Hope Day 17

One good thing about returning from warm sunny Maui to wet chilly Oregon is this: I got to see my sister today, dressed in clothing and sitting in a wheelchair! And four of her lovely children (even if one of them kept making really annoying noises with a glass full of ice and a straw!) We won't mention any names! I love the mischief in his eyes!

 Hope was sitting up in a wheelchair for over two hours. She looks absolutely beautiful (in spite of those stupid glasses)! It's wonderful to see how much she has improved over the past two weeks!

Hope was moved to the Rehab facility of Sacred Heart in Eugene Saturday I believe. She has a therapist working with her on lower body and one on upper. She is able to move her legs really well, and is able to walk a bit with a walker. She needs the most work on her arms and hands. Can you imagine what it would be like to not be able to hold a book, answer your phone, use your laptop, send a text, get a spoon to your mouth....and the list goes on.  She is one determined woman, and she will work with all her might at the physical therapy. The prayers of so many people give her more strength for this journey. Knowing that God hears and answers prayers, there is great Hope!

Hope has been told to expect to spend 4-6 weeks at this rehab facility. Family friends Trudy and Gary Gregory continue their efforts to help with medical costs. There are purple bracelets that say "Pray for Hope" for sale for $3, available within the next day or two from the Shedd Market and Shedd Cafe, at the Hansen Chiropractic Clinic (2625 Queen Ave SW, Albany), and from me! Also, if you wish to donate anything to the "Pray for Hope" Benefit Auction to be held at the Halsey Mennonite Church on March 2, contact Gary & Trudy Gregory 541-491-3529. And mark your calendars to come, good stuff is already pouring in! Also, the "Hope Krabill Medical Donation" account is accepting donations at any Key Bank.

If you get one of these awesome purple bracelets, maybe you could look almost as cool as Hope's kids look as they model theirs! (Being purple, they provide the perfect accent to every outfit!)

If you want to email Hope now, you can go to the same website by clicking here
but select "Sacred Heart Medical Center University District, Eugene OR"

This afternoon, she mentioned a song that she loves, which I love as well. It gives some perspective to her situation. Take a listen if you like! It's called "Blessings" by Laura Story. If the link doesn't work, go to You Tube and look it up, you'll be glad you did.

Talking to my brother Doug tonight, he reminded me that it was 40 years ago today that our mother went home to be with Jesus. Seeing Hope out of bed and dressed today reminded me of those days so long ago when Mom had cancer and was usually in bed, how exciting it was to occasionally come home from school and find her up and dressed. It is really hard on a family when Mom is out of commission.

Hope Day 14 - Maui Day 8

I haven't been able to connect with Hope for a few days, but got good news when I talked to my sister Jean today (Friday) (as I lounged on the beach with the 80 degree sunshine upon me!) Yesterday Hope walked down the hall with the aid of a special walker, and she sat for a couple of hours in the wheelchair. Today she was moved from the hospital to rehab, so she will be working really hard at regaining her strength and abilities to move.

She still has annoying numbness in her arms, but it continues to get better. Her fingers are still not moving much either. She has made huge progress in the past week. Jean said the best part of being with her last night was hearing her laugh.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

We have had a few challenges of our own here this week, but we adapt and adjust, enjoying the beauty and the sunshine around us. Today as we were blissfully heading down the road in the convertible, suddenly out of nowhere, a small creature leaped onto my lap. A gecko, about 4 inches long, bounced from one of my legs to the other before falling to the floorboard and rapidly disappearing under the dash. Times like this make me so thankful that my husband remains calm and unflappable at all times, even with a screaming flailing woman in the front seat.

"That poor gecko probably hasn't had to move so fast in the past 30 years," he remarked, as I sat trembling with my feet up on the seat. Talk about misplaced sympathies. I do not like any type of wild little creatures much at all, and I am especially displeased when they surprise me. I imagine the delight of my own boys and many other creature-loving people on this earth were they to be suddenly blessed with a gecko on their lap, and I sincerely wish i could transfer the experience to them!  I eventually allowed my feet back on the floor, but had to jerk them up suddenly a few times when I thought I felt little feet on mine. Good grief.

Tomorrow is our last full day on Maui:( I look forward to my early morning run and am planning a special treat. About 1 1/2 miles down on a path behind the ritzy hotels is an ocean-front Starbucks. I am going to get a latte and find a nice spot to sit and look at the ocean as I drink it before I turn back. One of life's small pleasures.

This is how the morning looked today as I started toward the beach. I'm loving it!

Day 3 in Paradise: Maui Oceanfront 15K

We left our condo at 6 a.m. to be sure I got to Papaluau Beach, the starting point for the Maui Oceanfront 15K , in plenty of time for the 7:30 start. It’s only about a 20 minute drive, but we feared  marathon traffic might be backed up. Fortunately, it wasn't.

There were people milling around at the beach and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. I picked two ladies who looked friendly and asked them if I was supposed to check in somewhere. The older one said no, when you cross that line over there it will activate the timer on your number. She said she’s been in a lot of marathons and this is the most disorganized one she’d ever seen.

