So thankful for family time

We had a very happy time over Thanksgiving with a great big extended family gathering which this year included four generations.  We all arrived in Virginia either late Tuesday night or in the wee hours of the morning Wednesday.  There was time over the four and half days we were there to talk, cook together, eat lots of good food, play the traditional Thanksgiving morning football game (mud football this year), walk, watch a movie and a few good old Dick Van Dykes, play games, knit, shop a little, give and receive massages, drink lots of tea, pore over ideas for a special project soon to be in the works (thanks, Lindele!), and laugh a lot!  The cousins and Kay even made a late, late night trip on Friday into DC to walk on the mall and view the monuments by night.

How thankful I am for each of the people that was there this year.  Coty's parents hosted us with 25 around the tables on Thanksgiving Day;  Lindele and Ed, Amber and Daryl opened up their home for late night cousin Wii games and I don't know what else;  Laura and her boys came on Thanksgiving afternoon, and fiance, Bruce, drove down from New Hampshire arriving in plenty of time to get to work in the kitchen!

Clara was, as anticipated, the belle of the ball.  She was passed all around, her smiles made us smile, her fat cheeks just made some of us want to eat her up!  Oh, what a sweet little girl, and how special to see Erin and Luke moving so gracefully and confidently into parenthood.  I really loved seeing Clara's face light up whenever her Daddy walked into the room.  He can sure make her smile.

We really missed having Jonathan and Kandyce there, but their absence gave some folks who will remain nameless the opportunity to discuss wedding pranks.  Better watch out, you two.  These days, it could be dangerous to have that assortment of people in the same room in your absence!  You never know what they're capable of coming up with.

We all headed home on Sunday and all made it back safely to our various destinations - NY, GA, SC, NH, ME, CO, NC...

Looking back at the pictures reminds me once again of the goodness of God in the gift of family....

 566.  Multi - generations - the oldest and youngest among us this year. 

567.  Happy mom, happy baby, happy uncle

568.  Time to talk

569.  Dancing cousins

570.  Fun tradition

571.  Loving great-aunt

572.  Plenty of time to love on this sweet baby girl.

573.  Big sister, little brother - now reversed in height and now mother and uncle.(fuzzy photo - sorry)

574.  Grampa kisses, baby smiles

575.  Adoring uncles...

576.  Matthew

577.  Thomas

578.  Joel

 

579. Andrew

So, so thankful....

Last day for the Snead Adoption Auction

If you've been thinking about bidding but put it off, today's the day.  This is the final day for the Snead's Adoption Auction.  Visit their site here (or follow the link in the sidebar) to bid on some lovely and fun items mostly donated by Chinese believers who want to help Matt and Michelle bring their Ethiopian children home.

Happy Thanksgiving!

561.  Early morning walk in the foggy beauty of  Ft. Hunt Park

562.  The one I walk with in covenant love

563. The blessing of being with all these folks last night and more to come today...

564.  Becoming Gramma this year together with this loving Grampa (or whatever his name is!) to this precious baby girl.

565. Grace poured out on the cross on my behalf from the Giver of all good gifts....

And so much more 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Such abundance

542.  The good tired feeling after a long, brisk walk
543.  Home, just home, not splendid, as Meg says, but pleasant and quiet
544.  The last orange leaves fluttering down
545.  The carpet of rust on the front lawn, the oaks are shedding
546.  Bread now rising, ready to shape into loaves to take
547.  The smell of molasses, cinnamon, cloves
548.  Swish, swish of washing machine
549.  Rose hips on the window sill
550.  Pansies in the garden, hidden under the leaves just now, but ready to bloom all winter
551.  Hot water - so easy to take for granted but such a luxury, really
552.  Good walking shoes
553.  Feet that don't hurt
554.  A plan and encouragment from many corners to stick with it.
556.  Sisters-in-law and husbands, my children's aunts and uncles, and lots of cousins getting ready to gather!
557.  B and G about to meet their first great grandchild
558.  Adoring uncles - I can't wait to watch the boys with Clara!
559.  Girlfriends who are welcomed and loved by the whole family and who get to come for Thanksgiving!
560.  Coty's driving - I can relax and knit ; )

