did and I'm glad my family was there to partake with me. This time, the scenario is much different. From the time I decided to run this race, I knew it would be dedicated to my Dad and his illness. I was telling Brad today that I feel so helpless in the situation but it brings a lot of comfort to do what I can do. I can honor Dad's legacy by running my heart out for him. Brad has dedicated several miles to various people but I am dedicating the entire race to my Dad and Brad. Both of the men in my life have reached milestones this year. It is a miracle that my Dad survived to see Robyn born much less to see me run another marathon. I'm not sure how much longer we will have Dad with us, so I am grateful to be able to run for him in Chicago since he cannot. As for the other man in my life, Brad continues to amaze me with his commitment to health and weight. He is an inspiration to most, but even they have no idea the hurdles he has jumped. The man I love now is a more confident, more focussed, more intentional man. His life is full of purpose and joy that comes from inside. He has been the driving force this time for our training. His example has pushed me on when I did not think I could do this again. I'm glad we stuck with the training and I know we are going to have a great run. It will be a life defining moment to start and finish this race with the love of my life and my life partner! I'm so proud of both of the men in my life. They are fighters and heroes. Run on...

Friends

I am so excited that my good friends Joe and Laura Cebulski are almost ready to begin their journey into "greenism". They are embarking on a year long RV adventure and exploring the tenets of sustainable living. I have never met two people so adventurous. Brad and I are up there in terms of adventure, always looking for something new. But Joe and Laura work it into their very nature. They plan both financially and logistically to accomplish what they want. They live simply in order to be ready for the next adventure. I've been studying a lot about simplicity lately and realize more than ever that simplicity is a mindset, not a goal to be reached. I would not have a frame of reference for this if not for the influence of the Cebulskis over the last couple of years. It is so refreshing to know that simplicity has nothing to do with what I own, but rather how I choose to use what I own and how I perceive my possessions. More and more I realize that the only thing you can truly own in this life is friendships. Those are the only real lasting investments we make. We will see those people again on the other side of this life. Isn't that an amazing thing!!! I wish the Cebulskis the best and look forward to continuning conversations about sustainable living and putting back into the Earth. Maybe someday we will be as brave as they and will sell everything and go RVing! Two really cool people who I am thrilled to know! (and of course Rowan too!) If you would like to follow the Cebulskis on their journey you can find their blog at cebulskis.blogspot.com.

Villagewood

I guess when someone in your family gets sick, you become reflective. Kiley and I were in Chattanooga for Monday and Tuesday of this week. We happened to be driving past my old high school about the time it was letting out and I pointed the school out to Kiley. I also pointed out the way in which I used to walk home from school (until I could drive, of course). Kiley asked where my home used to be. At that point, it dawned on me she had never seen the house Mommy grew up in. So, we took a detour. I drove back into my old neighborhood, past the ball fields where I used to play softball. I showed Kiley where I used to climb through a hole in the fence of those fields in order to get home. We drove down my street and to my old house 9117 Villagewood Dr. It's the only home I knew as a child. We never moved. My parents built their current house long after I moved out. As I drove by I noticed my little brother's playset from 1989 still in the yard. I remembered how my two brothers camped out in that playset in April of the year my older brother died in May. I noticed the "woods" (a group of pine trees) where we used to climb the trees in our dress up clothes and pretend each tree was our house. It seemed so high up in those days. I noticed the Magnolia tree we planted when I was about 5. I pointed out my old bedroom window to Kiley. She was unamused. Then, I drove around the neighborhood and pointed out all of my friends' houses. As I recalled my entire childhood in those fifteen minutes or so, it dawned on me that my current house is nothing for my daughters save the memories we create there. I realized that I will never recapture the innocence and feeling of "home" we had there on Villagewood. Hmmm, sort of puts things in perspective doesn't it?

Dad

We made it!! The RV trip was a success. We had a blast! That is the way to travel! Although they lost, the Indians played well. Many of you have been asking about my Dad and I have not been able to give much of an update. Kiley and I arrived here today and Dad's eyes lit up when he saw Kiley. He tried to get out of bed but was unable. He is especially fatigued because he just finished another course of radiation. The doctors say that he will be wiped out for the next 7-10 days. So, we are hoping he will have an upswing in the next couple of weeks. Please continue to pray for that because it will be a good sign if his strength returns when we expect it to. He is noticeably weaker than when we were here a month ago. Last month, we took some family pictures and I am glad we did. Thank you for all your support and prayers. I really need them. We are bringing a lot of energy and noise into Mee-Mee and Paw-Paw's house. I hope they don't mind. Somehow, I don't think they will. The one thing I will take away from this visit is how vibrant blue my Dad's eyes are. Even though he feels like crap, his eyes are bright! We'll see everyone on Tuesday.