 Turns out she’s 80 years old and started running marathons when she was 40. Now she walks half marathons and 15ks. This was the first one for her daughter. A very delightful pair of ladies, and I loved starting my day with them!

Eventually, a man dressed in traditional Hawaiian clothing instructed us to come stand with our back to the ocean facing him while he did a traditional Hawaian blessing ceremony.  Four men blew on conch shells, or “Pū”,  facing the ocean and then away from the ocean, then he told everyone to touch someone’s shoulder and repeat a Hawaiian prayer after him. Then on to the start line!

I let the crowd go ahead of me while I made sure my Runkeeper was set and my headphones in place, so I was the last one over the start line.  After passing the slowest crowd, I ended up in step with a lady about my age in an aqua shirt who had a very awkward shoulder swinging run. She was running at a nice steady pace, and I figured I could keep up with someone that awkward. I stayed right behind her until a little after the halfway point, when I got a little sidetracked watching whales breaching out in the ocean.  I slowed to watch this incredible sight,  thinking I’d catch up with Ms. Aqua. Then my shoe felt loose so I stopped to tie it. I also had to fiddle with the stupid Runkeeper app. She was getting farther ahead and I wanted to catch her. I sped up but soon started feeling really hot, especially my face. I’m not used to that!  We had been going at about a 10:30 minute/mile pace, then I was at 9:38 for a mile trying to catch her. So I decided I better slow down, remembering a steep uphill hike a few years back in Zion National Park where I almost had heat stroke after feeling hot like that!

Runkeeper malfunctioned on me just after Mile 4. I like to be notified every 10 minutes of my pace and how far I’ve gone. Between Mile 3 and Mile 4, I went from a distance of 2.8 miles to 24.62 miles, and it said I was running at a 2.05 minute mile! So I had to stop that activity and start a new one. Pretty annoyed about not having the whole run on my record. When I look at the map, is shows that I zigged out into the ocean and back! Maybe the whale and I had a real connection! I figured out how to edit it on the website so at least my mileage is accurate. I digress.

After the next drink station where I stopped briefly to drink a cup of Gatorade and splash a cup of water on my face, I felt much better. I had been drinking at least a few swallows of water at every drink station, but switched to the  Gatorade/splash routine after that and felt great the rest of the run.

It was so beautiful, feeling strong and running like I could run forever in the sunshine along the sparkling ocean. When I saw the 1-mile marker, I felt like there must be a mistake. I was listening to music and couldn’t hear the Runkeeper announcements so I had lost track of how far I’d come. You mean this is almost over already! Soon it was off the highway and down into Lahaina, where people had come out of their houses to cheer on the runners.

As the finish line approached, I saw my husband with the camera and started to smile and wave…but that wasn’t my husband!  Shortly thereafter I saw his beautiful face, multi-tasking with his Go-Pro camera mounted on a stick taking video and a camera in his hand taking photos. What a guy!

What a great feeling to cross under that finish line, have a guy chase me down to put a medal around my neck, then stand under the mister. Ahhhh!   

 Then on out to the ocean, which is not freezing cold! It felt absolutely wonderful! I just stood and enjoyed it for awhile!

More milling around, having snacks and waiting for results to be posted. Finally the 15K was up and I saw that my time was 1:44 and I was third place in the age 50-54 female bracket, so I got to go stand in a slow moving line to get my medal! Later I checked the results on the webpage and see that there were only five women in that bracket! The 5th place was the daughter of the 80 year old, who was the only one in her age bracket! I hope when I'm 80 I still think it's fun to go out and walk 9.3 miles!

I looked for Betsy, a woman I met at the Albany Weight Watchers meeting, who was running her first marathon, but didn't see her. She has lost 160 pounds I believe, and has trained very hard. The results page show that she too placed 3rd in her age group...out of 5 ladies also! I sent her a congratulatory text and look forward to hearing her experience. 

I would like to thank my husband, cameraman, chauffer, and #1 supporter, without whom none of this would be possible!

I thought my day was complete when I exchanged texts with Hope's daughter Brianna this evening and learned that she had a good day today and the tingling in her arms seems to be improving slightly. Then it got even better when I checked Facebook while waiting for these pictures to download and saw a picture of the whole family at her bedside! I just love those sweet kids!

That makes my heart happy to see them all together around their mother, and breaks my heart at the same time to see her lying there like that. Keep on praying!

Which brings to mind one of my mother's favorite scriptures:"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall run and not faint." (Isaiah 40:30-31)

Day 2 in Paradise

It is the eve of my first ever running race......and it's the Maui Oceanfront 15k. I still can't believe that a chubby old lady like me - oh wait, I'm not chubby any more.... Anyway, a year ago I never would have thought I could run five miles, much less 15k (9.3 miles), but it is truly amazing how the body responds when you work it.

My faithful chauffer husband and I took the rental convertible up to Lahaina in the sunshine today and I got my number and t-shirt so I'm all set. The 15k starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends in Lahaina. 

I met a nice lady and her husband at the marathon headquarters who are doing half marathons in all the states, and Hawaii is their 33rd. They were so excited for me to run my first race. She asked me, "What training program did you use?" Training program?  "Uh, well, I just signed up January 1 and I had never run farther than 5 miles, so the next Saturday I went out to see if I could run 15k and I could so..."

