What I have learned in my time away from blogland

Eight months away from blogland was spent more involved in the lives of my family & friends. Through experience I am learning better how to love. Esther, who I caught on camera above at her friend's wedding, has frequently chosen to learn the hard way. By remaining in her life through the rough spots, I am understanding how complicated the lives of people really are. Some of her friends seem almost too broken to mend. In the meantime, Esther's Bible is appearing more worn around the edges & she has started to attend church regularly with me. My last blog entry spoke of Jerry accepting Yeshua as his Messiah. We spent December 20th to January 4th with him, Nancy & their family in Florida. One week of the holidays was spent on a cruise to the Bahamas, Virgin Islands & Netherland Antilles in the Caribbean. Louis spent time discipling Jerry a bit, while Nancy & Jerry mainly caught up on their sleep. They are both physicians in Fort Lauderdale & get calls from or about their patients at all times of the day & night. I finally was able to thank the Lord during this trip for Louis never passing the Foreign Medical exams. His work at DirecTV as a middle manager is stessful enough. The cruise was "ok", but I have really no desire to ever cruise again! The days were overcast & windy, so the sailing was not smooth despite being on a large ship. I spent one day erping up my toenails once my digestive tract was emptied. The next day I learned about half the ship's passengers had not gone to the diningrooms that day. Needless to say, no one was sun-bathing those days. The islands were beautiful but tourist traps. Family-time was the best part of the week.

I much prefer the rugged beauty only minutes away from our Montana mini-ranch. Hikes in the Bitterroot Mountains are among my best memories of the summer & fall. The Hallelujah Hikers were not as active this year, so I hiked with other friends...particularly Janie & Brooke. Janie was feeling better than she had for years after the two rounds of chemotherapy for her lymphoma. A couple of our hikes were 16-18 miles that took us back into the wilderness areas she remembered visiting as a teen with her grandpa, who was an outfitter.

Near my 61st birthday, I had the privilege of being a retreat speaker at the Burnt Fork Ranch. The topic was Psalm 23 & I was asked to give the Jewish perspective on that Psalm. I may write a bit on that topic in a future blog. We'll see.

Also around my birthday, my parents held a combined September birthday party for their 3 children - all September babies. One grandchild, (my niece, Brigitte) & one greatgrandchild, (Conner, the boy in the photo below), were also born in September. The little girl is Caimbrie, my great niece, whose birthday is actually in October. Since her brother was in the picture, she was certain she needed to be there too. The family gathering was closest to my brother Phil's 60th birthday, which is why the birthday cake sported a 60th birthday candle. The last time we had a combined birthday party, my brother, sister & I were in early grade-school.

Since all Mom & Dad's greatgrandchildren were present at the family gathering, numerous photos were taken of the grouping.

Dad turned 85 in January, while Mom's 85th birthday is this coming July. Their health is more & more fragile, so we treasure each family get-together. In fact, I am trying to drive the 50 miles to their Hamilton home for a weekly visit. Those times together have been most precious.

Before the school year began with all the Bible studies, I helped plan & put on the VBS at our church. Our pastor's wife, Miriam used a hatchet to pound together our background scenery when we couldn't locate a hammer. Something about working together at a camp, VBS, Passover seder, etc. melds friendships.

One of our Beth Tephila outreaches besides the seder is a booth at the August Missoula Country Fair. This year's theme was the Holocaust & the survivors. Each year we speak to hundreds in the Missoula area as they amble by the booth. Each year we gain another couple or so to share in our weekly Messianic Jewish worship.

Speaking of friendships... my friend, Janie Thompson, attended the Beth Moore Seminar in Spokane along with my mother, sister, niece/Brigitte & me at the end of October. She was experiencing a lot of jaw pain during the three days, but thought the neuralgia was due to the root canals & crowns that she had just gotten. I had fractured my right ankle in mid-October & was wearing a boot & maneuvering with crutches. Despite her on-going jaw pain, Janie drove me to several of our first Bible Study Fellowship sessions in Isaiah, until I could drive myself. I look back at our 30 minute chats in the car as a gift from the Lord. In late November Janie was hospitalized after tests determined that her lymphoma had turned aggressive & that she now had a form of aggressive leukemia as well. The leukemia had been responsible for the jaw pain & infiltrated her lungs. She was placed on high-flow oxygen in the hospital, but still had trouble speaking without getting short of breath.

I spent part of each day with Janie during her two week hospitalization. She was fairly upbeat most of those days, not unlike when we would hike in the forests near her ranch. I missed seeing her on Friday the 3rd of December & Saturday the 4th because of celebrating Hanukkah with the Beth Tephila congregation & getting bit by my cat. The bite swelled up my right hand into a red grapefruit that was oh so painful. When I saw red streaks starting up my arm, I drove to the hospital ER for IV antibiotics. That knocked the infection back some & I recovered over the next week.

As the sermon was almost over on Sunday, December 5th, I felt a strong urging to leave for Janie's hospital room instead of staying for the youth group's Christmas brunch after church. I arrived outside Janie's hospital room at the same time as her pastor, who had felt a similar urging. Brooke let us into the room & whispered that the physician had taken off the oxygen during the night, as Janie had decided to be on "no code" status & therefore not to be placed on a ventilator.

Janie quietly left us to be with her Lord in the next twenty minutes. She had lived only 5 weeks after attending that Beth Moore Seminar. God be praised for the rejoicing of folks over her life at her memorial service. Janie delighted in relationships & constantly spoke about her Lord to all of her friends. Several of her secular caregivers have drawn near to the Lord because of her love & transparency. I now have one more reason to anticipate my own home-going.