Immersed in Gratitude....

 August 20, 2015-  One Year Later

One year ago today our son was in a terrible car accident, but, by the Grace of God, Colin's quick thinking and my colleagues' unconditional support, he survived to tell the tale.  I am overwhelmed by gratitude on this day.  I play that scene over in my mind again and again, and I know beyond any shadow of a doubt-  God is real.   

Just one year later, I can't help but think about all that has happened.  So many beautiful blessings that came from devastation.  God is good.

Everywhere I look today, I see abundance.  In the fields around our town, in the increasing number of my family members gathered around the table in the breaking of bread, God is faithful.

But every now and then, when I see darkness, I am afraid.  It's then that God is my strength. 

One year later,  I get to teach with an amazing family of talented professionals who serve faith-filled students, and their families, in a very complex world.  God is my shield.

God is alive and so is our precious son, Colin.  One year later... God is (still) love.

Room 115

Happy New Year!

Cincinnati, Ohio

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

     We arrived in Cincinnati (http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityofcincinnati/visitors/) just in time to snag some supper before the game, but I saw this imposing figure nearby... 

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (http://freedomcenter.org/).  We didn't make it to the Center this time, but we'll get there the next time we are in town!  Check out some of the work that they do (http://freedomcenter.org/get-involved/learn-and-engage)... and this was from their Facebook page...  

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

July 29 at 7:22pm · Edited ·  The eyes of the nation are on Cincinnati. Today the Hamilton County grand jury returned an indictment for murder in the tragic shooting death of Samuel DuBose during a routine traffic stop just over one week ago. During that time the DuBose family has called repeatedly for only nonviolent responses while seeking answers from the criminal justice system. That answer is now at hand and the family’s continued calls for nonviolent response to ensure that his peaceful way of life can be remembered purely should be respectfully honored. At the same time our community must continue to have open and transparent dialogue as we look deeper into our nation’s racial disparities and seek freedom and justice for all. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center stands ready to be a convener and provide a safe haven for these conversations. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the DuBose family during this difficult time. We echo their call for peace and join them in their belief that the judicial process will reflect integrity and yield a just outcome. ‪#‎SamDuBose‬ ‪#‎BlackLivesMatter‬

Reading...

"a barbaric yawp" yup

Lunenburg, Vermont

Watching a Summer Storm with My Cousins

     One of my happiest memories from the summer was watching a summer storm with my cousins.  My cousin Kathy shared this amazing Scott Thorp picture (scottthorpphoto.com)on her Facebook page and, although this wasn't exactly what it looked like as we looked out from my Cousin Harold and his wife Pat's barn, it's pretty close.

The Dump

...and The Recycling Center

 

Garbage is a monster

     For one small cabin, we generate a lot of trash in the summer.  I am so grateful that my handy dandy dump has one awesome recycling center close by!  Not only do people leave books and other valuable goodies there to be snatched up and used rather than to sit in a landfill, we recycle just about everything in North Concord, Vermont!  Now, when I say "we," I mean that the town has set up an effective system wherein I sort all of my recyclables, whatever can't composted or dumped:  plastics, paper, cardboard, aluminum and yes, wait for it...  glass!  It is such a glorious feeling.  

     One day during Lent this past year, my English students were writing in their journals about their Lenten devotions.  I shared that I had seen one woman's blog about how she was giving up plastic for Lent.  As we debated this idea back and forth about how her sacrifice could bring her closer (or not) to God, we brought up pictures on the computer of the various garbage islands/patches (http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/media/how-big-great-pacific-garbage-patch-science-vs-myth.html).  It is so powerful to see and learn about the devastation of our trail that we leave behind as we consume on a daily basis (http://thehigherlearning.com/2014/06/08/this-19-year-old-has-a-plan-to-clean-up-half-of-the-pacific-garbage-patch-in-10-years-video/). 

from thehigherlearning.com

     This sight was powerful enough for me too that I finally made the jump away from disposable water bottles and styrofoam coffee cups (How could we do this at church for fellowship hour?) whenever possible to the reusable or recyclable ones.  The ECHO aquarium in Burlington, Vermont (http://echovermont.org/) took their conservation efforts to the next level by educating the future generation (with a dash of fear perhaps) about the monster we are creating with our mounds of garbage.  For those of us who live on the water, the aquarium's monster that they made out of water bottles was a visual reminder of the essential work that we all have to do.  Go to http://rozaliaproject.org/ for more information about what you can do to save the oceans.

    

In ancestry.com...

"What are you looking for?"

          As I listened to Derrick's sermon about John 6:25 - 35 on Sunday, after we had driven cross country from Vermont and arrived back in Nebraska, I was struck by the question that Jesus asked his disciples in John's Gospel, "What are you looking for?"  Yes, I am absolutely always looking for the Bread of Life, but immediately, I began to think about genealogy and my obsession with ancestry.com.  

     In the summer while I am home in Vermont loving and serving my mom, I spend a lot of time trying to fill in the blanks in my genealogy puzzle.  I track down cousins and their missing dates while stalking around in cemeteries trying to connect the leaves in our family tree.  Sunday's sermon reminded me to ask myself, "what are you looking for?" in all of that data.  I guess my answer remains the same... I am looking for the Bread of Life;  I am looking for communion.communio or community with others.  My family tree boasts some diversity... we don't all look the same or worship alike, but there is this life-giving force that wells up within me when I am with my family-  past, present and future.  And the irony is... we're all really one family, aren't we?  So, for me, this adventure is really about forging connections and hearing the stories.  Those stories inspire me to run the race that has been set before me.  If I get off track, my family and my Lord, much like Lola our GPS...call me back with Light and Love onto the right path... "Recalculating..."

Cousins are family...

We are all searching for something...

from the beginning...

Another genealogy junkie... I learn so much from Henrietta each summer!

And our family continues to grow!  Welcome, Bridget!

Friends are family...

Godchildren are family