"So, you're not running to win?" she asked. Well, ma'am, it would be a sad day for mature womanhood if I was the fastest runner in my age group. But I replied, "No, if I can run the whole thing I'll feel like a winner."  "Well, if you're not running to win, then just take your time and run to enjoy every minute of the race," she gushed. Thank you, I will try to do that. 

And as I run, I will be thinking of and praying for my dear injured sister Hope. When I think the way hard work and consistent exercise have made my body so much stronger and capable of things I couldn't do last year, it gives me great assurance that the physical therapy and God's healing touch can restore her body too. God's design of our bodies is just amazing! But that's another subject.

I leave you with tonight's sunset. No spectacular hues, but beautiful nonetheless.  I have almost overcome the nearly irresistible compulsion to constantly take pictures of palm trees agains the blue sky and deeper blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. 

Hope Day 7

Greetings from sunny Kihei, Maui!  I am looking out at the surf splashng on the rocks below as the palm trees wave in the breeze against a blue sky and feeling incredibly blessed and happy!

I called Hope after we got back from our 6.4 mile morning walk along the beach trail and sidewalks, and was so happy to hear her voice! She was able to stand up twice yesterday, briefly sat in the wheelchair again, and feels that she is slowly improving. She also has increased motion in one hand and it's feeling a little better. So many things to be thankful for! Mostly she is thrilled that her daughter Adrienne surprised her by flying in from Ontario, and her daughter Jenna also arrived safely from Pennsylvania.  So all of her chicks are around her, and that always makes the mama hen very happy!

Here's a link to a wonderful blog post from a friend of hers that you should enjoy and appreciate:
Frame of mind: Hope . I don't know the writer, Shelley Smucker, but from reading her blog, I wish I did.

I'm off, places to go, things to do, sunshine to enjoy! Keep praying and believing for complete healing for Hope!

Hope Day 5

We are optimists, my sister and I. We are happiest when we look on the bright side. The bright side may not be the realistic side, but I cling to it as long as I can. I feel like my fingers are slipping a little tonight.

Hope is much more concerned about the feelings of others than she is about herself. After talking to family members today, I am pretty sure that she is suffering a lot more than she wants anyone to know. I respect her feelings and never want to write anything here that would dishonor her or be against her wishes, so I am try to be very careful not to share anything that she would not want the world to see. (Well, I admit the picture of her in the hospital bed, wearing her glasses, might have been pushing it! But I wouldn't have shared it if I didn't think that the smiles on her and Brittany's faces were so beautiful!) Anyway, it's possible that some of my reports have been a bit rose-tinged.

She had a very uncomfortable night last night, her arms and fingers don't seem to be improving, and the wheel chair sitting was again extremely painful today. That kind of news breaks my heart.

I have been amazed at the number of people who love Hope and her family. The outpouring of love and prayer that is surrounding them right now from an astounding number of people is an optimist's dream come true!

Gary and Trudy Gregory of Shedd hosted a meeting tonight with other community and church friends to start planning an auction to help pay for the huge medical expenses. This is an excerpt from their daughter's Facebook post today:

" My parents are very close to her and her family. Hope and her family are sooo faithful to God. .... My parents are holding an auction March 2 to help with the medical cost. Any ideas, thoughts, products, or services is appreciated. Please pray/start pray chains. This family would do anything to help someone else. Thanks for all the prayers keep them coming please..."

They have also set up a bank account for medical expenses at Key Bank. Just walk into any Key Bank and tell them you want to deposit to the "Hope Krabill Donation Account".

I would have gone to that meeting tonight, but, poor me, Will and I are about to head off to our very first Maui vacation to celebrate 30 years of marriage. We are catching a very early flight tomorrow, so I'm writing this from a hotel room.

Before you shake your head and scoff at me for being foolish enough to announce to the world that I'm away on vacation, let me just advise any lawless blog readers who might think this is a great opportunity to break into our home and take our worldly goods:

1. Our house will not be empty. It is now inhabited by a fierce curly-headed giant (and believe me, you don't want to make him mad!), as well as our huge ferocious dog.
2. Our worldly goods aren't worth the trouble. There is no cash or jewels, our TVs are on the small side, and I have the laptop and camera.

I'm very excited about our trip if not about the timing, and I will savor every blessed healthy moment even more as I think about what Hope is going through I will be keeping her and her family in my prayers, and am thankful that even Hawaii is just a phone call away. I'll be in touch!

Psalm 147:11: The Lord delights in those who fear

him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Hope Day 4

When we got to the hospital today, Hope was getting moved into a wheelchair. It didn't last long because she experienced extreme pain in her neck. They will try again tomorrow. I understand that she needs to be able to get in a wheel chair before she can be released from the hospital and go for a stay at rehab.

Fortunately the pain subsided when she was back in bed, and we enjoyed a nice visit with her, two daughters, Mom and my sister-in-law Carol who came with me. Hope said she is much more comfortable now that she has her good memory foam pillow from home. She is still not able to move her fingers much. Her most constant pain is the "pins and needles" in her forearms and hands. It really bothers her. The neck brace she wears is also quite uncomfortable. We gathered around her bed to pray for her, and I asked if there were any other specific things she wanted us to pray for. She thought for a bit and said, "I really don't have too many complaints." But of course. Yesterday she was really uncomfortable and after she vocalized her problems to sister Jean, she apologized for complaining. Jean told her she figured it was probably ok to complain after three days, and gave her permission to go ahead and complain every third day!

