For my Sister: Forever Tattoed

Tattoos are very personal, in most cases people give a lot of thought into the art that will permanently be on their bodies.  Such was not the case for her.  Her tattoo directs the path the stream of radiation follows.....each and every day.....in sickness and in health...rain, sleet or snow.....come hell or high water she must keep that daily appointment.

She is reaching the end of her treatment......she is one of the lucky ones.....a survivor.  But she has not been left unscarred.  The image in her mirror will remind her of her story forever more.  Reconstruction?  Though it is an option will she choose it?  Maybe looking in the mirror and seeing a clear picture of God's grace is a better choice, because His story intermingles with hers, so much so there is no doubt that He has had her in the palm of His hand during this trial......perhaps the hardest of all trials she has endured thus far.

From the beginning with an early diagnosis (which literally saved her life) to guiding her through each decision that needed to be made.....and there were many.....He was there.

The burning of her flesh will heal.  She will get through this next and final stage the best that she knows how......hopefully with very few side effects.....all this will one day be over.  But her scars will remain, her tattoo will forever mark the spot where God stepped in and  brought her healing grace.

I love you sister.

A Stranger in my Hometown

A Stranger in my Hometown

 

The storefronts that once enticed and teased, now depress.

Daily schedules of work and school maintain a sense of normalcy,

Our faith is really being put to the test.

Can anyone read the misfortune that is our story?

One less act of kindness would have left us on the streets we use to stroll.

Will the end to this trial bring God the glory?

 How does one get from there to here?

Where there are no more options and had we known, there never were.

Not pleasing God through all this is what I really fear.

What once was taken for granted is now longed for.

Everything reminds us of a time that wasn’t so long ago

Visitors in our hometown, that’s what we are now.

The first week of summer was successful at work.  Our rooms look fun and summerish!  It hasn't been too hot (unfortunate for the lil ones as they are anxious for water play!)...class sizes have been pretty light.  Should I now insert a "knock on wood!"   :)     We have some new friends that are getting along just great with our "old timers".  Some have taken the summer off and we look forward to seeing them again in the Fall.  But one in particular moved across the U.S.  :(

I am missing this lil man!  :(       I just love this picture so much, I'm going to print it and put it in my classroom.  Just a reminder of why I do what I do and am just so blessed!

That's my phone in my hand.....no, I wasn't texting! LOL  I was trying to get a picture of him resting in my lap.   Precious!

A tribute to our heroes!

It is fitting and timely as we approach Veteran's Day and the Marine Corps Birthday to pay tribute to my son, Sgt. Jarrett Furie and my nephew HM2, Donald Koenig.  They have both recently fulfilled their duty to our country, both volunteering and serving during a time of war. I tried to put into words what my sister, Sandy and I have seen through their eyes and felt over the years. They are our heroes!

 

 

Their time of service is over……

They stand taller, they stand prouder, than when they left home many years ago.

Over is the sound of war and the constant struggle distinguishing between friend and foe.

A glimpse of things seen and trials endured are buried in the depths of their soul.

Long deployments, fear, danger and fatigue have taken their toll.

Courage, bravery, honor and faith are what saw them through,       

Many sacrafices were made, birthdays and holidays, the birth of a baby, too.

Faith and the bond between their military brothers runs deep.

Because of heroes like them we can peacefully sleep.

 Yes, their time of service is over……

 Letters and packages were sent, wipes, lip balm, treats and their favorite cookies in a tin.

Tears of joy at their homecoming, tears of sadness when they had to leave again.

Loved ones at home stood vigil……with the fear of missing their call.

Fearing  bad news or no news from dawn to nightfall.

Pride in our boys burst from within us, constant prayers being said on their behalf,

Looking forward to a time when we could sit with them and again laugh.

Calendars were marked, homecomings planned and anticipated.

Looking forward to a time when that vacant seat would be filled and celebrated.

Alas’ their time of service is over……

Their sacrafices have truly made a difference.  Though scars will remain, their time was well spent.

 Civilian life will be an adjustment.

Having them safe and home for the holidays is as good as it gets!

We want to share our gratitude for a job well done to our heroes, our two special Vets!

