(Guns N' Roses) Sweet Child O'Mine - Sungha Jung

A really awesome, mellow version of a 'guilty pleasure' song. This guy can really play the guitar! He's been posting on YouTube since he was pretty young, but his talent is definitely maturing. If you like this acoustic sound, I definitely recommend checking out his other work. Just thought I'd share... hope you enjoy it!

We're keeping our head above water... and having a pool party!

As most of you know a couple of weeks ago our family received sad news. Dad went into the emergency room because he was unable to swallow. Within 24 hours he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Cancer of the esophagus has metastasized to areas throughout his abdomen, and his condition is terminal. It has been quite a blow, one we are still dealing with day to day. Dad is doing good and actually is feeling pretty good. He has a feeding tube now, and is enjoying having more energy now that we are getting some food into him. Still trying to figure our how to stuff that steak into that little tube... but we'll figure it out! Haha! We have yet to meet with the oncologist... but there are several different treatments we are looking into. But I wanted to share this because of the good that has come from our situation.

Every day our family feels Jehovah lovingly grasping hold of our right hand and carrying us through this. While Dad has his times when he is down, he has a great attitude and tremendous courage. He says that at the front of his mind is to use every ounce of strength for Jehovah. His goal is not to let his health issues consume him to the point that every day is focused on that instead of his theocratic service. He doesn’t want to waste the time he has left, but wants to give it to Jehovah. This isn’t surprising to me, just fits the pattern of his life. He has enjoyed many fine privileges over the years… convention speaker, Hospital Liaison Committee, Regional Building Committee, and Bethel service to name a few. One of my favorite things he always says, “There are no ‘titles’ in Jehovah’s organization… only job descriptions. When you receive a new job description it only means more work and serving more people.” He has many skills, but his greatest quality is humility.

We have had many opportunities to witness to the hospital staff. One young intern had a lot of questions concerning the issue of blood transfusions. He wanted to know our scriptural reason for our stand. Dad was able to clear up a lot of confusion. After several different discussions, he said that our stand made sense to him. He developed a good rapport with my dad, and said that he was his favorite patient to visit, that Dad always cheered him up. He gave us his address so we could send him the video prepared especially for doctors concerning the blood issue, as well as more information about our beliefs.

Another experience was with one of Dad’s regular nurses. When she knew we were going home she came in to say goodbye. She said, “I just can’t believe how you all have handled this news. I have never seen a family deal with this with so much calm, love and patience. There is so much love in your family and you get along so well. Sometimes I see you all just give each other ‘a look’ and you know exactly what the other means. It seems like most families that are here just fight with each other the whole time. And your support group (the friends from the congregation) is amazing. So many people go through this virtually alone. But your church really takes care you!” Dad was able give Jehovah the credit and to share several scriptures with her including the fact that in the last days love is what would identify true Christians.

I have to share just one more experience. While Dad was still at the hospital were all at a pretty low point... Dad especially. So Mom said, "Maybe now would be a good time to talk to Jehovah?". So Dad said a heartfelt prayer and begged Jehovah to give us the strength to get through this... to keep a good attitude. He pleaded with Jehovah that whatever he could do to help us we would be so thankful for. Not five minutes later there, peeking through the door's window were a bunch of smiling faces! The whole Wilson family and Lindsey Myers... with cake! They had originally planned on bringing us dinner when we thought we were going home that night. When those plans changed, those dear people thought, "Why not? Let's take dessert to the hospital!" Their company and laughter was just what we needed. We are convinced that Jehovah moved their heart to be there that night. After their visit, we felt so well cared for by Jehovah, and were ready to face another day!