After we prayed together she calmly said, "I feel so much peace. I am resting in Him." And lest you think she must be heavily medicated, she wasn't! I'm so thankful that God is protecting her from the stress of worrying about her situation.

The family is thrilled that daughter Jenna from Virginia gets to come visit this weekend. She called Hope's cell today, which Hope's daughter Janelle answered. "Mom, Jenna wants to know if you're up for giving some advice." Well, of course, Hope was ready to listen to the story of a sick baby and help however she could. You don't stop being a good mom just because you are in bed. 

This morning I read a devotional that contained the following scriptures, and when I read about praising the Lord, Hope immediately came to mind. I printed these on pink paper, mounted them on purple card stock (she loves purple as much as I do!), put it in an 8 x 10 frame for her, wrapped it in purple tissue paper and put it in a lovely purple bag to deliver it to her.  

Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. 

(Psalm 146:1)

Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! (Psalm 147:1)

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. (Psalm 150:1-2)

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1)

It's possible that the determination to praise God through all situations in life leads to the ability to experience his peace and to rest in him through the most difficult circumstances.

Hope is in God's hands, and her hope is in Him.

God's Glorious Riches

I made some new friends today. I spoke on the phone with Gary and Trudy Gregory, friends of my sister Hope and her family. They are planning an auction and setting up a bank account for donations to help with medical expenses. I love these people!  I can't even imagine the staggering costs of a week of hospitalization, plus surgery, plus another few weeks in a rehab facility.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 2, from 1-5 p.m., and plan to attend a silent and oral auction at the Halsey Mennonite Church. They are seeking donations for the auction, so if you would like to donate something or are connected with a business that would donate, they would love to hear from you. Call the wonderful Trudy at 541-491-3529. She would like to have everything by February 15 so she can get them cataloged and numbered. She said many local community and church friends are already on board to help.

Hope and her girls ran the Shedd cafe for about a year in 2009-10, and their family is loved and respected in the community. Brian is a self-employed cabinet maker who is well known in the area for his fine craftsmanship.

My schedule has prevented me from making the trip to Springfield to visit her for two days, so I have no first-hand information. I was surprised to get a text from her last night asking if I had called our cousin in Salem. (She had directed her daughter to send it to me.)  So I quickly called the cousin. I haven't heard news of any significant changes in her condition. I'm looking forward to visiting tomorrow afternoon.

The bank account is in the process of being set up.  My new friends will let me know the details when  it is up and running, and I will keep you posted with how you can donate at any Key Bank.

This brings to mind the stories my mom told of how God provided when she had a mastectomy in  in 1968. She had two surgeries and spent two weeks in the hospital. Many people and churches sent love gifts, and my parents had received $620 to pay toward the bill when she checked out of the hospital. A few weeks later, a family visited and brought $360 from their church, which paid the remaining hospital bill of $358.75. (My dad was a self-employed mechanic, and they had no insurance.)

A few days later they received a check for $590 from another church. This paid the doctor bill of $500. More money came in. Mom  was physically unable to continue using her wringer washer, so the remaining donations allowed them to buy a new automatic washer.

Two months later, they received an $80 check, then $110 from a Sunday School class in another state. They wondered why God was still sending money. When Mom went to the pharmacy to pay the bill a few days later, it was the highest it had ever been - $59.19. The next week, she finished her Xray treatments and got the bill for $128. Can you do the math?!

She wrote all this down, and added that they were encouraged through this difficult time as God continually kept his promise to supply all their needs -spiritual, physical and material.

I am excited to see how the same faithful God will continue to supply all the needs - spiritual, physical and material - for Hope and her family as we continue to pray and ask for His help and healing.

"My God will supply all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:19)

Send a message to Hope!

I forgot to mention, you can go to the hospital webpage to email Hope! Click here:  Email Hope!

At the drop down menu for the facility, select:

 "Sacred Heart Medical Center University District, Eugene OR"  (as of January 27)

They will print out the messages every day and deliver them to the patient! I think it would be awesome for her to get tons of messages from people sharing their love and prayers!

And here's a bonus, a picture of Hope and Brittany that Brittany shared on her facebook page!

Hope Day 2

My sister Hope is an amazing woman of God.

My brother Dave, his daughter Brittany and I arrived the hospital just after she went into surgery this morning. Mom and Jean got to see her before the surgery. With Brian's brother Ron and wife Louise, we waited together as the hours passed. With no little children to liven up the waiting, the three hours passed slowly!

The doctor finally came out and reported surgery went as well as expected. A disc was shattered but her bones were in good shape They removed a plug from her hip and used it to patch her up somehow, I don't begin to understand how these things work. They also inserted a metal plate with two screws.

We had some lunch while we waited for her to get out of recovery, which finally happened a little after 4:00. By that time the crowd had swelled, with her family and several families from her church there as well. I tried to count but there was too much activity. There were about 30 adults and more than 10 children.

