Meet the Easter Pigs. So much for teaching about the resurrection when mouths are filled with the delight of chocolate. (A genetic predisposition inherited from my father) My friend said today that she checks our blog daily, so I promise to be more faithful, Grace. :-) Buddy is in Taiwan doing some leg work for the missions trip there June 16-28. He took Nathan, one of our students with, and reports that they're having a great time. It's times like these...one on one with students doing the "hands and feet" of the Gospel that give us great delight. Not that making coffees for our students in our new cafe doesn't thrill our souls as well. Great conversations are happening there...

Day 6

On day 6 of Buddy being away, God was my husband today

There are days when being part melancholy takes over and becomes rather-large-part melancholy. This is a double-edge sword because, if I’m walking in the Spirit, not in the flesh, it can be an exhilarating ride. When I’m in charge, life can be filled with despair.

I knew today was going to be hard when it began at 5 a.m. with Megan crying…a temp for three days and can’t sleep at night…I guess she’s got an ear infection (later confirmed today). After the trusty Tylenol did its trick, she went back to sleep and I was blessed with peace and quiet until 6:30.

Later was to be grocery shopping followed by the park (it’s finally sunny) and then home for naps. As Jack began asking for the bazillionth time “where are the planes, Mommy?”, I began to question my sanity en route to the park. I forged ahead wondering why in the world I was going to this park so far out of the way.

Official meltdown occurred with Megan about 30 minutes into the park, much to Jack and Adrianne’s dismay. But lo and behold, we are just minutes from the hospital (this is why I was at the park so far away!). As Adrianne and I prayed for a doctor to be able to see Megan, we were informed that Dr. So-and-So just had a “no-show” and minutes later we were seen. Voila…ear infection in both ears. No wonder she’s been so miserable.

As is custom in our first-world country ways, we got her medicine and were quickly on our merry way to being “fixed”. I am always astounded how as Americans, we go to doctors and have such an expectancy of being taken care of. This is not so everywhere in the world. Some spice gumdrops also “healed” Adrianne and Jack from their park woes, and we were on our way home.

Being true to my melancholy self today, I pondered as the kids fell asleep on the way home. This morning’s phone call to my Mom confirmed that she is in the “experimental trial” stage of treatment for her slow-growing cancer…she also tells me that my cousins wife who just had baby number 3 is also under serious treatment for breast cancer…this same cousin lost his mother to this disease as a young, young man. I pass a car wreck and I’m so overwhelmed, from head to toe with God’s loving-kindness to me today. I have certainly been taken care of as His precious one.

And the best part is…If I was my Mom, my cousin, my cousins wife, the person in the car wreck, His loving-kindness would still strangely be overwhelming.

Today my Husband, yesterday, today, forever…my Redeemer.

May we all take rest and refuge in that today.

Just an update: The crazy Spring season is starting. Buddy leaves tomorrow night for 6 days in Germany (Leadership Conference)...there's a little pre-trip to Taiwan at the end of the month and then Spring Break is the 2nd week in April. Please pray for patience for us all...today I feel like mine ran out about 9 AM.

Christian Book Summaries

I have enjoyed the summaries from this site and thought you might as well. They are well done, professional and thought provoking. I have found the summaires good even for books that I have read in the past and just wanted a quick refresher on.

Christian Book Summaries

You Turn Right.

Yesterday I was taking Jack and Adrianne on a little adventure. Just after we left the house I heard a Japanese siren. That is kind of unusual since often when the cops are trying to get somewhere they turn on their lights but leave their siren off. Our new van has a subwoofer in the back and we were listening to loud Christian rock and roll (Adrianne's favorite) so the siren sounded like it was coming from some distance away. After a few seconds I realized the cop was right behind me. I had zero fear that he was pulling me over since cops will watch drivers speed through red lights and do nothing about it and to my knowledge I had not broken any traffic laws.

Another odd thing about Japanese emergency vehicles is that they often don't expect the other vehicles to pull over and let them by. That is something that just grates on me as a driver who mostly grew up in America. We were in traffic and practically stopped anyway so I pulled over and waved them around me. Since they were right on my bumper I don't even know if they knew I was waving them around and they made no attempt to get around me. At this point it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe they could be pulling me over.

I pulled off the road into a parking lot and the cops followed me in. There was no waiting while they checked my license plate or anything and seemingly before I had the van in park they had run up to my window.

The senior cop yelled at me, "You turn right!"

"Well, I am pretty sure I turned left." I replied.

"You turn right." He yelled again.

"I guess." I said meekly. Knowing I had turned left but not wanting to argue with him.

"You turn right." He said one last time.

I just shrugged my shoulders.

He was getting more frustrated so he had me get out of the van and go to the back and pointed at the brake light. He went up and pressed my brakes. For some reason my brake lights are a light pink and when the brake pedal is pressed they are rather bright, almost like a flash light shinning into your eyes. He came back and communicated in body language by turning his body and throwing up his hands in front of his face that the lights were so bright they were blinding.

It was then that I realized "You turn right." Meant "Your turn light" which really meant. "You're brake lights are so bright I can't see a stinking thing." So I need to make a trip to the junk yard and fix my "turn right."

By the way. The kids and I survived fabulously while Jen was away at the woman's retreat but we were oh so glad to have her back.