They're Back!

Just when you thought it was safe to go out at night...

Or the morning...

Really!  You never know what can happen the minute you step outside your front door.  Especially if you're Katie and you're house/pet-sitting for your happy goat-herder parents!

We received this hilarious picture from her and a rather high-pitched garbled phone call once the danger was passed!

Yep...that's a raccoon in the feed bin!  Someone (not mentioning any names...Leroy) didn't get the lid latched tight and the party was on...We've been there before with our Masked Raiders, but have never "caught" them in the feed bin!

Katie said she was just going about her business getting ready to feed when she raised the lid and found herself manicured-fingertip to whiskered-nose with this surprised coon. 

She screamed...

He hissed...

And she dropped the lid on his head and ran for the hills.  Well, ok, she just ran out of the feed room, hyperventilated a bit, and then pulled on her Big-Girl panties.

She grabbed a scrap piece of board (we questioned?)   She said it was to hold in front of her in case the coon attacked (I feel better...NOT).

Concerned father said the rifle would have been his choice ( I feel nauseous).

Katie got indignant.  And said she was just gonna "shoo" him out.  ?????  But it didn't work.

Because when she finally raised the lid to "shoo" him, this is what she saw:

Fuzzy, fat thing trying to burrow into the corner...I do believe he's been helping himself to the all-you-can-eat-buffet!

So, our sweet, animal-loving daughter decided to prop open the feed bin for him so he could get out when he was ready, cuz really, he probably was pretty traumatized and all...then she left for work.

And didn't even need her morning cappuccino :)  Nothing like a little excitement in the morning to get your adrenaline pumping.  But she doesn't recommend it for the faint of heart.  She has been kind of jumpy all day....

May your day be filled with surprises of the most happy kind,

but preferably not the fuzzy, potentially rabid kind!

 

Something better...

When mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and the full impact of her prognosis sunk in, our world shifted into nightmare status fast.

The night-terror-while-you're-awake, can't breathe, heart-hemorhaging kind of horrible...

It is not a place where Christian platitudes or superficial niceties make a dent.  The grieving and pain were physical and did not make for charitable company.  Honestly, we were wrecks...just trying to find a foothold for the next step, all the while feeling the bottom dropping out under us.
   
And so, it is amazing, really, to look back on mom's journey and realize how the nightmare transformed somewhere along the way into moments of radiance.

A Life well lived, of Love showered abundantly, and a Hope shared with confidence.  Cancer definitely shaped and molded these last months with mom, but in some indiscernible way cancer helped refine our lives for the better.

Fran Drescher shared some great insights in a recent interview.  She is probably best known for her role on The Nanny.  What many may not know is that she is a survivor of uterine cancer.  When she was asked what's your best piece of advice for cancer survivors, this was her reply...

"Become something better than you were before, whether it is how you relate to your family, or how compassionate you are as a human being.  I always say that turning pain into purpose is very healing."

That advice hits home on so many levels, and not just for cancer survivors.  I believe that's exactly what mom was working through on her cancer journey... she took the pain of her diagnosis, the utter nightmare of a prognosis and turned it into a passionate purpose.

Something better than she was before.  Refined into gentle beauty, touching each of us with grace whispered, and turning the night-terrors into dreams of hope fulfilled, eternal and perfect...

Challenged anew to Become Something Better...no matter what the journey holds,

Graced Always in His Love this night,
                                                         Jane     

 

Called to Love...

 

Hearts Gifted with Abundant Joy

 Walking this Love Road...

 

Graced to Journey Together,

                                 Always, Jane 

 

 

 

His name is Jack...

Ok... I don't normally get carried away by teen-agers and science fairs.

But this... this is simply amazing.

If you have been touched by pancreatic cancer, you must watch this video...

His name is Jack.  He just won the top honor at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for discovering an early detection test for pancreatic cancer.

His reaction is beyond touching.  But did you hear what he won it for?  Yes?!!!

An. Early. Detection. Test. For. Pancreatic. Cancer....

A test that is simple, costs only pennies, and is almost completely accurate in detecting pancreatic cancer BEFORE it becomes invasive.

Did I mention that he is only 15?  And his reaction cracks your heart into happy just a little?  Ok... be sure to watch the video until the end.  After all the "fun" of accepting his award, Jack shares his story and why it was so important for him to develop this test...

Jack's test for pancreatic cancer is a simple paper strip test (think diabetic test strip).  Using blood or urine, it tests for the presence or level of mesothelin, a pancreatic cancer biomarker.  The test takes only about 5 minutes to run, and currently is about 90% accurate in detecting the mesothelin.  According to Jack, the test is also 168 times faster than current tests, 400 times more sensitive, and 26,000 times less expensive.

He's only 15.  His excitement is contagious.  Sometimes it just doesn't take billions of dollars or teams of brilliant scientists.  Just one boy, a passion and a purpose...

Is this the medical break-through that Pancreatic Cancer patients have been waiting for?  Maybe.  Perhaps.  But before we can lay claim to this tantilizing hope, his discovery must go through much, much more testing... His mentors at John Hopkins warn that it may take years for his Early Detection Test to arrive on the market.

That feels just too, too long!

Even so, there is no denying that Hope is hovering on the Horizon...

Thank you Jack Andraka for putting a smile in my heart today!

Why do you get married?

62 years...

...Married!!!

How do you make it work?  Some would ask Why do you make it work???

My beautiful parents-in-law, 62 years ago.

Time and marriage have a way of adding a few things...

Children and Growing Up

Daughter-in-laws and Opening Arms

Grandchildren and Laughter

Wrinkles out of nowhere

Pounds around the middle

Gray Hair on top

and No Hair for Pop :)

Love Multiplied

Heartaches Unavoidable...

And through it all, one thing remains constant.

The Two Shall be One...

Here on their 50th Wedding Anniversary,

and then Today, still together, going on 62 years Together!

Their marriage has survived miscarriage, military separations, moves, the death of a son, and now the advent of illness and the frailty of aging years...

The constancy of their marriage is like a welcoming light in the window beckoning you home.

It is a journey of faith and commitment and love.

From the first blush of young love to the cherished patina from decades of lived-out love ...

"We need a witness to our lives.  There's a billion people

on the planet...I mean, what does any one life really mean?

But in marriage, you're promising to care about everything.

The good things, the bad things, the terrible things,

the mundane things...all of it, all of the time, every day.

You're saying, 'Your life will not go unnoticed because

I will notice it.  Your life will not go un-witnessed

because I will be your witness'."

                       ~ Beverly Clark, Shall We Dance, 2004

For me, that is Legacy Living at it's finest.  To honor another with your heart, your words, your time, and your faithfulness.  It is leaving a Legacy that will outlast your life.  Their example has left indelible impressions upon each one of us as we too are witness to the enduring commitment of vows spoken some 62 years ago...

For Better, For Worse

In Sickness, In Health...

Marriage isn't for the faint of heart.  The commitment part takes discipline and time.  For isn't Perseverance simply a long obedience in the same direction?

The power of such a covenant is profound, and we are the joyful recipients of these sacred vows.  How blessed we are to be raised up and sheltered under the circle of their love...

Love you always Grandpa Don and Grandma Millie... This Daughter-in-law can't begin to express her love and gratitude for you both... How did I ever get so lucky?!

Graced Forever to be Grafted into your Story,  Always Yours, Jane