When the doctor spoke to Brian after she was settled back in her room, he said everyone could come back to sing a couple of songs for her. (I think she heard some music earlier that day and was happy to think that people were there singing for her. I haven't verified if that's a true story.) Even when told there were over 40 people out there, they said everyone could come back. We family went in her room and more extended family and church people stood in the hall outside her room and sang "All the Way My Savior Leads Me," "It is Well With My Soul" and maybe another song that I can't remember because I may have gotten a little emotional. It was pretty awesome and she obviously enjoyed every minute.

She looked absolutely beautiful (even though she was wearing her glasses! We both hate to be seen in our glasses!) The inner beauty that is so evident in her shines through and I don't think her smile ever left her face. It was great to see her propped up instead of flat on her back, and able to turn her head side to side instead of holding it straight like yesterday. She demonstrated how well she could move her feet, legs and arms - oops, as she held her arm straight up, suddenly it flopped down to hit her. She laughed and said, "Maybe I don't have as much control yet as I thought!"  (Once swelling goes down, the doctor expects her to regain control.)

She made me laugh when she smirked at me, "Guess what, they took out part of my hip." Like, ha, ha, guess I'll be going down a size or two! She told someone else that she'll have to give her girls a crash course on housekeeping, "pun intended"!

So it's a great relief that things seem to be going as well as they are.  This day has left me with some memories I will treasure - the time spent with family, especially my niece Brittany and great-niece Janae, and snuggling with Hope's son Brandon on the couch watching football in the waiting room. Brittany shared with me how Hope blessed her with some loving words that she will never forget. I am also amazed and touched by the huge outpouring of prayers and support from so many, many wonderful people.

Janae, Brandon, Brittany

Last I heard, Hope is expected to be moved out of ICU tomorrow and will probably spend about a week in the hospital.

I have never admired my sister more than I do right now. The way she is praising Jesus and giving God the glory reminds me so much of my mother, who praised Him through her five-year cancer ordeal and has been in heaven praising Him since 1973!

Hope

You never expect to get a phone call that your sister fell and broke her neck. But I got one today. I had been stressing about getting my 5-mile run in at 32 degrees with darkness coming on. Talk about not important!

My dear little sister Hope was standing at the top of a pull-down attic ladder upstairs when she slipped and fell, toppling over the stair railing and landing on the bottom floor. Her family called 911 and she was taken to the hospital.

Doug, Anisa and I carpooled down there, heading to the ER to meet Mom, Kevin and Jean who were already there. Hope was in the process of being moved to ICU. Fortunately, Mom had just gotten word that her spinal cord was intact and she was able to move all the way to her toes. Thank God. What a relief. Treatment is expected to first involve traction and then probably surgery.

Eventually we got the ok to go up to the ICU waiting room, and family continued to join us. At one point there were at least 25 people there. (Well, 10 of them were her own immediate family!) Her oldest daughter/husband and grandchild from Virginia are still here from a holiday visit. A year ago they were maintaining a vigil at the hospital with their newborn, a miracle baby who is now the sweetest, most beautiful one-year-old you could ever hope to hug! And what joy it gave me to hold her again tonight.

My little sister Jean, her husband and I were finally able together to see Hope for about 10 minutes. What a heart-rending feeling to see your sister flat on her back in pain and discomfort.  But what a relief when it quickly became evident that she was her spunky self anyway. She bragged about her two youngest sons' outstanding play at their first basketball game this afternoon (Nine-year-old Branden made a shot from his knees as he fell!) I graciously informed her that she shall forever holds the title of klutziest sister and she agreed she earned it. She expressed how grateful she is that God spared her life and her spinal cord and that she is determined to praise Jesus through all that happens. That's my sister.

She was less than pleased about the loss of the clothing that the paramedics had cut off her body, especially her leather jacket. Yes, a leather jacket, callously cut apart by a heartless paramedic focused on saving her life and limb. I told her I would assign Anisa to scour second hand stores for a replacement. But what I would really like to do is have a new leather jacket waiting for her to wear home from the hospital. I will start shopping, and any donations to the Leather Jacket for Hope Fund will be gratefully accepted, and your name will be added to the card we present with the jacket! And pray that she will be leaving that hospital very soon!

With all that family out in the waiting room, though our hearts were very heavy, there was more time spent laughing and enjoying each other's company than shedding tears. Hope would appreciate that. I mean, when her blond daughter who doesn't appreciate blond jokes is sitting right there, what are people supposed to do?! I recall a few years back when we three sisters, Jean, Hope and I, were laughing uncontrollably while at the hospital bedside of Jean's infant daughter Serena,  and we feared hospital staff might consider our hilarity very uncaring of the poor sleeping baby. Hope knows that our laughter would be a sign that we honor her and that we indeed hope and believe for healing and joy in the journey.

I know lots of people love Hope and her family and are covering them in prayer. Thank you to all of you who join these prayers throughout this difficult and scary time for them. God is great.

