He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

 Easter. 

 

Resurrection Sunday.

 

Jesus died for our sins to reconcile us to God.

 

And rose again so we can have eternal life with God.

 

Thanking the Lord today for His amazing sacrifice.

 

Praying for a blessed Easter weekend for you and your family.

 

Off to a Good Start

There doesn't seem to be a lot happening around here right now. That's what I was feeling when I sat down to write this. But then I got to thinking about it...

Sharaya's roommate recently got married and moved out of the house they had rented. Then the owner decided to sell it. I don't know how it is where you live but here in the Seattle area rents are expensive! They're so high that renting a one-bedroom apartment costs more than the mortgage payment on our house! So Sharaya and Ally moved in here so she can continue to save up for a house. Sharaya and I were watching TV last night and it just felt so good having them here. You guys know, your kids grow up, move out and start their own lives (as it should be, that's what you hope for!) but it's hard! You miss them and wonder about them - a lot - and so I'm glad they're here for a while. They made us pancakes for dinner the other night. And, I'm a cat person so I've loved having Moxie and Maya around. 

 

Chuck developed a new spot on the top of his head (I never noticed it actually) and at his appointment with the dermatologist last week he decided to do a biopsy on it. They said it was precancerous. But it's been removed and all is well. (I'm having a hard time being convinced.) This means his body is still making cancer, right? Deep breath. I've been told that once you have cancer it never really goes away. There's always a possibility it can come back, so I just have to trust that the Lord will take care of him. For today though, this was caught and removed. I am thankful for that!

In fact, Chuck is in Denver this weekend helping his sister. She's the one who had the stroke 20+ years ago and is paralyzed on her right side so he's gone to help change light bulbs, clean out a bedroom, and sort through part of the garage. He said they spent the first day just talking. His siblings have never been very close so I'm glad they're getting to spend some time together.  

Diana and Peter got a puppy! Her name is Poppy and she's a Great Pyrenees / German Shepherd / Bernese mix. She's SO cute! Can't wait to meet her!

So, I guess there was more than I thought. The good news is I've been at peace about so many things that I don't feel stressed. The Lord has been impressing upon me lately that He is my Rock. My sure and solid foundation in this ever-changing, crazy world. And that's made all the difference.

I pray you are well and that 2022 is off to a good start for you! 

Six Month Scan

It's been 6 months since Chuck's last scan, when he was declared cancer free. He feels great and all the side effects from the immunotherapy have disappeared.

He'll be getting these scans every six months for a while so we headed downtown early this morning.

 

We had a few hours between the scan and when we would get the results so he made a different appointment for work since we were already down there. We did a lot of sitting! But we got back to Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and met with his doctor. Bottom line... 

He's still cancer free!!!! 

All of his organs look good, his blood counts are all normal... what a huge relief! The Lord has been so good to us!

Aaaand Now the Ending

(I thought I posted this a couple weeks ago!)

Just a few more pics of our time in San Diego.

 We took one day and drove all over town. We saw where my grandparents are buried; I showed Chuck where my dad is interred; We saw the Unconditional Surrender statue that's right by the USS Midway (it's an aircraft carrier and that statue is 25 feet tall!) drove through my old neighborhood, by my high school... after all these years it still seems weird to have something so familiar feel so foreign.

There was a guy blowing bubbles and the kids were going crazy! It was a nice break for the parents. 😊

 

I applied for my very first job at that Wienerschnitzel! They hadn't opened yet and our training was held around piles of flooring and construction workers. Unfortunately about a week after they opened they let a bunch of us go. But a friend offered me a better job so it all worked out!
 

But the part of the trip that I relished the most was the view from the balcony in our room. I'd take my tea out there in the morning, I'd write out there, I sat out there a lot. I watched the sailboats go by, the rowing teams... it was peaceful and so beautiful. And I didn't even have to put on shoes!

Sea World was right across the bay and they still had a tree lit up, plus they had fireworks one night.

Woke up one morning to fog. Even the forecasters were surprised!

Oh you guys it was so nice! I wish everyone could take a few days now and then to just get away and do absolutely nothing.

When was the last time you had a little getaway?

Do you have one planned?

Saturday Snippets

Here in Washington State we are flattening the curve so our governor has created a 4-phase approach to opening the state back up. We're headed into Phase 2 soon.

With everything that's going on in our family we've decided to relax some of the restrictions just between us. Sharaya and Allie came over this week and we played some Mexican Train. 

She won that round!

Allie recently got her own cell phone and during the game I caught her taking a selfie! 

We've been texting a lot with Diana, talking about Chuck's appointments and tests so I finally called her to see if she'd want to fly out. But she was already planning to! So now she flies in tomorrow afternoon. We are all SO excited to see her and to just have the family all together again. 

