VACATION!!!

Such an incredible trip we're on. Oh how we are so blessed with amazing friends and family. We Love you all so much and feel so loved by you. And we still have an amazing week at camp Oshkidee coming up!  This is the most amazing, blessing-filled trip!!!! (WAY surpassed my expectations and these pictures are just a teaser of all the goodness!)

My daily bread for today

Psalm 138

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
    you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
    with your right hand you save me.
8 The Lord will vindicate me;
    your love, Lord, endures forever—

When I read this I got an image of God wrapping His right arm around me while holding His left hand out as a shield to protect me. Powerful. And a much needed reminder.

The Other Side of Brave

I want to leave you with an explanation and update before I go into a bit of a blogging silence. 

The explanation:

It takes me hours to write a blog post.  I am a perfectionist at heart and it is hard for me to publish anything on my blog without first combing over and over it; therefore, blogging is not a quick event, even when I try to be less thorough in an attempt to simply get my thoughts out there.  I do love blogging and it is therapeutic; but it takes a lot of quiet time (which is a hot commodity for me).

Actually talking with people is also therapeutic….AND relationship building.  In attempts to build into relationships and actually TALK to people (how scarce that is in our world today) I am going to prioritize such talking encounters over blogging.  If you want to know how I’m doing feel free to call me (or message me for my phone number) 

Furthermore, I started writing a novel shortly after we moved to Chilliwack (about 8 years ago).  It has sat 75% complete for about 7 years.  I want to focus efforts to complete this novel.  

Finally, its summer.  We are heading on a 3 week vacation shortly.  And to fit in the active fun I want to enjoy, I need to ensure I also rest properly.

Update:

I titled this post “The other face of brave” in order to convey a holistic sense of what my life looks like.  The last couple weeks I’ve been back in a daily struggle to stay optimistic, to stay positive, to keep my head up, to believe that I can keep living day in day out.  Our days are challenging.  Let’s get real: our days feel like a battle traipsing chest-deep in thick mud holding our kids in our arms above us to keep as much muck as possible off of them.  We are burned out and putsing on fumes.  I looked back at where we’ve come from and I don’t even know how we got through that.  It was hard on so many fronts at the same time and I think now that I have time and capacity to process what we’ve been through and that we have to keep going through this – I am exhausted. 

The only way I keep going is citing scripture.  I role over in bed in the morning to see on my wall “This is the day that the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” And I pray to God that I need Him so I can rejoice in the gifts around me.  I cite “Be strong and courageous for the Lord is with you wherever you go,” And I courageously get out of bed because I know God will help me through the day.  I depend on daily bread.  Because I

have no reserves of bread for the week, I need daily sustenance to keep pressing on through the mud.

And I call out to you giving voice to the other side of brave, because it is often left unheard.  It is a HUGE part of our stories and it is left unvoiced.  And I acknowledge many of you too have your own daily struggles to be brave.  In speaking these words I hope to champion giving VOICE to our stories – ALL parts of our stories.  Our stories are empowering.  We need to share them.  We cannot journey by ourselves through these wildernesses, through the other side of brave.  It is ugly.  It is messy.  It is impossible!  God is with us and yet we need to be God’s hands and feet and voice to one another!  So join me here on the other side of brave  ---- it takes a new kind of courage, but God promises to be with us wherever we go.           

On a practical note:

Please pray:

God hears our prayers!!! Please pray for me and my family, desperately I need your prayers!:

-       Pray for healing for Cheryl, for the cancer to be fully destroyed.

-       Pray my vision would clarify and my headaches (mild) disappear as I try to focus on good sleep and stretching– I’m pretty sure they are fatigue and muscular related, but these sorts of symptoms are unnerving

-       Pray praise that I have only 1 more round of chemo starting Thursday

-       Pray for wisdom in managing/allocating the energy I have

-       Pray for energy for the continued demands of our family.

-       Pray for seeing and seizing opportunities to bless others as we press on in our journey

-       Pray for safety traveling this summer and for a blessed time visit with friends and family

From our family to yours: We love you and thank you for joining us!