Linda

Today we celebrated my sister Linda's 60th birthday at a restaurant in Albany. We had a big family dinner for her on Sunday with over 20 guests, but tonight eight of us took her out for dinner.  When I asked where she'd like to go for her birthday dinner, she gave me that long thinking look, so I helped her out. "Mexican or Chinese?" "Mexican," was her decisive response. She likes eating the chips and salsa. We don't necessarily like it because she double-dips, blissfully oblivious to the social faux pas. Oh well,  anyone who's picky can just order an extra salsa!

When Linda was about eight months old, she was hospitalized with a lung infection, high fever, and seizures. She was in a coma for a while and the doctors told my parents they did not expect her to live. My mother wrote of pacing and crying out to God asking him to please not take her baby, but eventually reaching a point of saying, "Thy will be done".  And God's will was for Linda to live.

 My mother also told us that Linda was very slow to learn to speak. She loved to listen to records, and would sing along with them long before she spoke. When she was five years old, she underwent some tests and my parents were told that the high fever and seizures had likely caused damage to her brain.

Back then, there was no place for children like Linda in local public schools. Linda went to the Cozad School for the Trainable Mentally Retarded (yes, that was really it's name!) about 90 miles from our home, leaving Monday morning and returning Friday afternoons. My parents were very sad to be away from her so much.

I like the picture below because it's obviously difficult to get so many children to look at the camera and smile, and Linda looks like she's really enjoying the whole thing!

Back: Linda, Galen, John
Front: LeAnn, Hope, Baby Doug, David, Mark
1964

When I was about seven years old, I remember getting in an argument with Linda and saying, "Well, I can read better than you and I'm smarter than you." I might have even told her that she was dumb. Those arrogant words made my mother more angry than I had ever seen her. I was very quickly marched into another room for a private chat. By the time we left that room, I had been made aware of some things I never forgot:

• Being "smarter" than Linda did not make me better than Linda. 
• My "intelligence" was nothing that I had earned, it was a gift from God,  and something I should use for Him. 
• It could have just as easily been me as Linda who ended up with a damaged brain.
• Kindness is much more important than smarts. 
• My mother would not tolerate any unkind words from me to Linda and did not expect to ever hear any again. (By them I was thoroughly ashamed and regretted ever saying them in the first place!)

At that time, I had a school friend whose older sister was a pretty cheerleader, and I was a bit envious.  I used to fervently ask God to please make Linda a normal big sister. Then I'd go talk to her to see if God had answered my prayer, and I always found her to be the same as ever. Eventually I gave up and accepted that she was as normal as she would ever get!

 All of my siblings had bikes, and Dad even found one that worked for Linda! She enjoyed this bike for many years. That's little tow-headed Doug in the basket!

Linda at my sister Hope's wedding in 1979.

Linda is likely to reach out and touch you when she has something important to say to you. You can also depend on her to say, "I haven't seen you for a long time" pretty much every time she greets you!

With brothers John and Galen

Linda has worked at Sunshine Industries and lived at home with my parents for many years. Finally last year our family decided the time had come to find another living situation. It was a very hard decision, and we have all been very pleasantly surprised that she quickly adapted and loves the home where she now lives with three other developmentally disabled adults. A caregiver brings her to church every Sunday and she has dinner with Mom before returning home later in the afternoon. 

Sunday morning church is very important to her, especially because she has had her very own Sunday School class at the Brownsville Mennonite Church for many years. Different ladies in the church commit to a year-long term of being her Sunday School teacher. I have the utmost respect, appreciation and thankfulness for these wonderful women, and pray that God will richly reward them! One day I asked Linda if she knew the 23rd Psalm, and was surprised that she could quote it with just a little prompting. So I started quizzing her on more Bible verses and was amazed at how many she knew! I suspect she has learned a lot in Sunday School!

Last Friday, my brother John, his wife Betsy, Mom and I went to Sunshine Industries to take some things from their Christmas Wish List that our family had donated. We got to have a tour of the place with Linda and a staff member who has worked most closely with her for the past 10 years. She said, "We're not supposed to have favorites, but how could you help it with Linda, she's just so sweet!" This dear lady even came to my dad's funeral and the dinner afterward, visiting with Linda there, and it blesses my heart to see how much she cares for Linda.

Tonight at the restaurant when the wait staff put the sombrero on Linda's head and sang Happy Birthday to her, it was just priceless to see her huge grin!

How many people are fortunate enough to have a sister who loves you unconditionally, never complains or criticizes, listens more than she talks, is always thrilled to see you and lets you know it, and never says an unkind word about anyone? I love listening to Linda make a joyful noise as we sing together in church or with a CD in the car. I often think how wonderful it will be someday when we can sing together in heaven, when her mind is made whole and she can express herself perfectly. What a day that will be! Until then, I will enjoy her company and try to learn from her example how to be a better sister and a kinder person.

Addendum 1/8/14:  The above paragraph was not meant to insinuate or imply in any way that my other two wonderful sisters who I feel very fortunate to have are lacking any of those admirable qualities.  The only thing they need to work on is being thrilled to see me and letting me know it!

Here we are, January 7, 2015!

The Sleepover Story

This is for Lucy and Jenna.

Once upon a time, there was a great aunt named LeAnn. One day, her big brother Galen sent her a text message that said, "Looking for adventure, excitement...something new? You could have the "opportunity" of hosting a 6 & 7 year old girl (Lucy & Jenna) this evening and overnight." The great aunt sent a text back, "I would love it!"