There have been so many more experiences, ones I know you all will enjoy, especially of the loving care from the congregation. I will share these with you soon! We are all in good spirits, just taking one day at a time... and cherishing one day at a time. Our home is a haven of peace and laughter as it always has been. No Gloomy Gusses here! I thank all of you, who knew of our situation already, for your kind words and prayers. Those prayers have power! Every day I pray for a calm heart and joy. Joy, I know, is not dependent on our circumstances, but is a gift from Jehovah, a fruitage of his spirit. And every day that is what I receive. I have never felt Jehovah’s loving care so personally, and am amazed at the calm and peace I feel. I know it’s only due to Jehovah’s strength. So, thank you Jehovah, my God and Friend.

Just a little somethin...

I've told a few of you about Pomplamoose on You Tube. Here's a little something from them I like. Maybe it will help you 'chill' on your Monday. Enjoy!

Perfectly, Imperfect

I know we all long for the day when Jehovah will allow us to be perfect. But I dearly hope some things remain imperfect... or I should say, perfect in a relative sense. What started this quirky thought swirling around in my little brains? A decorating show. Here's the connection:

I was watching an interior decorating show on TV the other day, a favorite designer. What I always liked about watching her is that she is original, creative and doesn't take herself too seriously. But what I saw on the screen was a totally different person. She has begun her new season as an amped up, botox deadened, ultra buff, skinny with-in an inch of her life... power woman. Gone are her quacky facial expressions... the botox deadened that. And I dare any knuckle dragging Mr. Universe type to rival the veins bulging in her over-developed neck. But this isn't what I'm writing about. Meh, she's nothing in my world... what do I care?

But it somehow triggered an appreciation for the perfectly imperfect. Go to any mega-mall and you will see a sea of botox, implants, collagen, brand names and bleached hair. Is that beauty? Is that coming close to 'perfection'? The masses say so. There are no wrinkles, lots of big lips, zero percent body fat and wardrobes the price of which could feed the starving children of a small country. All I can think of though, is the stark contrast of that to one of our theocratic events. I love to sit and just 'people watch' at Assemblies and Conventions. It's amazing how total strangers can be so beautiful. Are there laugh lines, crows feet, simple clothes and a few extra pounds? You betchya! But that's the beautiful part! There is so much beauty in humility. And the more ego driven the world becomes, the more that humility becomes positively breathtaking.

There is so much more to life than aesthetics, right? Actually there is almost everything to life outside of aesthetics! What makes our brothers and sisters so beautiful? Love... joy... peace... long-suffering... kindness.. well you get the idea. Take my sister-in-law for example (aka bestest friend). She has always been

a pretty girl. A 'whole package' girl. You know the kind... tall, blond, blue eyed, blah, blah, blah. And she is always wonderfully humble about it. Now, she probably hasn't been feeling like her typical self lately. iLey keeps her hoppin' these days, and she probably hasn't spent too much quality time with her makeup bag. But when I see her with iLey.... I see all those qualities I just mentioned. Love... joy... peace... long-suffering... kindness. She is everything good she ever has been... a hundred-fold. She may be a bit sleep-deprived these days... but I have never seen her more beautiful.

And that has me thinking... is that a glimpse of how Jehovah sees us? Beauty measured by qualities. By humility. Is that what true perfection will mean for us? Not that we just change outwardly and reach some pinnacle of 'buff-ness'. But that we see ourselves and the world around us with new eyes? Peel away the rotten filter Satan has us seeing things through and know things as they really are? Can we learn to see it now? The most important mirror is Jehovah's word, and we can be beautiful the more we remember our reflection in it. But, perhaps the next time we look in the real mirror, we can embrace the wrinkles and blemishes. They are the laugh-lines of life, the perfectly imperfect... and they are beautiful!

You've Got Mail

This little ditty is dedicated to Valerie. A friend and sister who I know isn't feeling well and has a long road ahead of her. She has been on my mind a great deal, and all the gifts her friendship gives me. One gift in particular has been swirling around my mind the past few days... the gift of a letter. Not an email. Not a text. A really true, honest to goodness, handwritten, handcrafted letter... on paper. I'll never forget the first one I got from her. I remember being taken by surprise. "Why is she giving me this letter? She could email me. Plus, I see her almost every day in field service?" But at the same time, the giddy little girl voice in my head was saying, "Oh goodie, I have mail!". She reminded me of the joy of letter writing.