Thanksgiving - not just one day

520.  Long walks
521.  Husband who walks the whole way with me
522.  Anticipation of reunion
523.  Hands to knit
524.  Early morning quiet
525.  Family
526.  A long-time, all the way back to high school friend
527.  The ease of picking up every time we are together
528.  An adventure for M and friends who make it possible
529.  Sliver of a moon two nights ago
530.  Thick fog - I know it's hard for driving, but so lovely hanging over the fields
531.  Bright sun with soft fuzzy edges burning through the thick morning fog
532.  Good homemade bread
533.  Students who give lunch money to bring two special people together
534.  Growing baby girl and her amazing mom

535,  Surprise roses

536.  Babysitting son

537.  Finally meeting Catriona and the joy of getting to know, in person, a like-minded friend.

538.  A great class all about the brain, taught by Catriona

539.  Great students

540.  Learning by doing

541.  Church family fall bonfire fellowship

I so well remember a dear friend once posing this question...

"Thanksgiving, annual holiday or eternal lifestyle?"

Oh, that it would be more and more a lifestyle for me....

Stop, see, count...

510.  hot tea

511. bright, warm candle

512. basket with Bible

513. someone's crocheted beauty

514.  special swing

516. quiet chirping of woods' birds

517.  smells of fall
518. rain glistened oak leaves
519.  quiet

Lord God,
My mind raced this morning with 1000 things to be done,
and you quieted with the drip of rain,
the light of a candle,
the damp of morning and oak leaves,
with a moment to stop and see You in the littlest details,
the small gifts I might have rushed past.
And then, the whole day felt like a gift.
Thank you.

This time next week...

I'll be with...

these two college boys,

these two new parents,

and this sweet baby girl (woooohooooo!),

but not these two dear ones.  

They'll celebrate Thanksgiving together in Cairo.

We'll miss 'em!

Shhhhh.......

While much of the garden is doing this...
yellowing, dying back, and being buried under the leaves...

The microgreens and mesclun are popping up...

and the rose is still blooming!

Shhhhhh!  Don't tell them it's mid-November!

Sometimes things work out...

A few weeks ago, I mentioned bumps.  They happen.  Life is not always smooth sailing.  I am painfully aware of that at times.  We will always have trials.

Sometimes, though, things just work out.  The weather is good, the directions are correct, the tour is on time, there really is a parking place just across the street, and the train gets in on time.  Well, maybe the train doesn't always get there on time.  But maybe, even that was just fine because you had knitting and a good book.  Anyway, I am very thankful for how wonderful our trip to the northeast was a few weeks back.  Practically glitch-free, except for that last train ride that took two and a half hours instead of the scheduled thirty minutes.   But, I did get lots of knitting done!


I don't take it for granted that this is so.  I give thanks for....

472.  safe travels

473.  a sunrise to view as we drove north early in the morning

474.  helpful tour guide, admissions counselor, much learned

475.  correct directions, and yes, the parking place across the street

476.  enough time for a lunch of subs

477.  another helpful tour guide and seeing the promise and possibility for Matthew

478.  more correct directions, a stop for donuts, a memory of "how to get there" and a happy welcome

479.  John and Val, oh, we love them.  Such warmth, hospitality, fun, grace, laughter!

480.  early  morning walk and the ducks sound like they're laughing at me

481.  barking dog restrained - whew!

482.  another sunrise, this one over the water, while I walk on unfamiliar streets in Absecon

483.  more correct directions!!! and easy train connection into NY

484.  excitement stepping out into the hustle and bustle of the city

485.  finding our way, walking from Penn Station to Greenwich Village, such a fun time with the boys

486.  am I sounding repetitive - but I am thankful - more helpful admissions people, so much learned

487.  hot cider and scones in Union Square, watching the world go by

488.  happy rendezvous with Abbi..."we're over here...in front of the pumpkins!"

489.  a place to stay in the city, for free!  thanks to more Armstrong hospitality

490.  a fun dinner, a Chinatown excursion, sights and sounds, laughter and talk

491.  dessert treats, just grace and fun and getting to know one who is dear

492.  warm bed and listening to rain on the streets

493.  early Saturday walk, fresh bread, good coffee, the best company

494.  the wonders of Central Park's beauty in the middle of the city

495.  walking, walking, walking - some spits of rain, more laughter and good times with the boys

496.  singing umbrella salesman, juggler on a unicycle, avenue of trees, a black squirrel

497.  hearing the world as we walk the streets

498.  hot pizza on a rainy afternoon

499.  the refreshment of sitting, eating, talking

500.  the ease of navigating the city with the boys, really no glitches til...