And so it was that after the great aunt got off work, she met her brother in the parking lot at Fred Meyer with his excited granddaughters. Lucy, who lives in Hermiston and hadn't seen this aunt since August, said, "Oh, so YOU'RE Aunt LeAnn! I wasn't sure who you were!"

So off they went to Fred Meyer to buy sausage and Eggo waffles for breakfast. Then they bought tickets to see Monsters Inc. 3D, but had 40 minutes before the movie started. Aunt LeAnn asked the girls if they would like to go to the Dollar Tree across the street while they waited. The girls were SO excited! "My mom never wants to go to the Dollar Tree!" Aunt LeAnn generously gave each girl $2. "I love you, Aunt LeAnn!" was the loud, frequently repeated refrain from the back seat as they drove to the store. Running and skipping, they located the toy aisle and spent some time joyfully deciding the two most wonderful things they could buy with their dollars.

 

They found some fantastic things indeed. Jenna's pink and purple hair dryer/curling iron/beautician sets were things of beauty to gladden the heart of any little girl. Lucy had a baton with streamers and a little bear she promptly named "Foofy". 

As the girls skipped ahead of Aunt LeAnn toward the movie theater, she wondered, "When do girls stop skipping? And why must we stop skipping?" So she skipped with them into the theater, and it was fun. She vowed to skip more often. The two girls picked out a package of candy and declared they also needed a large popcorn. Yum. Aunt LeAnn had never seen Monsters Inc, or a 3D movie. Everyone loved it.

Next they drove to McDonalds to meet Great-Aunt Anisa. When Lucy saw her, she said, "Oh, you're the one I thought was Aunt LeAnn!" Jenna chose a kid's cheeseburger meal, Lucy wanted chicken nuggets, and a very kind cashier added a toy to Lucy's meal as well. They also shared Aunt LeAnn's leftover salad! They are very good at sharing!

 Lucy has lost a few teeth lately, and she showed off a lovely yellow one that just appeared in her mouth. They wondered if the tooth fairy would give her money for corn kernels under her pillow! She looked especially lovely when she covered a tooth with a black bean!

 Aunt Anisa told the girls that she had baby kitties in her garage, so they had to stop there on the way home. The girls loved holding the cute kitties!

They went in the house to say hi to Great-Uncle Doug and immediately started playing with the nativity scene under the tree. Aunt LeAnn hated to interrupt their fun, but soon it was time to leave.

Hugs for Aunt Anisa!

Aunt LeAnn had told the girls they would all need to run around the loop when they got home because she hadn't had any exercise that day. She was only kidding, but when they got out of the car at her house, Jenna asked when they were going to run around the loop! Both girls really wanted to do it. "I really need exercise too!" said Jenna.

The girls spotted some Legos when they got inside and spent some spirited time playing with them, but soon reminded Aunt LeAnn that they needed to go run. It was a beautiful moonlit night, so off they went. They ran and walked, enjoying the Christmas lights still twinkling on many homes. When they went through the park on the way back, they stopped to play. The moonlight was amazingly bright, and there was plenty of light. They were enjoying themselves when suddenly, a man stepped out of the shadows, startling Aunt LeAnn. But she immediately recognized him as the man who lived next to the park. Her children had always referred to him as "The Park Nazi". He said he heard children playing and was just checking to make sure they were supervised. Aunt LeAnn assured him she was supervising all right and they had a nice chat. Realizing it was 10:30 p.m., she decided the responsible thing to do would be to go home.

Lucy still had plenty of energy, but after a little more playing, Aunt LeAnn noticed the time was 11:11 and said it was bedtime. The girls picked out two Little Critter Christmas books, and Jenna read them. Then they went upstairs to the guest room and Jenna asked if they could read some more. She loves to read, and had brought two books. Aunt LeAnn listened to her read for a bit, then said good night as she continued to read.

 They woke up to beautiful sunshine the next morning. As soon as breakfast was over they went back to the park to play.

After awhile, they wanted to come back home to play with Zeek, Uncle Will's beautiful chocolate lab. They had a great time running around with Zeek, throwing his ball for him to fetch, and ordering him to sit.  Zeek is such a good dog! Aunt LeAnn loved hearing all the squeals and giggles in her back yard!

Aunt LeAnn was very sad to realize later that she hadn't noticed her camera was set to Manual, which caused her pictures to be fuzzy. (Aunt LeAnn sometimes has trouble noticing little details. She won't mention that someone else had changed the settings. Hint: it was the serious looking guy in the above blurry picture.)

Aunt LeAnn had showed the girls the park memorial to their cousin Tyler Troyer, and mentioned that she planted flowers there last summer and needed to pull some weeds. After the girls played with Zeek for awhile, Lucy asked if they could go back to the park and help her pull weeds. Aunt LeAnn was happy to get out the wagon and load up some gardening tools!

Lucy helped pull some weeds and Jenna ran off to play. Lucy asked, "Where are the flowers you are going to plant?" Aunt LeAnn said she couldn't plant flowers for a few months yet, but showed Lucy the daffodils that are poking up through the ground. Lucy soon ran off to play with Jenna, and while they played, Aunt LeAnn got the area weeded.

