Her Heart's Desire

Mom's been enrolled with hospice for nearly a week now. While the learning curve is steep and the whole reason for hospice frankly stinks, we've heard one thing loud and clear--

Whatever Mom wants, she gets.

Ice cream for dinner? You got it.

Sunday night gospel singing? How many people can we cram in the living room?

Canasta? Massage? New paint in the kitchen? Done, done and done.

We've done our best, with the help of the amazing nurse Cathey, to quell the nausea and squash the pain. The past couple of days have been good ones. Mom was even able to get out for church and lunch today.

As I look at all the small and silly ways we're trying to spoil Mom, I know she's already received everything her heart truly desires.

A husband who adores her.

Children who follow the Lord.

Friends who walk with her in faith.

The promise of tear-free, pain-free, trouble-free eternity.

A God who has never forsaken her.

So many songs tonight spoke of heaven, so much hope for a bright and wonderful future.

Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."

She has.

And he did.

An Unwelcome Interruption

I've often counted cancer as one of my least favorite words. Now I have a new one.

Metastasis.

Mom's cancer has found a new home in her sternum. We're praying that three weeks of radiation will knock it out, for a while at least.

For now, we're learning to enjoy our moments together. My youngest has already been over to put a puzzle together with her grandma. So many have sent hugs and cards and love.

If you want more details, check my dad's blog "millstones" in the right hand column.

If you want to help, prayers are certainly appreciated, as are hand-written cards and chocolate. (You can contact me if you need her address.)

Up On the Rooftop

The trails around here seem so far away compared to where I grew up, but I must remind myself that an hour and a half in the car is worth the payoff.

If I'd stayed home today, I would have had a great view of the inside of the dishwasher, the washing machine, and the toilets.

This view from the eastern side of Mount Saint Helens doesn't even compare. Add to that the company of my loving husband, my in-a-good-mood daughter and a passel of teenagers and I'd say it was a perfect day to enjoy the great and vast outdoors.

God is good. All the time.

Prayers, Please

Mary Poppins had all kinds of advice, but the bit that sticks in my head this morning is that there's a word you can say when you have nothing to say.

It's Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Hmm.

I don't feel any different.

Maybe I should go with Maria's advice in the Sound of Music and sing about my favorite things.

Or maybe I should do what the apostle Paul and so many others have done through the centuries and ask the saints to lift up prayers of intercession.

Mom has uterine cancer. She's having surgery this morning to remove a bunch of stuff she never thought she'd live without and the one thing she'd rather not live with. I'll head down to the hospital soon to sit with Dad, and probably a crowd of church ladies, while Mom's in surgery.

Prayers, please?

Anniversary

The hubby came home with flowers and chocolate and sparkling cider tonight.

"Who's that for?" one the kids wanted to know.

"For everybody. It's a special anniversary."

He proceeded to remind us all of the day, 10 years ago, that we spent in "Heidi's village" in Switzerland. We bought fondue, we walked the pebbled path in the shadow of a mountain chateau. And we told our twins they were going to be big sisters.

What a delightful 10 years it's been getting to know our youngest. She's a joy to all of us. I can't imagine life without her. I love her so much. I love her daddy, too, and am so thankful for his reminder to celebrate special memories.

Super Proud!

My brother David is an amazing photographer. And I'm not just saying that. I have proof.

Check it out!

Staying True to Traditions

It's been a while since our last barefoot walk in the snow. My feet have grown soft. One of my daughters has bailed on the tradition, choosing to follow in her grandmother's footsteps and hold the camera. The rest of us, though, continue proudly in the painfully hilarious traditions begun so many years ago in the cold Alaskan night.

Old Dog, Same Old Trick

When we got Missy 5 years ago, she introduced herself to our family by gorging on 2 pounds of chocolate. That's when we met our vet. And cleaned our carpets.

You'd think she'd never want to eat chocolate again after that traumatic introduction to it, but no such luck. It's her mission in life to sniff out and devour whatever chocolate she can find. We've been very careful to keep it out of her reach ever since.

Until yesterday. She got her teeth around a small dark chocolate bar and downed it before I could get it away from her. I spent most of the night awake with her. If you've never seen a hyper geriatric basset hound, it's actually quite entertaining.

Not that we want to see it again. She's feeling better tonight and has been allowed back in the house to sleep.

We ARE the Joneses

We are NEVER the first people to buy a new technology. Case in point: we still have a VCR. And an analog TV. And a radio. And a typewriter.

Yesterday, though, I bought a new technology on the first day it released. I brought the Kinect for XBox home with a big grin on my face.

Finally, a game that I want to play.

For all the years we've had an XBox, there's never been a single game that's interested me. Until now. I was intrigued by the Wii and had pretty much talked myself into getting one before I heard that the Kinect would not require any controllers. It works with a motion sensor, is geared for real exercise, and works with the system we already own.

Perfect.

I only bought the sensor and a fitness program, which will be plenty to keep me busy until Christmas.

We've only had it for 24 hours but we've already had about 15 kids come over and give it a try. I think I'm going to love it. Drop on by and see how this amazing new gizmo works.

Trekkie Sandwiches

Dinner tonight, open-faced sandwiches with meat, cheese and tomatoes, dubbed Trekkie Sandwiches by one of the kiddos, is accompanying our evening's entertainment, Season 2, Episode 3 of Star Trek: the Next Generation.