501.  late train, but clean place to wait

502.  huge crowd, but we four stay together and get on the same train car

503.  long delay, but we have no deadline so we can relax

504.  angry traveler in another car, but those around us take it all in stride and find the humor in the situation

505.  late night driving with safe driving Andrew

506.  beds ready for us at Grammie's

507.  a quick visit on Sunday morning

508.  more safe driving, home again

509.  memories made

Training, Part 2

When you feel like your body has betrayed you, as I did when I first heard the RA diagnosis, you can feel somewhat powerless.  That's certainly how I felt at first.  I felt sad.  I cried whenever anyone asked me about it. I imagined years of pain, a succession of drugs, decreased physical abilities, and more. It was a discouraging time.

Thankfully, it didn't last long.  I started to read and talk to other people and realized that one of the very best things for people with RA is physical activity.  And then, for a little bit, I felt defiant.  I thought I'd start running again and just overcome the pain by sheer force of will.  It didn't work.  Running resulted in sore joints and painful feet.  I couldn't keep it up.  I knew my exercise would have to be walking.

And now a little background....

In Kenya, where I've lived, people walk.  In Cameroon, where I've lived, people walk.  One of my first impressions on arrival in both countries was of people walking.  Driving from the airport into Nairobi and years later, into Douala, I saw people walking everywhere.  Walking from the outskirts of the city to jobs in the city center; walking from a slum on the west side to the bus station 5 miles away; walking from home to the open air market.  People walk.

In Cameroon, we bought coffee from a man named Pa Shadrach.  If we needed coffee, we told our neighbor's cook, Joseph who would somehow get the word to Pa Shadrach.  Without fail, Pa Shadrach would show up on our porch very early the next morning, having walked for more than an hour to bring us our coffee.  Pa Shadrach was in his 80's and strong as an ox.  He walked everywhere.

In Cameroon, we often went to visit the families of our students who lived in neighboring villages. This meant, at times, walking for an hour and a half to reach their homes.  Once at our destination, we sat down to tea, coffee, or a soda quickly purchased from the little shop down the road.  We talked, met the family, were shown the coffee plants and beans drying, the orange trees and mangoes.  We sat some more.  Perhaps neighbors came to meet us.  Then, after a good long visit, we walked home.  Such visiting could take an entire day because we had to walk.

When I lived in a small college town in Massachusetts, I loved to see the family that walked together to and from school.  It was a walk of about a half mile for them and rain, shine, snow, or wind, the mom in this family would bundle up her children, wrap the baby in a warm blanket and tuck him in the stroller and walk to school with her children.  In the afternoon, she was always there at the school to meet the children when they came out.  They walked along home chatting about the events of the day, I imagine.  The walk to and fro was together time and must, I think, have been a sweet part of the day for that family.

Can you tell...I have thought a lot about walking.  I love walking.  Living where I do, I often mourn the reality of car dependent suburban living.  Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I had to walk to the store.  How would I think more carefully about my purchases if I could only buy what I could carry home?  How much would walking places slow me down and simplify the tasks of the day by limiting me to what I could do "on foot."

I think about things like walking to my sister's house, 35 miles away.  Someday I want to do that.

I think about walking across my state.  Someday I want to do that.

All of these thoughts have been rattling around for a long time.  Then I got the RA diagnosis.  Finally, about a month back, a simple invitation brought all of this into focus and launched me into this decision to train for a marathon....

Training, Part 1

In October, I began doing something I haven't done since college.  I started training.  Distance walking training.   I'm not just walking for exercise, anymore.  No, this is honest to goodness training with the goal of walking a marathon in early 2010.  

In college, I trained.  Granted, I was one of the slowest runners on the very first Davidson College women's cross country team, but I worked hard, encouraged by a star track and cross country runner who later became my husband.  It was with him, one lovely Sunday afternoon that I ran the 10 mile loop on country roads around Davidson.  That's still the longest distance I've ever run.

Anyway, through the years, I have always exercised.  Its sort of a "given" when you are married to a man that has run a bunch of marathons and who took our young children on "Iron Kid" hikes for fun!  Though never as hard-core or disciplined as Coty, I've stayed reasonably fit over the years by running, walking, working, out and swimming.

