Mission Possible- IL, NYC and the Garden State

Mission Possible

This summer was already shaping up to be different than the rest, and now it was about to get really interesting. With Colin in Omaha and Ian in Chicago, I would be journeying to the east coast on my own. Well, almost on my own. When I arrived in New York, I would be picking up my cousin Asa and his family. After all of these years of Colin and Ian's (and Matt's) wonderful co-pilot skills, I was ready. Or so I thought. “This would be great,” I assured myself. I had three books on tape to keep me company: Water for Elephants, Three Cups of Tea and a Mary Higgins Clarke Mystery. "What more could I need?" Perhaps, "Dunkin' Donuts," you say. Well, as always, my first stop along my journey was Kildeer, IL. Niece Kendall, nephew Tyler, sister-in-law Tracey and brother-in-law Brad helped me to fuel up on my Dunkin' Donuts, and with a chance to see Tyler hit 'em out of the ball park during his Little League game, along with a beautiful night of sleep, I set out for New Jersey the next morning- Wednesday, June 8.

My Mission (fade in Mission Impossible theme song) that I had already chosen to accept was to pick up my Australia cousins in Harlem at the amazingly wonderful, Aloft Hotel (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3353). But how?

The beauty of the proposed plan for Thursday, June 9th was that I would arrive in New Jersey, set up accommodations for the cousins, jump on the SeaStreak Ferry (www.seastreak.com) to Manhattan, hire a cab to Harlem, meet them at their hotel, take a car with all of us to the Ferry and end up back in New Jersey. Piece of cake, right? Wrong. Learning experience? You betcha!

The easy part was taking the Ferry from New Jersey to Manhattan. It was a beautiful ride. I would go so far as to say that there was not a cloud in the sky... yet! When we arrived in New York, all of the those hearty Yankee fans blew off the boat and into the awaiting cabs. By the time I made my way to the last, solitary, remaining cab, I flew (albeit clumsily) to the open passenger side window of the last yellow cab, hunched down and with my best Dickensian accent straight from Oliver Twist, begged, "Please, kind sir, could you drive me to the Aloft Hotel in Harlem?"

"No, I can't go all the way up there," he replied with a thick accent of his own.

"Please, sir, I'm ... from Nebraska!" Due to powers (Go, Big Red!) even he couldn't explain later, he seemed to surrender immediately, and he resigned himself to help me out- body and soul.

"Get in," he barked, and before I had closed the door, he was off. I did not take his picture for the blog because I knew he was mad that he had taken pity on me. If I had taken a picture, he might have looked like this (see above). This was no "Cash Cab" party van that I found myself in, but 30 minutes later, he pulled up in front of the Aloft Hotel. I paid the bill, and after thanking him profusely and asking him if he wanted to be friends on Facebook, I walked inside dejected.

I didn't see any of the cousins, but it was only 5:30 PM, and I told them that there was little chance of me being there much before 5:45 PM. I paced around the lobby after verifying that the car would be ready at 6:00 PM to take us all back to the Ferry. 5:45 PM and 5:50 PM came and went. " They are not coming," I lamented. "I think that I had a dream like this once. Okay... maybe twice, but I don't think either time I was stood up in Harlem." I'm just saying.

And then, just when I was almost without hope, just when the 4 in 5:54 flipped over in the clock to become 5:55 PM, I saw them. In a mad rush of bodies and strollers and backpacks and babies and shopping bags, I saw them. They were rushing in the front door and the revolving door at the same time, and, in my eagerness to get to them, I may have actually passed them a couple of times in the next section of the revolving door before I could make it stop at them. But it was them. After 45 and 3/4 years of waiting... no... longing... no.... yearning to meet my cousin Asa, he and his beautiful family were standing in front of me. Suddenly all the anxiety I felt just disappeared. In a torrent of excitement and an almost Red-Bull like induced adrenalin rush, we grabbed their luggage, shared stories about our days and tumbled into the awaiting car. And then as author Jean Shepard so eloquently has Ralphie Parker say in The Christmas Story , "...life is like that. Sometimes, at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at its zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters descend upon us." In our exuberance, we had hardly noticed the dark cloud that had descended upon Harlem that afternoon until it broke all over us. No sooner were we in the car, when buckets of rain began to pummel the us from every direction.