Love

Sometimes Brad surprises me with how selfless he can be. I don't give him enough credit always, but I can see this is something he is working on a lot. I can see more and more him trying to find my needs and fulfill them. Of course, he cannot fulfill all my needs nor is he expected to and sometimes this weighs him down. Brad is a knight in shining armour kind of guy. But yesterday he did something that most people just can't get. But to me it was such a sweet display of love. We had our longest training run yesterday, 20 miles!!! We could not have asked for a more perfect day for running, temp was in the 50's-60's, sunny, flat road. But there was a strong head wind on the return trip. I made a comment about it not really expecting Brad to try to do anything about it, but he offered to run in front of me to sheild me from the wind. To those of you who are runners, you understand how significant this is. He blocked the wind for me for about an hour. It really helped me save my energy. I thought to myself, now this is love! This is one of those pure moments in life that you can't plan or create, they just happen at a meaningful time and become meaningful memories. I am thankful we made it this far in our trainging, but mostly I am thankful we have done it together. Training for the marathon has truly helped our marriage. There are not many people in the world who can say they trained for a marathon individually, much less as a couple. We are so blessed to be this healthy. And what a rush finishing 20 miles with the one you love!!!! Chicago here we come!!!

Refine

Many commodities on Earth have to undergo a refining process before they are pure products. Oil, milk, diamonds just to name a few. You know, people are no different. Part of being part of this life is undergoing a refining process. Brad always says we have a refining relationship where iron sharpens iron. Right now, I am going through another refining process with my Dad and I know I will be better for it on the other side of this. There is a Phillips, Craig, and Dean song that says 'let me find the blessing in the thorn'. I fear this will be a long refining process. I am grateful for the insight of this process that reminds me to notice other's pain around me. My prayers are weak right now because I feel overwhelmed but there is still a little light inside me that urges me to keep praying. I have to be honest and say that this is one of those times where my faith is waning. I struggle to understand, to control, to fix. But I can't. All I can do is try to see how this will help me help the next person. I am thankful that I am being refined because it means that my life is becoming more pure all the time and I can be more grateful for the pure joys this life has to offer. I have this great opportunity to focus on my children and embrace their youth and innocence. My Dad would not hear of me taking time away from them to be with him. His resignation to this disease is as disheartening as anything. But, once again, it is not within my control. I talked to Dad tonight and he sounded weak but he tries so hard to put on a good show. He perks up when he talks to Kiley. It breaks my heart. I have an opportunity with our new RV to create some real memories in my children's lives. I think if nothing else, I am purer in my wants than ever before. This situation with my Dad has me reflecting a lot on my childhood and I am comitted to making my girls' childhood memories a priority.

Helpless

I don't really enjoy talking about my father's situation. It's not that I mind people asking me how things are going. It's that I have such hate for this cancer because it makes me feel helpless and speechless. His situation and his health are so totally out of my control that if I talk about it, I cry. Since I have to continue to function, I am finding new ways to stay busy all the time so I don't have to deal with it. I have come to grips with the fact that this disease is going to claim his life. I knew a long time ago that he would have to be plagued physically to have a chance to change his relationship with God. In many ways, I see every day he is alive as a chance to do that. However, I have realized that he made up his mind long ago what his relationship with God was going to be and he is not going to budge from that decision. I've heard of midnight hour type revalations and changes of heart, but I don't think that is going to happen here and I am truly depressed over that. Perhaps more troubling to me, though, is that I am also powerless to ease his discomfort. My father is 61 years old and his days consist of getting out of bed (which takes all of his energy), reading the paper, going to radiation, and coming home to take a rest and finish reading the paper. He does little else outside of these activities. It pains me to know that this once vivacious man has been reduced to the shell of a person I now know and that my children's memories of him will be limited to what they witness through the eyes of this disease. I have no words to describe all my emotions, so I prefer not to talk about it. I watched my wedding video a few nights ago and Kiley recognized my Dad on the screen and it made me stop and really notice him as I have never noticed him before. He moved with such energy and he had such a beautiful smile and so much love in his eyes and, of course, pain at the same time most likely due to giving me away. It was good to see him healthy. As of today, it looks like there are more tumors on the back of his neck. We have no idea what this means. They have told us he has 12-18 months to live. I crave to make the most of this time by taking trips and living life to the fullest, but this is not his desire, nor does he possess the energy to do it anyway. So, I see a lot of trips to Chattanooga in our future. I have invested about as much of myself as I can into the situation and I have not had much left over for my children and husband. I think today, I have realized just how helpless I am to do anything but watch the next several months unfold as they will and try to keep a positive attitude. I will run this marathon in October dedicated to him. I think it will be a very tough run mentally. Life is too short to waste it on things that are not true commodities in this life.