The girls had asked to bring snacks, so they all sat at a picnic table and ate crackers and treats before walking back home to play with Zeek again. Jenna remembered doing "crafts" at Aunt LeAnn's, so they got out colored paper, fancy scissors, star punches, and markers, and made some fun papers.  All too soon, it was noon and time for good-bye hugs when Jenna's mom came to pick them up.

Jenna and Lucy are both very kind girls, and it is a delight to watch them have fun playing together. They are both very respectful, polite, smart girls. Aunt LeAnn hopes there will be many more sleepovers and promises to say, "Yes you can" as much as possible every time!

And that is the story of the very fun sleepover with Great Aunt LeAnn and her two cute, funny, adorable great nieces! She is the luckiest great aunt in the whole wide world.

The end.

How the Mighty Fall

Ah, new snowshoes and a sunny day in the mountains with my favorite person in the world. Hiking through the woods in snowshoes is so fun, even if it is uphill forever. We spotted a snow covered rock that appeared to be an excellent place to park Will's insulite pad for a little rest and snack break. Will kindly offered to share the pad with me, but I declined, knowing that I'd have to nudge him off the pad in order to keep my bum dry. He carefully placed the pad in the best spot in the middle of this big rock, then sat down. And down, down, down he went! That was no rock! 

 Help, it's the Abominable Snowman!

I probably laughed way too much about this. I spent the rest of our trip warning him about places where he shouldn't sit, or suggesting others like this one!

He told me I'm a lot sassier than I used to be. I'm not sure if I should feel proud or ashamed of this. Sadly, I feel no shame, and I'm far too humble to feel proud.

 I'm just thankful that he puts up with little old me.

Doesn't this look like a good place to sit? I lost the basket on one of my poles so I ran back along the trail to look for it but no luck. Yes, you can run on snow shoes! It's really fun and I managed not to fall even once. I can't wait to go again! I will work on being kinder to my husband next time Although I did let him take me out to dinner on the way home instead of insisting that we come straight home so I could open a can of soup for him. In case you haven't heard, Shari's in Lebanon is "just crazy" on Wednesdays, because you get free pie with your dinner.  Our waitress told us how crazy it was innumerable times. We got our pie to go, and I just served Will his piece. I was even kind enough to take a big bite out of it first to make sure it was good enough.

Almost 30 years together and we are still having so much fun!

Yes, I Have!

Today I got an email from my friend Jason Jacobs, Runkeeper CEO, with the subject line, "Have you set a goal for 2013 yet?" (Runkeeper is the app I used to track my walking/running mileage this past year.)  He confided that he proudly set his 2013 goal to run 1500 miles (gulp).  He gave me very detailed directions on how I could set my goal on Runkeeper as well. I'm not proud enough to aim for anything close to 1500 miles, but I clicked the link, only to find the website was down for scheduled maintenance! Oh well, it gave me a little time to think about what running goal I should set.

Last year, Runkeeper tells me that I ran/walked 537 miles. I didn't track any treadmill or eliptical miles, which I did regularly last winter during bad weather, so I don't have any idea what that total would be. This winter, I prefer running in weather to the machines, unless it's really windy and downpouring at the same time.

So my plan this year is to continue what I'm currently doing, which is Zumba and strength training classes 2 days a week and running at least 30 minutes at least 4 days a week. So with that in mind, I did a few math calculations and humbly set my goal for 700 miles in 2013. The cool thing about the Runkeeper app is that it tell your progress toward your goal. Looking at it now, it shows a graph and says 5/700 miles, 1%.  So that should be fun.

I would also like to increase my pace and be running 3 miles in 30 minutes by the end of next year. Right now I'm averaging about 2.6 miles in 30 minutes, and a 10 minute mile seems like a pretty fast pace to this old gal when I do it for shorter distances! But I'll try. I don't have any desire to get into long distance running, I just want to run for fitness but minimize the risk of injury and wear and tear on the old joints.

And for goal number 3, I thought it might be good to do one 10K event this year. I haven't really had any desire to participate in any events because I like running alone. But it wouldn't it be fun to do one in Hawaii. A Google search revealed the Maui Oceanfront Marathon with 5K, 10K and 15K options taking place January 20, when I just happen to be vacationing there! I invited Will to join me but he preferred to just support me! I was going to sign up for the 10K, but I read that the 15K was the most beautiful part of the course. That's 9.3 miles. Well, I ran 5 miles this morning, and it was pretty easy. I may not be able to run 9.3 miles 19 days from now, but I'm sure I can do a combination of running and walking it. I signed up real quick before I could talk myself out of it. I'll start increasing my distance and we'll see how I do!

The run is all on asphalt with the ocean on my left and the West Maui Mountains on my right. I am very excited!

And how sweet is this, I already got an email from the Runkeeper Team congratulating me for taking the first step and setting a goal. "You can do this! We believe in you!" they wrote. It's so nice to have pals like the Runkeeper Team!

Here's wishing you success in your goals for 2013, and may we all do something each day to improve our health and fitness in every area of our life!