Happy Birthday Mom! #90
Today my mom is 90 years old. 32,850 days. 788,400 hours. 47,304,000 +/- minutes. 1 faithful husband. 4 amazing children + 4 spouses. 10 brilliant grandchildren+ 5 grand-spouses. countless friends. lots of travel. a plethora of pies. many meals. several million stitches sewn. Today is a truly remarkable milestone – Mom’s 90th birthday! It is…
Clayton is 29!
Happy Birthday to you Clayton. We certainly have been through many adventures and changes over the years. I realize that you have now lived longer without your dad than you did with him. That makes me sad! And yet the short window he and I had to steward our kids as parents still informs the…
Connor is 35!
Dear Connor As I sit here reflecting on the years since you both joined our family and formed a new one with Emily, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of gratitude to our good God for the wonderful man you are and the joyful privilege it is to call you “son”. Watching you and…
Happy Birthday to Amanda!
Last year I decided that I wanted to learn 25 things about this one amazing woman who I get to call my daughter-in-love. I don’t feel like I really learned enoughnor with intentionality. Perhaps her 26th year will be even better as far as growing in relationship, friendship and knowledge of her. 25 things I…
69 Years – Today is Corny Joke Day!
Before November 8th, 1955, before the twinkle in Lionel’s eye 9 months prior to that, before any life on planet earth began, Jim was loved and his life was orchestrated by a good God. And this loving God knew all about who Jim would become and who he would influence. He planned for us to…
Stepping into the Gain
“For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Phil. 1:21 It has been 14 years since my Jim stepped into the Gain. It has been only 5100+ days but it feels like an eternity. It is interesting that it is eternity for Jim! God placed eternity in each of our hearts…
The Last Goodbye
When Jim was on hospice several family and friends made their way to our home to spend a last time with him. The “blessing” of cancer (which is tough to call it that), or any lingering illness rather than something more immediate and sudden, is that there is a small window to put one’s affairs…
Advances in Treatment
Not often, but once in awhile after seeing an ad on TV or hearing of another person with the dreaded disease, I wonder what would have happened if Jim had gotten GBM4 today versus 14 years ago. The majority of brain cancers are highly invasive and rarely spreads to other parts of the body beyond…
Imagining a Life
I love the Pixar movie Coco and the focus on remembering. Telling stories, sharing memories and passing on traditions is what creates the power of family. It connects us to each other and keeps the bond with those who have died alive. I recently heard a statistic that says we usually remember only and up…
There is a time for everything!
Today on my calendar is the birthday of my friend Lorraine who I have not seen in a “long” time. I imagine that if we got together, we would pick back up in the middle of a conversation like no time had passed and we would not stop talking until we fell asleep mid-sentence. I…