Despite the weather conditions, our driver, can I call him ...Ted (?) focused his attention on what was now, rush hour traffic. Not only was it bumper to bumper rush-hour, but apparently the Black-Eyed Peas had decided to give a free concert in Central Park to benefit the Robin Hood Foundation (http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/Black-Eyed-Peas-Free-Concert-Central-Park-20110609-APX) and then to cancel it, to the dismay of thousands of fans who had been waiting for hours, just as we were trying to make our way to the Ferry. Add in a little monsoon-like rain, wind and yes, hail I thought I had left behind in Nebraska and the excitement was just beginning. Driving through New York City is always an adventure, but on this fateful night, it was surreal. It was like the weather was mimicking my emotions, but here we were huddled within the shelter of the car headed for ...a boat. A boat? Seriously? (Cue in music from Gilligan's Island..."The weather started getting rough, The tiny ship was tossed. If not for the courage of the fearless crew, the Minnow would be lost. The Minnow would be lost"). As Ted zigzagged in and out of lines of traffic and beeping horns, the children clung to each other in fear. I think I may have even heard Pascal whisper, "Why is cousin Pam trying to kill us, Mommy? Do we have to go with her?" I could have misheard that last part. He might have said, "Do we have to row with her?" Everyone who knows me knows that I have a hard time hearing.... anywho!

We arrived at the ferry port, but there was no ferry. I looked pleadingly at Ted, but he wouldn't return my gaze. Clairvoyantly, we knew what each other was thinking, and neither one of us was going to be happy. He was going to drop us off even though the ferry wasn't there and, based on the weather, it might never be coming. They say that in a crisis situation, people can bond in powerful way. I have heard people say something like that anyway. So we pulled up; for a minute, I thought, "Hey, maybe he'll just wait here with us for a couple of minutes until the Ferry arrives." Then the minute was up; Ted bounded out of the car and began pulling the Letourneau family's luggage from the back of the car and setting them under the overhang from the highway which ran above our heads. The only problem was... you know how on those highways that look like they are suspended in air and how they have those drains that prevent the water from getting backed up. Ya, well that there drain was right above our heads. So when Ted squealed away, we thought it was still a downpour, but once we moved away from the drain above our heads, it actually stopped raining for a little while.

It stopped long enough for the ferry to come and for us all to get on board. We plopped down in the closest booth seats and took a long hard look at each other before breaking out into laughter. Whew! We were breathlessly drenched, yet invigorated as we spent the next hour in the safety and comfort of the SeaStreak Ferry's bosom getting to know each other. It seemed like we had endured the rages of hell, forged a steely bond that would only get stronger over the next twelve days we would be spending together, when (and this last part could have been a dream after watching Field of Dreams) we arrived on that distant shore. I seem to remember little Sweeney turning to look at me with his serious face and saying, "Cousin Pam, is this Heaven?" to which I responded, "No, Sweeney, it's New Jersey."

And so it began...

Relay for Life- Laurel, Nebraska

Happy Birthday, Sharon!

I didn't know much about the Relay for Life (http://www.relayforlife.org/relay/) until this year, and, in hindsight, I don't know how that is possible. Cancer has always been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. So many beautiful people in my life have been affected by it; therefore, it has affected me. When my sister-in-law Sharon was diagnosed with stage IV lymphoma, enough was enough. Derrick wanted there to be a Relay for Life team for the church, and boy, was there an enthusiastic response! We had survivors in our own congregation who wanted to lead the team’s efforts to raise money for cancer research and help to bring about more birthdays. Each team member had someone they were walking to honor. The Luther Leaguers were psyched to be contributing members. When a classmate was diagnosed with Cancer in the spring, this hit even closer to home for all of them. In the end, we raised nearly $2,000.00 for the cause; I think all of us learned so much.