Walk

If you've ever set your mind to running any distance at all, you know that in order to build up your endurance you need to perform cycles of running followed by walking followed by running and so on in order to reach your distance goal. Well, I am training for a marathon with my husband, Brad. This will be my second and, likely, last marathon. Things are definitely busier this time out now that I have two children and a new job, etc, etc, etc. But I've learned a lot about walking this week. I had to run 18 miles yesterday building up in our training regimen. Overall, it was a very successful run. I always have to fight my tendencey to use my energy early on in the run and yesterday was no exception. Since my life is somewhat busier, I tend to rush through my runs to get home to be mom and wife. Yesterday, I learned, once again, the importance of walking. When you set out to "run" 18 miles, you will not make it without stopping to walk some. In those moments when I am walking, I have to let my muscles rest, my mind relax, stretch out my shoulders, lower my arms. There is a ritual of relaxation I must put my body through in order to regain my strength to begin running again. I know this from doing it over and over and over. When I force myself to slow down, it is amazing how my body rejuvenates even in those 2-3 minutes to prepare itself to work hard for me again. By now, you can see where I'm going with this. We must put aside the guilt of parenting, the myths about not being enough of "whatever" it is we are suppsosed to be, and simply anything that distracts us from taking those moments of rest to recharge. I don't know about you, but God is trying to teach me this lesson again. Apparently, I have to learn it the hard way. I have to spend 18 miles worth of time with Him before it sinks in. Walk...

Busy

Who these days cannot say this word defines them? There seems to be a lot of transition around most of the people I know right now. As they say 'change is inevitable'. I am excited that my friends the Cebulskis have such a great opportunity to go on a California adventure. Hoorah for their wreckless abandon to branch out there and try something new and exciting! I wish them many many blessings. On another note, I am trying to be less busy these days. Busy is a state of mind, not a to do list. There is peace to be found in the chaos, I've found. I experience more every day that 'peace that passes understanding'. If I could bottle it and sell it, I would be rich. Although things are "busy" I am so blessed to have those moments like this morning watching my 8 month old crawl for the first time and my 3 year old go to pre-school. Yeah, it's busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way! As I write, my house is a wreck, my laundry is piled up, the bills are sitting on my desk, and I'm out of dog food. In spite of my to do list, I went to a high school football game last night. When we arrived, my daughter shouted out "Look momma, there are the Chetah Girls". Now, to her 'Chetah Girls' means cheerleaders. Do you think I would trade that moment of sheer joy for a load of laundry?! Heck NO!

Joy

Well, nobody drowned this weekend. We just returned from white water rafting the Ocoee River. What a rush!!! I have always taken this area for granted. I noted while we were in the area that it is amazing how God can create something that is at once serene and chaotic depending on your perspective. Let me demonstrate. Most of the rapids are class 3,4,or 5. At the point we were maneuvering a class 5 rapid, we also happened to be passing through the spectator landing area. For those on the banks watching, this was a placid, entertaining viewing area. For those of us gasping for air and trying to paddle at the same time, it felt more like bull riding arena. But we made it. We are all a little sore, a little bit less shy, and came away with some great memories. This is the stuff life is made of!!!

Run

I run. At least most days it resembles running. Other days it is more of a feeble attempt at the sport. But I enjoy it nonetheless. One of the things I really enjoy about a good morning run is the scent of fresh fabric softener in the air as I run by the houses. Oh sure, I could tell you about how majestic the sunrise is, or how melodic the birds, or even how glittery the dew on the grass is. But what really defines a good run is the scent of fabric softener. If you've ever run in the morning and been lucky enough to run by a house at just the right moment when the dryer is going strong and the sweet fragrance of Mountain Spring, or Wild Daffodil, or Original Fresh Scent kidnaps your nasal passages, then you know what I'm talkin' about!! If you've never tried it before, I suggest you start today. No better time than the present!

Pure

Pure: Clean and free of impurities; Virtuous and chaste; Free of discord and in tune. These are just a few of the definitions I found for the word. I find the last one particularly interesting. I think I come from a background that has propelled me to seek out things that are authentic, genuine, and pure. Most people relate a saved life as being the first definition, but many days my life is far from clean and free of impurities. Thank God the blood of Christ covers me there. I find the last definition most interesting, though, because I think that is the desire Christ has for his church. I decided on the name of my blog last night as my husband and I were discussing church matters. I think I've been watching a few too many H2O videos also. Whatevr the reason, I want this blog to be about bringing people together and "in tune" with one another. I think God intends his children to be closely connected in community with one another. By the way, I don't think you have to be a believer yet to be considered one of God's children. Hopefully, through the relationships and views expressed here, we can all become more connected. Hopefully, we can share our triumphs and failures with each other and over time share with someone who wants to know...the joy a pure life has to offer!