Back when I had access to the Williams College gym, I was one of about twelve regulars who showed up at the fitness center as soon as the door opened at 6:00 AM to log in miles on the Stairmaster, do a couple of circuits with the Nautilus machines, and then swim.  Come to think of it, that was pretty hard core.  It may have been what helped me maintain my sanity with six children in various stages of babyhood, toddlerhood, and beyond.  It was good for me to get out the door and exercise.  Probably made me a nicer person to live with.  I will always be thankful that Coty made sure I had time to do that.

So now, thirty years (since college), six pregnancies, many years of nursing babies, life on two continents, and a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis later, I am beginning again to really train for something.

Why, you ask?

Well, the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) diagnosis has something to do with it.  Back in the spring, when I was told I had an autoimmune illness that could permanently damage by body, an illness that was, in fact, my own body attacking its healthy cells, I felt pretty low.  I have never been one to take medicine and it took me three weeks before I could bring myself to go to the pharmacy and pick up my prescription.  I just did NOT want to take a drug long term.  I felt like I was being betrayed by my body. 

I did finally start taking the medicine, and after about a month and a half on the drug, I started feeling better.  Well, maybe this drug thing isn't so bad, after all, I thought. Wrong! My first liver function test after being on the drug for a couple of months was really wacko and my doctor told me to stop taking the drug immediately!  My body couldn't tolerate it.  Well, I didn't want to take it anyway.  I threw the rest of the pills away and headed off to China and India for the summer...free from meds, but not free from pain.

When I got back home, I went back to see my dear rheumatologist.  I'm not a person who likes to go to the doctor (do you detect a theme here?), but I do really like this rheumatologist.  We talk.  I ask questions.  She explains.  I ask more questions.  She listens patiently and explains some more. She thinks about what to do.  She treats me like a person with a brain. We come up with a plan together.  She wanted to put me on a stronger drug but I held out for something weaker.  We negotiated and I won.  I'm on the less "toxic" drug.

Now the thing is, I knew that I was not only going to take medicine.  I've done lots of reading and know that there are many things that help improve the outlook for folks with RA.  Exercise, diet, fish oil (isn't it good for everything??), herbal supplements.  So, I knew that I could hold out for a less toxic, invasive drug and come at this malady in lots of other ways.

And that's where the walking comes in...

Marmalade!

Now I know what I'll do with my Meyer Lemon. Thanks to this helpful article with a link to this recipe, I've decided.  I'm going to make a bit of marmalade. Not much, sadly, since I only have one lemon but I'm quite sure it will be worth the trouble. And now, after reading the helpful article, I have some ideas on how to increase my lemon production next year!

Poor Man's Cake

I've made the same cake twice in the last week - on Monday for company and last night to take to a friend's for lunch today.  Each time folks have loved it and asked for the recipe.  I want to give credit where it's due so for those of you who asked,  please head over A Sparrow's Home for Kathie's delicious recipe.

I altered the recipe only slightly, adding one egg and some dried cranberries to the batter and drizzling a lemon sauce on top while the cake was still warm.

I love this cake.  So quick to make with ingredients I always have on hand, it makes the whole house smell good and the boys happy!

Leaf investigation

For those of you who have asked, here is a link to the directions for investigating leaf stomata.  Very simple!

The Snead's Adoption Auction

 

Two very precious children are in a care center in Ethiopia awaiting adoption.

Two very special parents are eager to return to Ethiopia to bring these children to a loving home.

Two siblings await a new brother and sister.

The Lord said, in the book of James, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." 

Not all of us are called to adopt, but all of us can play a part in helping families who are opening their hearts and homes to these orphan children in distress.

I have had the privilege of knowing this very special couple, Matt and Michelle, for several years.  I visited them in China this past summer.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to share their story with you.

If you would like to know more about the Sneads and their journey, visit their adoption blog, Some More Sneads. 

And then, if you would like to help them bring Eden and Tobias home, visit their adoption auction here, where you will find a number of lovely gifts, many of which were donated by Chinese Christians whose hearts have been stirred to help Matt and Michelle.

A link to the adoption auction will stay in my sidebar as long as the auction continues.
Thank you, all!