We heard many stories about heroic people, and I couldn’t hold back the tears when the survivors took a victory lap around the track, followed by the caregivers and then all of the participants. So many people were involved in this effort. Our church team earned money throughout the year from Lenten church suppers, the Easter Sonrise breakfast, selling luminaries and other donations. Our Boy Scout Troop 208 and the Laurel Cub Scouts had a big part to play in the Relay for Life. The Scouts, under the direction of the Relay for Life Leaders, helped to set up all of the luminaries that honor cancer survivors and victims and then participated in the flag ceremony during the opening ceremonies. The Leaders of the Relay for Life, not only organized this tremendous event, but they ran all of the various activities throughout the night. In addition to walking, there were games like Minute to Win It challenges and talent show competitions (congratulations, Hannah), plus there was a nonstop kickball game, church services and lots of delicious food prepared by more volunteers and many sponsors. This was a life changing event for me.

My sister-in-law Sharon is winning her battle; she is one of the strongest people I have ever known. As if overcoming stage IV lymphoma is not enough, she has started training for the Danskin Corp triathlon to end cancer. She says she was inspired by our Relay for Life team. We have much to be thankful for, and come November, we have a very special birthday to celebrate! Happy Birthday, Sharon.

Summer 2011- Minneapolis, Minnesota

Back in the Swing of Blogging

Once again, the 4^th of July is the magical date that witnesses me opening my blog page for the summer. During the first half of the summer, it seems my access to the internet is always limited, and sometimes I wonder if that is by divine plan. This morning as I completed my daily readings from the Word Among Us, I reflected on how we all need to unplug from things every now and then. For the first part of this summer, as I (and many of our family and friends) welcomed my family from Australia, I was able to do just that, unplug from the world in order to connect with my cousin Asa and his family. Now, I feel ready to re-engage to love more and serve better! I hope that this Summer’s virtual field trip may offer you some of the same!

The first adventure this summer, as soon as my classroom was cleaned out that is, was to hit the road for Minnesota. We had two major segments to our Minnesota visit. The first part of the visit was a return to The Mayo Clinic to update Ian’s MRIs on his knees, see Dr. Stans (Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon) for the final time and transition to Dr. Stuart (Adult Orthopedic Surgeon). The second part of our visit was Derrick’s graduation from Luther Seminary with his Doctorate. After spending the morning getting his knees photographed from every angle possible, Ian was ready to hear some good news. The good news was and is that the surgeons continue to say no symptoms, no surgery. Although Ian's deficient meniscus leaves his knees in a bone on bone situation, he does not experience any pain, popping, locking or swelling. The bad news is that the knee situation is still dire, but with an interesting twist. When Dr. Stans was showing us the MRIs that had been taken earlier in the day, he showed us where Ian’s knees have attempted to heal themselves, in a way. If I understood Dr. Stans correctly, scar tissue has developed in the place where the meniscus is deficient and is serving as a buffer in those places. Wow! Immediately, I was struck by the fact that so much about life can be like this, can’t it? I think that all of us were breathing a little easier after we walked out of the Mayo Clinic that day.

Speaking of buffers, as part of his graduation present, we had ordered some Twins (http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=min) tickets for Derrick. Now, some of you reading this may remember what happened the last time I tried to take Derrick to a Twins baseball game… that’s right the bridge collapsed (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20079534/ns/us_news-life/t/thought-dead-minneapolis-bridge-collapses/). Tragically, several people lost their lives and the Twin Cities were paralyzed by the devastation. We were paralyzed by the enormity of what could have happened as we counted our blessings. That was back in 2007 and now it was 2011 already. It was a beautiful night for a baseball game, and even as I was preparing for the arrival of my Australian cousins that next week, I was struck by this American pastime I truly adore. I felt like we were the Twins’ lucky charms that night. They had been on a losing streak, but it was broken that night in overtime. Another ironic twist about attending the Twins game was the fact that not only was my cousin Asa a twin, our fathers were twin brothers as well. I was surrounded by Twin imagery too, but what did it mean?