 

Here is a link to a video I made for my Sociology class a couple years ago, please take a look as it shows some of the hardships our military go through and a very real problem, PTSD.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxOqCB9R1jw

 

The Ol' Homestead

It's been an interesting two months......especially the past month!  So, how did we get from "there" to "here" you may be wondering...... Well,  in August Kristen began talking about moving into her own apartment which led me to start praying: "Lord, do we stay where we are and rent the apartment to someone?  We really didn't want a stranger living underneath us, was there possibly someone we knew who would like to rent it ?  Do we look for a cheaper place to rent?  We really need to consider moving into an apartment.  But, there aren't any apartments in the Alta  Sierra area, which is where we were trying to stay because of the boys' school.  Do we move to Auburn?  If so, it would be such a long drive to Penn Valley where I work!"    I began journalling my prayers and questions as my mind was just jumbled with the options of what we should do?!    We were already struggling making the $1600/mo rent, with my paycheck and Rob's unemployment check we were barely making ends meet. The first answer to prayer came when Rob agreed to let the boys attend charter school.  It was something I had been praying about but I didn't think Rob would agree......well, he agreed!  I thought this would be a good option for the boys plus, we were not confined to staying in the Alta Sierra area now.   By mid-August, just days before school was to start we got the news that Rob's unemployment had ended!  There would be no check for September...... another decision had been made for us.  We would definitely be moving.  We called the landlady immediately and told her we would be out on the first.  Kristen had already been accepted at an apartment in town and she would also be moving on the first. Prayers were being answered, a path was being laid,  the problem now was, we had no money to move anywhere!   We would be "homeless".  Lord?  Where is this path leading?
We had been packing but were not nearly ready when Friday the 31st. rolled around.  Rob had rented a trailer and we started taking bins and boxes to a storage unit in Alta Sierra. We were out of time and becoming desperate to get things out, the landlady would be coming at 6:00 that evening to do a walk through!   At this point we were going to move in with Steph and her family (hubby and five boys!) in Citrus Heights.  They were prepared to make room for us and we would make the drive to work and school each day.  As I was packing I made piles, "take to storage", "take to Steph's", "dump" and "thrift store".  I hate to say that the "thrift store" pile starting going into the "dump" pile as our time grew shorter and shorter.  I will be sharing with out in another post about the interesting things that were in my pile to take!  Ask yourself, "what would I not want to be without in the next couple months".  Hmmm......everything I couldn't be without fit in the backend of the Caddie.  LOL!  Well, I also had some stuff that was going to go in Rob's truck but when you read the next paragraph you will see how that turned out!
Later that afternoon the trailer was loaded as well as the backend of Rob's truck with Kristen's belongings and they headed to her apartment in Grass Valley.  They hadn't been gone long when I got a phone call from Kristen that went as follows: "Mom!  You better start praying!"  My heart sunk. My mind was racing!  What could have happened?  An accident?  Someone is hurt?  What?    "Dad's transmission just went out in the truck.  He is in the middle of the road.....on Brighton St."  I cannot begin to tell you how I felt.  Thankfully no one was hurt.....no accident.....but this was really high on my "OH NO!!" list.    I was worried for my husband who must be at his wits end......how are we going to move?.......what are we going to do with Kristen's stuff?......how are we going to pay for this?"  Lord, NO!  I had held it together pretty well thus far, but this put me over the edge!    I was praying, praying hard and called my sister.  The minute I heard her voice, I broke down.  I had my  mini-meltdown, and then it was over.  Time to dry it up and figure out what we were going to do.  Soon my sister and I were laughing and joking as we discussed how crazy our luck is!  Laughter is good medicine!  and so is a sister with a listening ear! 
Well, we had an angel in disguise who would end up helping us all weekend....and angel with a truck, no less!  Andrew's good friend Timmy came right over, offloaded everything out of Rob's truck and put it in his and hitched up the trailer and got it all over to Kristen's new apartment.  The truck (which was just a block from her apt.) was nursed along until it got into her apartment complex and safely parked until we could figure out what to do about it!   Thanks Timmy!!!  We couldn't have done it without you! 
Saturday morning we woke with the daunting task of getting the rest of our things moved as quickly as possible.  We still had lots to do!  The landlandy wanted to paint today!  Ugh!  She shows up and my stress level rises and rises.  We are doing the best we can to get out of there, but it's just not going fast enough.  They want to paint....so they are there, they are piddling around making us feel like we are delaying their painting plans.  They decided to start cleaning Kristen's apartment.  It was very awkward to say the least.  Here we are trying to get our stuff out, they are hanging around, we don't even have anywhere to go!  Not a very good feeling! 
That same day a text came from my mom, "you can use the little trailer if you want, until you can find a place."  Ahh!  OK, we discuss the pros and cons of this new development.    We now have only one vehicle, should we be driving our only vehicle (which has problems of its own) to and from  Citrus Heights everyday?   The crowded household didn't bother me, I always enjoy going to visit Steph and the kids.  My boys were looking forward to staying with them!   We decide to take my Mom up on the offer of the trailer.  It's small, just twenty-two feet but, it's temporary...right?!?!   The boys were always in our room every night anyway watching TV with us, we are used to cozy quarters.  Maybe not quite this cozy, though!  :)
But.....where to park it?  That is a whole other story.  Within a couple days we were offered a place to park it.   Everytime I pull into where we are parked I am reminded of the goodness of others and the grace that has been shown to me!  Wow!  God is Good.....all the time!   So, that is how we got to "here" from "there" in just two short months!  Who would have thought?!  You just never know what twists and turns your life can take.  We hang on to the promise from Jeremiah, though and know that this to will end....not sure when or where we will be....but we are trusting God, because He does know!
I have decided to blog about our journey.  Aren't you curious to see where we will end up??!!  I know I am!  LOL!
Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you, "says the LORD.  "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."    Amen!   And so it is, He has a plan and it's gonna be a good one!
Prayer requests:  Rob a job!!  Once he has a job, we need to find a place to live.  In the meantime, patience and tolerance towards one another in our tight living space!    :)
  