The kids are just as wrapped up in the escapades of Jean-Luc Picard, Data, Worf, Reiker, and all the others as we were back in the day. Some of the technologies that seemed so amazing appear outdated to us now, like the hand-held computers that do less than an iphone but weigh 20 times more.

We originally watched Star Trek: TNG back in college. A whole group of friends would gather around the console TV, the kind with tin foil on the rabbit ear. One person was assigned to adjust the antennae every time the picture fuzzed out. It's not so different from now. When the digital revolution hit our house, the constant jostling with the digital converter box receiver began.

It seems it's not only on Star Trek that the technology isn't keeping up with the times.

Shadowing Eli

My youngest has been worth her weight in gold this week (which you know is worth more than ever) as she chases, entertains, and keeps up with her young cousin. Both are sound asleep right now after a long, busy day of 2 trips to the beach and 1 to the glacier. It's been a good day and a good trip.

Blog Update

When there are two boys in the house, you can't have the blog named after only one of them. So for those of you who want to follow my nephews in Alaska, they have a new address. You can find it in the blogroll under Wyatt Brothers in Alaska.

Welcome News

Lucas John Wyatt

May 24, 2010
5:03 PM
4 lb 11.6 oz
17.5 Inches

Phone a Friend Lifeline

The other day, I heard about a man who died in his apartment. His family wondered about him, then worried about him, then checked on him and found his body a month after he died. A whole month. I hope someone would miss me before then. I know they would. (I could insert a sarcastic comment here about how they'd miss me when they ran out of underwear or clean spoons or when they got hungry, but in truth, I know I'm loved by a lot of people who look out for me.)

I feel so sad for him, someone who lived his life in a way that he wasn't connected with anyone who missed him right away. I can't imagine living that way.

I feel sad for his family who must bear not only the burden of his death but whatever guilt they will carry for not checking on him sooner. It's not like their checking in on him would have kept him alive, but it might have made his death easier on them.

I know there are a lot of people in this situation, men and women who have either been forgotten by society or who have built themselves a life in which they don't depend on anyone.

I am reminded again of how we are our best selves when we live in community with others. Hard as it may seem sometimes, people make me a better person. If you know someone who needs to get connected, please call that person and commit to do so regularly. And if you're the kind of person who tends to hole up and avoid regular contact with people who care about you, find someone you can talk to or - better yet - someone you can serve.

I'll try to do the same.

Community

"So, what were you doing this week?" The lady next to me on the airplane asked the polite question.

"Some girlfriends and I had a weekend together," I said, but the words didn't really convey what our time together was about. Yes, I'd spent time with 5 ladies from my mission team, but it wasn't just a few days with some girlfriends. It was much more than that.

We're so much more than friends with a common experience. We've experienced trials together, joys and sorrows, triumphs and tears, and always, always, commitment to a common cause that is bigger than the sum of its parts.

We're church, we're family, we're team, we're friends and colleagues, we're sisters. The word of the weekend was "community," that elusive quality of sacrificing your personal goals for the sake of a bigger group, a greater goal. We found that community with each other in Africa and now we search for it across America. We've had a taste of what Christ's church can and should be and we hunger for more. I believe true community can happen. 

Do you?

Cozy Corner

There are certain places where you can't help but feel at home. Nana and Papa's house is one of those places. Everyone who enters feels the warmth of home, a home where people love each other and love their hobbies.

Papa's library is one of my favorite rooms in the house. I say "one of my favorites" because each room has its own function and charm. But to sit in yellow light in a high-backed chair, a warm fire at my feet and the company of books around, does my spirit good.

Whatever you could wish for is here... a loom and some knitting needles for the crafter, a chess board for the strategist, Southwestern art, spinning wheels, and a comfortable window seat or two.

And most nights, by the fire, Papa and his book.

Cabin Fever

In case you were wondering what cabin fever looks like!

Family OD, Blog Withdrawal

The promised snowstorm finally arrived after a week of promises and threats. We decided to hunker down with the whole family... and I mean the WHOLE family. My parents, siblings, and all the spouses and kids, in one house.

Thing is, with so many of us under one roof, no one has time to blog. And with no one blogging, we're all going into blog withdrawal.

So, this is for you, family. The title about family OD is not true. (Yet.) It's fun hanging out together, staying up too late, and seeing the appreciation we all share for the next generation. There's some pretty special kids in this house.

No one's starving. No one's cranky. And no one smells too bad.

Yet.

Perspective

If you look closely, you can see the bi-plane I caught as I was wading up a canyon last week. A pretty cool shot from a narrow piece of ground.

My brother has a different perspective. He's a pilot and he takes some great photos from the air. You can see some of his pictures on his blog. Or you can check out his new aerial photography business at aboveallaerialphoto.com.

From my perspective, it looks pretty good.

The Social Scene

This has been a very social couple of weeks for us. We've had people drop in from out of town... and from out of country. We've had kids spend the night and company over for dinner several tiems.



And we've been graced with a visit from a little guy who will be part of our lives for a very long time to come. Meet Elijah.



Eli is a month old now and completely portable. (My brother's first child and the first grand-SON on my side of the family) We took him to REI and Powell's books yesterday.

You never saw so many Portlandians so eager to hold doors, step aside, even gawk.


One woman with an Andy Warhol book the size of a small office building did a complete about-face to get a closer look at the baby.


At this age, even the screaming and diapers are cute. At least they are when you're the auntie who always has the option of handing him back.