Before we knew it, Sunday was here and it was time for graduation at Central Lutheran church (http://www.centralmpls.org/our-church/history.php) in Minneapolis. That morning, before anyone was awake, Derrick and I got up and walked around the City. More signs abounded. As we turned a corner, I was amazed to see that we were standing in front of St. Thomas (http://www.stthomas.edu/). Wow! I knew that all of my beloved Cedar students who went on to study at St. Thomas were already immersed in their Totus Tuus (http://www.totustuus.com/) training for the summer and wouldn’t be around, but I was happy to see the buildings where they spend so much of their time and attention. The contrasts between our lives at Cedar in Hartington and the lives they must be living here now shocked me. This was THE inner city. I saw signs of this each time I turned around, even at the Church. Truly they have been called here to learn and serve. As had we, when we left Gettysburg, and I wondered what other components to my mission might lie just around the corner.

Although the day was a little rainy, the afternoon of graduation the weather began to clear as we made our way from the hotel, across four (or was it six) lanes of traffic. Derrick was surprised to see that, in addition to his Mom and Dad who flew in for the occasion, our friends the Patents and the Sellons came up all the way from Randolph in honor of this special day. The Luther Seminary (http://www.luthersem.edu/) graduation was filled with pomp and circumstance as music resonated throughout this breathtaking venue. In the booming voices of the speakers, in the hallowed music from the organ and the voices and in the joy which beamed on every face, the Holy Spirit permeated every moment. Dr. Koester challenged each person in the audience to bravely serve out his calling even when we question our own abilities to do so. Our trip to Minnesota reinforced our family mission that we officially embarked upon on in 2002, but with Faith we continue to move forward... Although we never could have imagined being where we are, we believe that we are where we are supposed to be!

Modern Medicine and Miracles

Modern Medicine and Miracles- We made our way to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to meet with some Orthopaedic Surgeons about Ian's knees. We were on pins and needles, but no sooner had we passed into Minnesota than a beautiful rainbow greeted us and gave us hope. We believe in miracles, and we have been waiting to claim one for quite some time.

By the end of the visit, Ian said that he believes that we received the second best prognosis he could have hoped for. The team were amazed that Ian's knees were so "rock solid" on the outside given what is happening on the inside. (They did a lot of head shaking with amazed looks on their faces.) They were further amazed that Ian denies feeling any pain, popping or locking. There is no swelling whatsoever. His knee alignment is perfect. They did not believe it. We do ....because we know that we serve an amazing God.

They complimented the previous care provide by our beloved Dr. Moran, but the MRIs and xrays haven't changed. Missing meniscus, wearing bone and other issues... they are all things that still need to be addressed. With that being said, they said that when Ian develops any pain, trauma or swelling, we need to return to Mayo immediately. Until then, we pray and they monitor. They said that even the meniscal transplants are not going to be a long term solution for Ian, but that we need to keep him moving forward.

God is good. It is humbling how sitting in a hospital waiting room for three hours can help to take my mind off my own problems. As we sat in the inspiring Pediatric orthopedic waiting room, we saw so many sick or injured children. They were the brave ones, with their brilliant smiles on their faces. It reminded me how much need there is in the world. Sometimes, I get so caught up in my own little world that I lose sight of the bigger picture. Thank God there are so many visionaries who fund incredible institutions like the Mayo Clinic. The waiting room was more like walking through a zoo or museum than a hospital waiting room. There were interactive exhibits at every turn and then... a visit from our angel.

There was a gentleman, a hospital volunteer walking around the waiting room giving away free books to the children. Even though Ian was like a giant in the waiting room, the book man came over to us anyway. After visiting with us awhile, he turned to walk away and return to the small children who were always coming and going. He looked at us and said, "I hope you find what you came here looking for." Wow... what a powerful prayer to us all. It was almost like he knew, we came looking for a miracle. Now, I am sure he didn't just disappear at this point. I mean, honestly, I got distracted by Toy Story. My attention was drawn away when Buzz was kidnapped by Syd, but when I went to locate the bookman again, he was no where to be seen.

Thank you for all of your prayers.