In this fast paced, techno mad world, the art of a hand-crafted letter is getting lost. Now, it might seem a little bizarre, that I am writing this in an online blog. I'm a hypocrite, I'll admit it. I haven't written a letter in quite a while. But as I was unpacking I came across my box of special letters. It brought back a flood of memories and a smile to my face. What email or text could ever do that? So, I have begun a crusade to write letters to people I care about. But I'm making a discovery. So lost is this art becoming, that when I Googled 'letter writing' (I know, another act of irony) that mostly what came up are are little social groups dedicated to keeping the art alive. (You know something is getting lost when artsy-fartsy coffee house people start support groups for it.) And try shopping for the paper to write on! All I have found are soulless, tacky 8 1/2 x 11 printer sheets with balloons or birthday cake. Oh, I did find one set, but it only came with 40 sheets, small potatoes in letter-writing world, for $20! That's 50 cents per sheet! (I know, I used my calculator... and my toes).

The way I see it (well you knew this was coming) writing a letter to someone is giving a little tiny bit of yourself. In this time when we feel so disconnected that we constantly try to be connected (electronically), imagine holding a letter in your hands. To be holding and object your loved one held. To read from writing from their own hand. Writing that sometimes is as much a part of their personality as their voice or their smile. The effort itself is an act of love. No 'delete' button. No 'spell-check'. You have to really think to write. And yet, your friend could be thousands of miles away and here's this little part of them in your hands. And if a letter is a gift, then a letter from Val is a treasure. She not only hunts down stationary (her eyes positively glaze over in a stationary store) but she finishes it with a wax seal... an art in itself, full of symbolism and history.

So will you join me? I'm not against emails and texts. It has made the world smaller, in a good way. And for some, who are very far away, it is the only way to stay connected. But the next time you are missing someone you care about, why not write to them? Put the phone away, turn off the laptop and slooowww down. Put pen to paper and give them a gift. Who knows? Maybe you'll get mail too!

Brilliant

My life is the Sun.
Always the warmth behind me,
always the light around me.
It warmed me in the cold day.

I close my eyes,
I lose my way.
I don’t know this path I’m on.
The Sun is still shining, waiting.

I turn toward the Sun.
It now warms my face.
The rays dance across a chill
I didn’t know I had.

Boldly, full of fear and joy,
I take a step forward.
I had to turn my head around.
I had to chose a new direction.

The same Sun. The same warmth.
But I am different.
The future is brilliant.
I will learn to soak it in.

NASA... we have a problem.

Soo... I have good news and bad news. First with the good news. I finished the long awaited video of Iley and family!! Took me six hours, and its now 2am, but I finished it! Now the bad news... I lost it all. Yep. Turns out I pulled the footage from the wrong source file c drive //>> or some gobbledy-guk like that. So now, its 2am, I'm tired, cranky, my head hurts and I'm hungry (after all its almost breakfast time). Of course that could have something to do with my new way of eating. I call it the "Devil Wears Prada Diet". You know the one... eat nothing and when you feel like you are about to faint, eat a cube of cheese. Nah, I'm just kidding. That's not healthy.... I replace the cube of cheese with a broccoli florette. Anywho... I promise the new stuff will be up soon. Hopefully tomorrow. Oh wait, meeting night. Well you'll get it when you get it. Told you I was cranky. I'm going to sleep now.... Or maybe Dairy Queen. Are they open 24 hours?**

**footnote: True story... up above next to where I typed "c drive" I had a lot more symbols in a delirious attempt to be humorous. Some how I ended up blocking the rest of the paragraph from being published. Whole thing ended right there. I am doomed tonight. That's it. I'm not even going to use a night-lite. I'll just light a candle if I need to use the restroom tonight.