The kids have been saying the funniest things!!

In my many years of being a pre-school teacher I have heard some pretty hilarious things!  Lately a little girl and I have been having some pretty funny conversations so I decided to start writing these things down.
Here's a sample:

"C":  Are you the mommy to your kids?
Me:  Yes
"C":  Did you use to be a little girl?
Me:  Yes
"C":  Did you want to be a teacher when you were a little girl?

"C":  I'm having chili for dinner!
Me:  I am having chili, too.  My husband is making it because I am at work.
"C": Work?
Me:  Here at work.
"C":  You don't work.  You just get stuff out for us to play with!
I'm not quite sure how to take that remark!  I prefer to assume that I make the day so fun, it couldn't possibly be work!      :)

"L":  I like your shoes.  Where did you get them?
Me:  I got them at the store.
"L":  Oh.  Did you go with your Mom?

"L":  Do you want to come to my house?
Me:  Maybe sometime.  That would be nice.
"L":  Do you have to ask your Mom first?

"I":  Who are you?
Me:  Debbie
"I":  Where's your house?
Me:  It's quite a ways from here.
"I":  Where's your chapstick!
She said this with a straight face, one question after another....it was pretty funny!  Chapstick! 

"C":  Do you want to come to my house and see my new puppy?
Me:  That would be nice.  Do you want to see a picture of my dog?
"C":  Is that your dog?  What is she sitting on?  Why?  Do you have a picture of your bedroom?
I have had many children think that I live at the school!  I've been asked where I sleep, where's my car, and until the children get used to me leaving for the day.......I get the strangest looks when I leave.  Where are you going Teacher Debbie??

I always give a five minute warning before I want the kids to start cleaning up.  "Five minutes"  You should see how excited they get!  Five more minutes!  Yeah!  It reminds me of the scene in Toy Story when the Mom tells Andy they are leaving in five minutes and he comes up with all kinds of scenarios he plays out in the five minutes he's given.

The magical wet paper towel.....it serves many purposes.  Not only does it clean messy faces but it heals all sorts of scrapes, bumps, and bruises.  It's one of my most said phrases, "Do you need a wet paper towel?"

We say a prayer before we eat our snack and lunch.  We thank God for the day, our food, friends and family.  The children have started adding things one by one to thank God for.  The beautiful ocean, my mommy, my daddy, sisters and brothers, coming back to school after being gone on vacation  Precious!

Ah!  They are so funny....truly a joy!

Lessons Learned on Highway 20

Lessons Learned on Hwy. 20

The drive up Highway 20 takes approximately 10 minutes from where I get on in Grass Valley to where I get off in Penn Valley. Lately it has taken a bit longer as they are doing major road construction, sometimes resulting in lanes being closed.

In these instances a PILOT CAR leads the line of vehicles up the highway until we are safely through the construction zone. These encounters with the PILOT CAR paint a spiritual picture for me.

Jesus is our PILOT CAR, he leads us through the Highway of Life and we can have faith in his directions.

One morning there wasn't a PILOT CAR to lead us, but the lanes were marked with cones and there was a lot of construction activity going on. The line of vehicles travelling up 20 found themselves following the car in the lead, assuming he knew where he was going. It became apparent that we had no idea where we were supposed to be when a flagman began waving frantically for us to "move over! move over!". Obviously we were not where we were supposed to be!

At times we can find ourselves "not where we're supposed to be". Thankfully we have a faithful Savior who will get our attention and tell us to "move over" and lead us back to the path that He wants us on. That's the path I want to travel on......the one He has already paved for me.

When I follow the PILOT CAR I travel at a safe, consistent speed. As my walk with the Lord should be, a steady, slow pace. Not so slow that I'm not moving forward.....I am moving forward, but at a consistent rate, not haphazardly, but with a goal, a purpose.

The way may not always be smooth, it can even be bumpy at times, and I might find myself dodging obstacles along the way. I can rest assured though, if I am following my PILOT CAR, I will reach my destination safely, and know that I have travelled the path He prepared for me.