Raiders of the Lost Ark was recently on TV so Chuck and I turned out the lights and watched it like we were in the theater. It's what we did on our very first date. 💓 It was in 1981 at Grossmont Center in San Diego, back when most theaters only had one screen. We stood in line a long time and when the showing before ours got out, we asked them if they liked it, was it good?!

My mom took this right after we started dating.

Today was Chuck's MRI and he told me that he got to choose the music - Contemporary Christian. He heard WayMaker, Surrounded (This is how we fight our battles) It is Well With My Soul... he was weeping by the time it was over. He said God's presence was so strong in that room! His next appointment is on Tuesday, when we get the results.

I want to thank all of you for your prayers. The Lord heard and answered every single one! Even though we haven't met most of you, we could not do this without you! You have blessed us so much, we're so thankful for all of you!

Just Breathe

I left work at 3:00 yesterday afternoon and haven't been back since. I think this is the longest I've been away in the last 3 weeks. I've got 3 people working today so I know things are in good hands.

I've been listening to a song by Jonny Diaz called Breathe. I keep hitting the repeat button:

Ready set go, it's another wild day

When the stress is on the rise

In my heart I hear you say

"Just breathe. Just breathe.

Chaos calls but all you really need is to

just breathe."

That's what I've been doing today. I spent some time with the Lord this morning, remembering His faithfulness to me over the years and I'm beginning to feel like a human again. I did a load of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, mailed a card to a friend, filled the dishwasher... real human stuff! 😊 

I've still got some difficult things ahead of me at work but yesterday I trained two new people and I think they're going to be great! Two young guys who are strong and eager to work. Plus I've got two more applications on my desk from people who have applied so I'll talk to my boss when he gets back from vacation on Monday and get his thoughts on hiring them.

Until then I'm just going to breathe.

Whew. It feels good to breathe. 

Now on to other things ~

Sharaya gave me this card for Christmas:

  

When I opened it I heard my dad say, "Well hi sweety!" And of course I lost it. To hear his voice again was indescribable. She found a company that inserts a recording into a card or lets you insert the recording into a device that you can then put in a card, I'm not sure how it works to be honest but oh my goodness what a phenomenal gift for someone who's just lost a loved one!

We got Beth a bowling ball for Christmas. She's had two others but after a while they begin to crack and break apart. The guy at the sports shop told me that those were probably made of plastic and we needed urethane or resin. And this time she chose purple!

Measuring her fingers so they can drill the holes

 

Of course we had to bowl a couple of games when we picked up her bag and ball. I mean, what kind of parent would I be if I denied the family a good game of bowling, right?!

I honestly don't remember who won but I'm sure Sharaya or Diana could tell you. There's no competition in our family! Oh no, none at all! 😉

Have you ever been bowling?

Rest In Peace Dad

My dad went into hospice on Wednesday, September 4 and I flew down on the 6th to be with him.

The hospice facility was phenomenal because not only did they take such great care of my dad but they also cared for me and my sisters, our whole family! There were only 4 patients in the facility and the nurses and assistants would bake fresh cookies for the family members every day, they made sure there was plenty of coffee and tea. The rooms even have couches and recliners so you can spend the night with your loved one! One night my sister and I were awake at 2 am so we went out and talked with one of the nurses for quite a while. They made you feel so at home there. 

I spent a lot of time out on the back patio

A very calm and peaceful living room

My dads room was big and most evenings all the family would gather to look at pictures and reminisce.

All week I'd been praying I'd be there when he passed away but he kept holding on. I even extended my stay by a couple of days but it looked like it wasn't gonna happen. About 45 minutes before I was due to leave, I leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Well dad it looks like I'm gonna have to leave for home before you do. I love you and I'm gonna miss you so much." 

On Wednesday, September 11 at 12:37pm my sister and I stood together next to his bed and we had our arms around each others waist when my dad took his last breath. Even though we had been expecting it, it still came as a shock. We cried and hugged each other and she went out to get the nurse.

I picked up my phone to text Chuck and saw the message from Super Shuttle telling me my ride was outside waiting to take me to the airport. 

I was still crying when I went outside to tell the driver that my dad had just passed away and could he give me 5 minutes. He apologized, he felt so bad and said he could wait. One of the NAs came out with me and asked the driver if he would like some coffee. They ministered to absolutely everybody involved!

I went back in and called our other sister, then I got my suitcase and Deb walked me out to the shuttle. It was a whirlwind few minutes but I'm so grateful the Lord let me be there when he died!

John Theodore Burke

November 23, 1924 - September 11, 2019

My mom and dad

Me, my sisters and our dad

My daughters and granddaughter

 Taken in August 2019